Filmmakers about Ingush protests outraged by ban to screen it at festival

The documentary "Doazuv" (Border) Maryana Kalmykova has been removed from screening at the "Artdocfest" festival because of the position of the Russian Ministry of Culture, which saw incitement of interethnic hatred in the film. It tells about protests of the residents of Ingushetia against the border agreement with Chechnya; it contains no provocations and calls for illegal actions, says Khava Khazbieva, the producer.

The documentary will be shown on the platform "Artdoc.media", Ekaterina Vizgalova, the press secretary of the "Artdocfest", has announced.

Victoria Belopolskaya, Director of the Festival, believes that the film may be of interest to everyone who is interested in the situation in the Caucasus.

"The work of the young talented director, Marianna Kalmykova, has been treated as an anti-government one, although there is no aggression in the documentary. People talk about what they've been through. There are comments from several protesters convicted for taking part in the protests," said Khava Khazbieva, the producer.

She believes that those who've banned the screening could be alerted only by the fact that "unarmed people could repulse the law enforcers armed to the teeth with their strength of mind and solidarity."

The "Caucasian Knot" has also reported that the Russian "Artdocfest" documentary film festival was forced to cancel the screening of the film "Quiet Voice" about the fate of a Chechen gay.