The Russian Oscar Committee, which selects the Russian submission for the International Feature Film Oscar, has suspended its work, according to one of its erstwhile members, Fyodor Popov.
Popov, a Russian film producer, told Russian state news agency TASS that while he used to be a member of the committee, it was no longer active.
Any Russian submission to the Academy Awards at the present time would be “inappropriate”, Popov said, given the “circumstances, with Russia under sanctions and Russian culture, sports, and more facing persecution and bans”.
Two other former members of the committee confirmed that Russia would not be submitting a movie to the Oscars for consideration this year.
Last year, the Russian Film Academy announced its decision not to submit a Russian film to the Oscars without first informing the committee. The unilateral decision led to director and screenwriter Pavel Chukhray stepping down as head of the committee, with more members leaving soon afterwards.
