Sokurov and eight others removed from film council
The government has updated the composition of the Council for the Development of Domestic Cinematography, removing nine people and adding nine new members. The order was published on January 30.
Mar 6, 2026 0
An archive photograph shows filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, who was among those removed from the council.
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On January 30, the official legal information portal published a government order making changes to the composition of the Government Council for the Development of Domestic Cinematography.
Nine people have been removed from the council:
- Oleg Dobrodeev (VGTRK)
- Eduard Iloyan (Yellow, Black & White)
- Anton Malyshev (Kinoprime of Roman Abramovich)
- Natalya Mokritskaya (film critic and producer)
- Yuliana Slashcheva (Soyuzmultfilm)
- Alexander Sokurov
- Valery Todorovsky
- Vladimir Tolstoy (former presidential advisor on culture)
- Valery Fedorovich (1-2-3 Production, series «The Pandemic»)
Instead, nine new members have joined the council:
- Alexander Akopov (producer)
- Vladimir Vereshchagin (general director of Central Partnership)
- Gavriil Gordeev (general producer of the online cinema Okko)
- Natalya Gridneva (deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports, Tourism and National Policy)
- Anton Zlatopolsky (first deputy general director of VGTRK)
- Vladimir Mashkov (chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers)
- Yevgeny Mironov (artistic director of the Theatre of Nations)
- Sofia Mitrofanova (general director of MTS Media)
- Sergei Ursulyak (film director)
These changes followed a speech by Alexander Sokurov in December at a meeting of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights Development. At that time, the director addressed the head of state with criticism of rising utility tariffs, criticized the foreign agents law, raised the issue of oppression of cultural figures, and noted that some of his films are banned in Russia.
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