Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on artists and filmmakers to declare their support for Ukraine in his speech to attendees of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Cinema is able to overcome barriers, both real and ideological, said Zelenskyyy, citing Wim Wenders’ Sky Over Berlin (1988), which anticipated the end of Germany’s post-war division, as an example. .
Today, Russia is building a new wall in Ukraine, a figurative wall “between freedom and slavery”, he said.
Art cannot remain indifferent, because when it is not heard, “the spokespersons of evil sound louder and more convincing”, he said during a live broadcast.
Ahead of the festival’s opening ceremony, American actress Anne Hathaway called Zelenskyyy a modern hero and thanked the festival organizers for giving her the opportunity to perform.
The festival management called Zelenskyyy’s participation a special honor.
A former comedian and actor, Zelenskyyy appears in Sean Penn’s Superpower, a film about the war in Ukraine, which will premiere at the festival.
