During the “Direct Line”, the head of Yakutia Aisen Nikolaev spoke about the ban on the Yakut films “Aita” and “Candidate,” Sakhaday reports.
Previously, the film “Aita” directed by Stepan Burnashev was removed from streaming services at the request of Roskomnadzor. The regulator found in the film “a demonstration of inequality of persons based on nationality.” “The positive aspects of heroes of one nationality are contrasted with the emphatically negative traits of heroes of another nationality,” the RKN message said.
The comedy “The Candidate” by Dmitry Shadrin, one of the main characters of which is a man in disguise, was not issued a distribution certificate by the Ministry of Culture due to “LGBT propaganda,” reported a Sakhaday source “closely familiar with the production” of the film
“I both of these films, "Aita" and «Candidate», looked. I know the directors who made these films very well. They are both patriots. In principle, both of them are unable to make any films about non-traditional values and nationalism. They don’t have this in their heads,” said the head of Yakutia.“It is clear that laws and approaches can be interpreted in different ways. If you ban Dima Shadrin’s film “The Candidate,” then you should ban “Gentlemen of Fortune,” “Hello, I’m your aunt,” “There are only girls in jazz.” It would be very funny if it weren’t so sad,” added Aisen Nikolaev.
“I will speak out as a spectator and as a person who understands these processes. Perhaps my point of view is controversial. Today we are really creating a film industry. Previously, we simply made films, largely festival films, films for internal consumption, for our public. Now we have taken a step into the Russian market. <…> Not only did they begin to respect and praise us, but some also began to fear us. And some steps began to be taken to limit the scope of our cinema through such supervisory actions,” explained the head of the region.
The film “Aita,” released in March 2023, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Yakut cinema. Its grosses amounted to 26.4 million rubles against a budget of 4 million. The film also received two awards at the “Winter” auteur film festival. The film takes place in a Yakut village, where a high school student dies after attempting suicide. They find a note on her: “Afonya, I hate you!”
After this, the villagers decide to carry out lynching of the local policeman Afanasy, the only Russian in the area. At the end of the film, it turns out that Afonya is the lover of a girl from another village, so the father of the deceased schoolgirl asks for forgiveness from the policeman.
“These are the times. It was easier for Roskomnadzor to ban everything based on an anonymous denunciation. I’m even sure that the officials didn’t watch the film! We have more anonymous denunciations. In fact, the film is absolutely not nationalistic, it says exactly the opposite!” Director Dmitry Davydov spoke about the ban on the film.
“I talked to the directors and told them not to worry. They will make new films. You just need to be more focused here, understand where they can get caught, what mistakes they make, and not make them. And your native republic is always with you. We are not abandoning our own, we will support you!” concluded the head of Yakutia.
In September, as a sign of protest against the ban on the film “Aita”, the newspaper “Yakutsk Evening” published an issue with the headline “Roskompozor”.