TatarKino has no money for Matilda; the Caucasus feels sorry for the tsar
10 facts about the supporters and opponents of the film about the affair of the tsar with the ballerina
The state budgetary institution of culture of the republic TatarKino will not acquire the right to rent the film Matilda by Alexey Uchitel. The reason is the lack of funds in the budget for these costs. It is unknown whether the film to be shown in Tatarstan at all. The authorities in two Russian regions have already asked the Ministry of Culture not to include them in the distribution certificate for the screening of Matilda. Meanwhile, the film about the affair of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II with a ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya, in addition to opponents-deputies, has received the support of the most popular social network in Russia. About Matilda and why it attracts so much attention — read in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
No One 16 & Under Admitted
On 10 August, the film Matilda directed by Alexey Uchitel received a distribution certificate issued by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Now Matilda is allowed to be screened in all Russian cinemas. However, it has an age limit — no one 16 and under admitted. The ministry noted that the regional authorities are free to determine the appropriateness of screening a particular film.
TatarKino has no money for Matilda
It became known that TatarKino is not going to buy the right to rent the film Matilda by Alexey Uchitel. It was reported by the press-service of the Ministry of Culture of Tatarstan. Besides, the Ministry recalled that, according to the law ''On state support of cinematography of the Russian Federation'', the distribution license is not issued if the film contains material that violates the legislation of the Russian Federation. However, how this relates to the film Matilda, which recently has received a distribution license, the Ministry of Culture of Tatarstan did not explain.
The press service of TatarKino stated to Realnoe Vremya that the establishment's budget for 2017 does not provide funds for the purchase of the rights to the film Matilda. In the TatarKino they highlighted: to say whether the film contains materials that violate the Russian legislation is possible only after watching the film.
The Caucasus does not need Matilda
It is unknown whether Ramzan Kadyrov has watched the film Matilda. We only know that the head of Chechnya sent a letter to Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky with a request to ban the release of the film by Alexey Uchitel in the region. In particular, in the text Kadyrov noted that ''tens of thousands'' people regard the film by Uchitel as a ''deliberate mockery of the feelings of believers'', ''humiliation of human dignity'' and ''desecration of shrines and centuries-old history of the peoples of Russia''. The head of Chechnya in his address also referres to the Information Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation, adopted in December 2016 by Vladimir Putin. ''You are kindly requested to exclude the Chechen Republic from the distribution certificate for the film Matilda,'' is stated in the final text. The letter from the head of Chechnya was published in Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Another Caucasian region of Russia — Dagestan, also appealed to the Ministry of Culture with the request not to include the republic in the distribution license for the film Matilda. The author of the request was First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic Anatoly Karibov. The motive for such statement was the fact that the film may hurt the feelings of believers, reported Karibov to Interfax.
On 11 August, the example was followed by the head of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. According to Yevkurov, the experts ''reported'' to him that Matilda contains blasphemy ''against the tsar''. In this regard, the republic decided to refuse the screening of the film.
Livestream in the social network
Meanwhile, the social network Vkontakte will provide information support to the film Matilda, said the press secretary of VKontakte Yevgeny Krasnikov. He noted that the team of Vkontakte has already attended the private screening of Matilda for employees of the social network and highly assessed the film. According to Krasnikov, they are planning to organize a live broadcast on the social network from the premiere at the Mariinsky theatre.
''Anti-Matilda''
The opponents of the film Matilda did not confine themselves to only words and began to act. Director Sergey Aliyev began the work on the film Matilda's Lie. ''The decision (to direct the film) was taken under the influence of the trailer, I haven't seen the film yet, about the sacred for Orthodox people Emperor — Nicholas II. In the film, in addition to the myth that the Emperor had the affair before the marriage with Mathilde Kschessinska, there will be investigated all the other myths that still exist,'' said Aliyev. They want to release the one-hour-long film before the film by Uchitel comes out. As Interfax reported, a fighter of mixed martial arts Fyodor Emelyanenko, a State Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov, Metropolitan Vikenty and others star in the documentary film Matilda's Lie.
It's all about the director
An opponent of the film Matilda Vitaly Milonov has confirmed that he took part in the filming of Matilda's Lie. In his newspaper column in Realnoe Vremya, he said that the film represents itself several interviews.
''It is not a documentary. It's not Uchitel who took some actors and filmed his ideas in fantastic versions. They could not be compared in any case. I wouldn't even call it Matilda's Lie. It is rather Uchitel's lie than Matilda's. If we want to make a film about the film, I would better make a film about the truth. I'm not interested in sorting dirty linen of Uchitel. Let him do it himself with his attorney Konstantin Dobrynin,'' noted Milonov.
Besides, the deputy suggested the candidacy of those who, in his opinion, could direct a good film about Nicholas II. Milonov called Mel Gibson — the director, who ''will not dissemble, looking at corporate friendship''.
''Russia will die''
If the film by Alexey Uchitel Matilda is released, God will destroy the entire population of Russia, said Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin. The priest made a video appeal and posted it on his youtube channel. The video titled ''Matilda is shown — Russia will perish'' was posted on 2 July 2017 and received over 120 million hits.
Poklonskaya wants to involve the Ministry of Culture?
The main opponent of the film Matilda can safely be called a State Duma Deputy, former Prosecutor of Crimea Natalia Polonskaya. In late July, having collected signatures of 37 fellow parliamentarians and 100,000 citizens, Poklonskaya sent to the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation the parliamentary inquiry against the film Matilda, reports TASS.
Natalia Poklonskaya has been seeking for several month banning the film, justifying by the fact that the film offends the memory of the tsar and the feelings of believers. We would like to note that the ex-the Prosecutor of Crimea gives to the person of Tsar Nicholas II a special attention. On 3 March, in an interview to Tsargrad TV she said that in Crimea the bust of Tsar Nicholas II weeped oil and members brought children unto him for healing. But the commission of the priests did not observe an occurrence of a bust of Nicholas II weeping and icons when visited the chapel in Simferopol.
Alexey Uchitel calls Poklonskaya's attempts to influence the creative process and the renting destiny of the film unacceptable. The director's attorney Konstantin Dobrynin wrote a complaint to Deputy Poklonskaya to the Commission on ethics of the State Duma. A reply has not been followed yet.
Tsar-German and Kozlovskiy into the bargain
According to the information at Kinopoisk, the budget of the film Matilda is $25 million. The film involves both Russian and foreign actors. The role of Nicholas II was performed by a German Lars Eidinger, Mathilde Kschessinska — by a Polish Michalina Olszanska. In the film there also starred Danila Kozlovsky, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Sergey Garmash, Yevgeny Mironov.
Premiere in the Mariinsky Theatre
The premiere of the film Matilda will take place on 6 October 2017 at the Mariinsky Theatre — this will be the first film premiere in the modern history of the Mariinsky Theatre, reported TASS.