Hi all.
Another angle to the ongoing discussion of ethics.
The Russian Filmmakers’ Union - led by Nikita Mihailkov - has published an ETHICS CHARTER in December 2013. The initiative to write it came from Vladimir Putin.
The charter addresses the the spiritual regression in Russian society, its suffering from the dominance of Western cultural product, the neglect of moral principles, and the problem of the extreme individualism of artists. The charter proclaims that creative freedom is inseparable from the 'responsibility of the artist'.
It calls for the portrayal of positive heroes, promotion of traditional family values and national unity and the respect for the history and symbolism of the Fatherland. Etc etc.
The document has been compared to the Hays Code and to the Oath of Soviet Pioneers (the Communist children’s organization) among other things. Very little information about it in other languages than Russian.
Hollywood Reporter wrote about the preparation of the paper last summer: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russia-develop-code-ethics-film-581673
In Russian:
The Charter in the Union’s Newsletter 1/2014
http://unikino.ru/sk-news/itemlist/category/30.html
Dissenting opinion:
http://www.kinosoyuz.com/news/index.htm?pub=2263
Ethics Charter in the news (in Russian):
http://piter.tv/event/Proekt_hartii_kinematografistov_vizval_gomericheskij_hohot/
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2277313
http://www.gazeta.ru/culture/2013/12/25/a_5819089.shtml
http://www.newsru.com/cinema/25dec2013/hartia.html
A comment from the bulletin of Finland's Filmmakers' Union: "Putin has tightened his grip on the press and television. Now it is the turn of cinema."
Best greetings
Raija
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Raija Talvio, MA
Department of Film, Television and Scenography
School of Art, Design and Architecture
Aalto University
Helsinki, Finland
tel. +358 50 5644156
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