Streaming giant Netflix announced a suspension of all projects and acquisitions based in Russia as Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine rolls on, according to Variety.
The Internet streamer pushed the pause button on four Russian-made series it was pursuing, including a crime thriller by director Dasha Zhuk that had already started shooting..
The trade paper added that Netflix has suspended all Russian contracts until further notice as the international situation continues to roil Eastern Europe.
The streamer’s decision comes on the heels of entertainment giant Disney’s decision to hit the brakes and cancel film releases in Russian markets. Disney was joined by Warner Brothers in halting premieres of new releases in Russia.
Russian productions have also been barred from the festival scene led by the Cannes Film Festival’s move to pull in the welcome mat for Russian films. Series Mania Festival and MipTV also said that no Russian productions will be welcome with them.
In addition, the Beinnale arts exhibition in Venice canceled its Russian pavilion for this year’s Venice Film Festival, leaving Russia out in the cold.
Meanwhile, not one of these film houses, exhibitors, or festivals has similarly stood up to China for its horrendous human rights abuse record.
As Human Rights Watch noted in its 2018 report, China has “dramatically stepped up repression and systematic abuses against the 13 million Turkic Muslims, including Uyghurs and ethnic Kazakhs, in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region.”
China has one of the worst human rights abuse records in the world. From its brutal suppression of the democracy movements in its territories of Tibet and Hong Kong to its oppression of Christians and members of the Falun Gong, to its enslavement and genocide perpetrated against its minority Muslim Uyghur population, China has faced more scrutiny than ever for its record of massive human rights abuses even as Hollywood ignores it all.
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