Netflix to pause all projects and acquisitions in Russia
Netflix has paused all future Russian projects and acquisitions as a result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
According to Variety, the streamer is “assessing the impact of current events”, which has led to four Russian original series being indefinitely paused. Zato, a crime series set after the fall of the Soviet Union, directed by the Belarus-born director Darya Zhuk, was already in production but has now been put on hold.
Netflix also has another three series in the pipeline in Russia, including Anna K, based on Anna Karenina. The service launched in the country just over a year ago and is believed to have about 1 million subscribers.
Earlier this week, the company confirmed it would refuse to broadcast Russian state propaganda, in the face of a law that just came into effect. It requires streaming services with more than 100,000 daily users to carry 20 major Russian federal television channels, many of which broadcast Kremlin propaganda.
The past few days have seen an increasing pushback from Hollywood against Russia, including Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony and Universal all delaying their upcoming film releases. Titles affected include Turning Red, The Batman, Morbius and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
“We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”
The Cannes film festival has stated that no Russian delegations or attendees with ties to the government will be welcomed in May. The European Film Academy also announced that Russian films will not be eligible for the next European Film
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