Cinema and TV association calls on members to cease co-operation with Russia
Pact said it joined ‘the call of millions in expressing our fervent hope for peace’.
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Your support makes all the difference.A major cinema and TV association has called on its members to suspend co-operation and trade with Russia.
The Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact) – the UK’s trade association for independent producers – has also removed all Russian production and business information from its website.
The association has among its members Hartswood Films, which produced the TV series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and World Productions, which counts Line of Duty and Vigil among its shows.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the association called for the “cessation of hostilities in Ukraine” and expressed sympathy to those in the country.
The statement reads: “Pact expresses our deepest sympathy for the people of Ukraine, and in particular our colleagues working in Ukraine’s film and television sector.
“Along with other industry organisations, Pact calls for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and for a resolution of conflict by diplomatic means respecting the rule of law and the rights of the Ukrainian people.
“International sanctions are being implemented against the Russian Government.
“Whilst Pact sympathises with Russian creatives who do not have the same freedoms and safeguards that we enjoy in the United Kingdom, Pact has removed all Russian production and business information from its website and calls on members to suspend all co-operation and trade with Russia for the time being.
“Pact joins the call of millions in expressing our fervent hope for peace.”
This business joins many others in distancing itself from Russia as Western countries increase sanctions against the nation.
Several major Hollywood entertainment companies, including Warner Bros, Sony Pictures and The Walt Disney Company, have paused the release of films in Russia in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.