The distributor of the film "Leaving North Korea", U Films, announced that the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation did not issue the necessary documents for the film's release. Screenings in cinemas were supposed to start on April 30, but they were canceled. This was reported by DW, writes UNN.
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In its decision, the Ministry of Justice referred to sub-paragraph "g" of paragraph 19 of the Procedure for issuing a distribution certificate for a film. According to this norm, the department may refuse to distribute "in other cases determined by federal laws."
What exactly the authorities' claims against the film by Danish director Frederik Selberg are, is not reported.
The film tells the story of a girl, Hesun, who fled from North Korea to South Korea to earn money for her mother's treatment. In South Korea, she is awaited not only by long-awaited freedom, but also by new rules, different people, and high societal expectations, according to the film's description.
At the same time, Cinemaplex reported that Russian distributors warned cinemas about the need to refuse to show new foreign films "without legal status" (i.e., films that are shown in Russia without the permission of foreign copyright holders) from April 30 to May 11.
Presumably, this was done to free up the screening schedule for Russian "patriotic" films in connection with the May holidays. Since March 1, a ban on showing films that "discredit Russian traditional spiritual and moral values" also came into force in Russia.