Director Aleksey Uchitel left the Oscar committee due to the fact that the Russian Film Academy refused to nominate the film for the American Oscar in 2022. The director himself told TASS about this.
“It is strange that the Presidium of the Film Academy did not respond to my request to get together and work out a common position. Or at least explain your decision. Therefore, I am also forced to withdraw from the committee,” Master said.
The fact that the Film Academy will not nominate a domestic film for an Oscar was previously known from a message on the Academy's website. The reasons for this decision were not explained.
Chairman of the Russian Oscar Committee Pavel Chukhrai then left in protest. Nikolai Dostal, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Vladimir Kott, Sergei Bodrov Sr. and Vera Storozheva left the committee after him.
The teacher offered to hold a meeting of filmmakers with the presidium of the Film Academy in order to "immediately correct the situation," but no one responded to this proposal.