When a tragedy the scale of the Russian invasion of Ukraine wrestles control of the headlines, the world of popular culture and celebrity is often sidelined. Who cares what Netflix is doing while Kyiv is being bombed? Why do we need a hot take from a Hollywood star at a time like this? (We don’t.)
While the focus now is rightly on the events unfolding Ukraine, various film studios, streamers, musicians and celebrities are taking a stand and showing their support in different ways. Here’s how the entertainment industry is responding to the crisis.
The latest Batman movie will not be released in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.Credit:Warner Bros Pictures
Movie studios pull Russian releases
Major entertainment corporations and platforms have mobilised to condemn the Russian invasion, with Disney the first major Hollywood studio to halt its releases at the Russian box office. “Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming Turning Red from Pixar,” a Walt Disney Co. spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.
This triggered a domino effect, with WarnerMedia also confirming it would pull this week’s release of The Batman in Russia. Similarly, Sony Pictures, Universal and Paramount have since suspended all upcoming releases planned for the region.
Meanwhile, streaming giant Netflix announced it will no longer agree to broadcast state TV channels in Russia. Netflix had previously signed an agreement to begin airing 20 Russian federal television stations, many of which are aligned with the Kremlin.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” Netflix told CNN Business in a statement earlier this week.
Closer to home, Foxtel made the decision early to suspend transmission of the Kremlin-backed RT channel in Australia.“In view of concern about the situation in Ukraine, the Russia Today channel is currently unavailable on Foxtel and Flash,” a spokesperson for the Foxtel Group said. Australians can still access RT on YouTube and via the broadcaster’s own website.
Meanwhile, SBS, home to various foreign language programs, suspended the broadcast of news bulletins NTV Moscow and Russia Today last week.
Musicians cancel shows
Several high-profile musicians and bands have cancelled upcoming gigs in Moscow, as the industry declares solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have cancelled upcoming shows in Moscow in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Credit:Fiona Morris
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have pulled out of their scheduled shows in Russia, while Iggy Pop, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day and The Killers have also announced their shows will no longer go ahead.
Eurovision takes a stand
Russia has also found itself ousted from the Eurovision Song Contest, with the European Broadcasting Union announcing on February 25 that Russia will not have an act in the competition. Russia last won Eurovision in 2008, with Dima Bilan singing Believe, and has been one of the competition’s most consistent performers, with five top-five finishes in the past 10 years.
Dima Bilan of Russia celebrates on stage after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade May 24, 2008.Credit:REUTERS
“The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute,” the EBU said.
The celebrities making a difference
Celebrity clicktivism, performative activism, call it what you will; when famous figures try to lend a hand during times of crisis, it can often feel half-baked. A slew of famous faces have expressed their dismay online from the moment the Russian invasion began, but only a few have managed to cut through the noise and offer real help.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
The Hollywood power couple has teamed up with USA for UNHCR, a non-profit organisation offering help on the ground in Ukraine. Taking to Instagram, Lively announced that the pair would “double every dollar donated to @usaforunhcr up to $1,000,000.”
Blake Lively, left, and Ryan Reynolds have used their star power on social media to help raise funds for the Ukrainian people.Credit:AP
Bethenny Frankel
The businesswoman and reality star is putting her former Real Housewives co-stars to shame, raising millions of dollars in aid through her disaster relief charity BStrong. The funds will help refugees travel and will set up different stations along the Poland-Ukraine border to provide water and hygiene products.
Sean Penn
The Oscar winner has been on the ground in Ukraine, where he is filming a documentary for Vice. Penn previously visited Ukraine in November 2021 to research the film but has since shifted focus to the Russian invasion, using his star power to shine a light on what is happening in real-time. Penn arrived in Kyiv last week and met with Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk before the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a statement praising his work.
“Sean Penn especially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country,” read the statement. “Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty.”
Hollywood actor and producer Sean Penn visits positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the frontline with Russia-backed separatists in Donetsk region, Ukraine, in 2021. Credit:AP
The celebrities making us cringe
Wrestler-cum-movie star John Cena used the invasion of Russia to advertise his latest HBO show, Peacemaker, in which he plays a man who “fights for peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it”.
John Cena’s tweet may have been tone-deaf, but it wasn’t quite as cringey as the video released by American actress AnnaLynne McCord. Having learnt nothing from Gal Gadot’s star-studded Imagine car crash, McCord took to Twitter to read a poem titled Dear Mister President Vladimir Putin…
The poem goes for over two minutes and includes stanzas directed at the Russian President such as, “If I was your mother, you would have been so loved, held in the arms of joyous light.”
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