- December 11, 2025
- 1:39 pm
- World News
“My film is not Israeli, and neither am I. I am Ukrainian, and my decision is based not on my nationality, but on the principles I have adhered to all my life. I am firmly convinced that one cannot judge a nation and that we judge people by their actions, not by their passports,” – four-time Oscar nominee Ukrainian director Alexander Rodnyansky.
Ukrainian Director Opposes “Collective Guilt”
Ukrainian director and producer Alexander Rodnyansky announced his decision to withdraw his new documentary film Notes of a True Criminal from the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) (November 13 – 24, 2025). The reason was the organizers’ decision to exclude Israeli film companies and funds “receiving state funding” from participation.
Rodnyansky announced his decision in a personal address published on social media. His position was crystal clear: he disagrees with the idea of collective responsibility and considers it unacceptable to boycott art solely based on its national affiliation.
Rodnyansky’s action is especially symbolic, as he is a director from a country that is itself waging a defensive war against a terrorist aggressor — Russia.
Ukrainians, perhaps more than anyone, understand Israelis: Israel is also fighting for its existence — against Hamas and other forces that openly declare their desire to destroy both Israel and Ukraine.
And although the Israeli government “demonstrates restraint” and does not “see” Russia as a direct aggressor, society in Israel increasingly sees how similar the fates of the two countries are — those who defend themselves against evil coming under different flags.
“I am not from Israel, but I am against this principle”
In his statement, the director emphasized that he acted not out of solidarity based on nationality, but out of principle:
“My film is not Israeli, and I am not from Israel either. I am Ukrainian, and my decision is based not on nationality, but on the principles I have adhered to all my life. I am convinced that one cannot judge peoples. We judge people by their actions, not by their passports.”
According to Rodnyansky, Israeli directors are known for often criticizing their own government’s and army’s policies, and it is precisely their voices that are now being silenced.
“Israel is a democratic country. The institutions that IDFA boycotts are funded from public sources, but the distribution of funds is handled by independent committees. The state does not control most documentary projects, and often it is the one trying to censor them — the very films that the festival now excludes.”
“This is Hypocrisy”
Rodnyansky called IDFA’s decision a “duplicitous practice” and a “hypocritical move” used for political purposes.
He reminded that in most small film markets — whether Eastern Europe or the Middle East — state funding is a vital support for art, not a tool of propaganda.
“Banning the participation of institutions just because they receive state funding is hypocrisy. In reality, cinema in small countries simply will not survive without some form of state assistance.”
As an example, he cited several well-known anti-war films created with the support of Israeli funds: “Lebanon”, “Foxtrot”, “Waltz with Bashir”, “Synonyms”, “Ahed’s Knee”, and “Yes”.
“These films were funded by the state of Israel, but that does not make them any less powerful and critical,” the director emphasized.
A Position Against the Current
Rodnyansky’s decision was noted not only in Israel but also in international film criticism. His action is a rare example of a world-renowned director standing up for Israeli artists amid growing pressure on Israel from several cultural institutions.
Rodnyansky’s publication received significant feedback in the professional community. Many noted that his arguments concern not only the Israeli situation but also the very principle of the existence of independent cinema in a world where politics increasingly infiltrates the festival system.
Legal and Ethical Boundary
The director also mentioned the position of the organization “UK Lawyers for Israel”, which recently sent a legal warning against the boycott of Israeli film institutions, calling it a violation of the British Equality Act.
Rodnyansky noted that British law may not apply outside the country, but the principle itself is universal:
“It’s the idea that people and organizations cannot be excluded based on their nationality, ethnicity, or religion. It’s a principle that rejects the very idea of collective guilt. It’s simple.”
Reaction in Israel
As reported by Israel Hayom on November 5, 2025, Rodnyansky’s decision received wide resonance in the Israeli film industry.
Many directors and producers called his action an example of professional and human solidarity.
Amid political discussions about cultural boycotts, this case became a reminder for Israelis that the fight for artistic freedom is not a fight between countries, but a fight of principles.
Representatives of Israeli film companies excluded from IDFA participation, including DOCAVIV, CoPro, and state broadcaster Kan, expressed gratitude to the director for his support. For them, this decision was a sign that the global professional community understands: it’s not about politics, but about the artist’s right to be heard.
Who is Alexander Rodnyansky
Alexander Rodnyansky is a Ukrainian director, producer, and media manager, one of the most famous representatives of post-Soviet cinema in the world. Born in Kyiv, he graduated from the Kyiv Theater Institute named after Karpenko-Kary, and began his career as a documentarian.
In the 1990s, he created the Ukrainian TV channel “1+1”, and later worked as a producer of feature films that received international recognition. Among them are “The Return” and “Leviathan” by Andrey Zvyagintsev, “Elena”, “The Banishment”, and other projects repeatedly nominated for the Oscar.
Rodnyansky is a four-time Oscar nominee, a laureate of the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice film festivals.
About the Film Notes of a True Criminal
The documentary film Notes of a True Criminal was directed by Alexander Rodnyansky in collaboration with Ukrainian director Andrey Alferov.
The work on the film lasted almost three years. It is based on a unique combination of modern stories of the war in Ukraine and archival materials shot by Rodnyansky himself in the 1980s-1990s, as well as footage by his grandfather — a cameraman and documentarian at the “Ukrkinochronika” studio.
The film shows that the Ukrainian war is not an episode of recent years, but a multi-generational experience of struggle and memory, reflecting how the country is repeatedly forced to defend its right to exist from an aggressive “neighbor”.
The directors explore this theme through the fates of ordinary people, whose personal decisions become a reflection of the national drama.
Notes of a True Criminal is a reflection on conscience, duty, and the price of truth, where documentary merges with a philosophical view of modernity.
On the international market, the film will be represented by the company Cinephil, one of the leading distribution platforms for documentary cinema.
ChatGPT program said:
Cinema Against Boycotts
Rodnyansky’s position is based not on politics, but on professional ethics.
He insists: the boycott of state institutions supporting cinema effectively punishes the artists themselves — those who most often oppose the authorities and seek the truth.
Such an approach, the director believes, destroys the very idea of cultural dialogue on which documentary cinema is based.
“This is not the protection of values, but a substitution of concepts. If you exclude people because of their passport, it is not justice, but a form of discrimination.”
Broader Context
The situation around IDFA sparked a discussion about the boundaries of morality in art.
On one hand, the desire of festivals to declare their position on human rights issues. On the other, the risk that morality will turn into a form of censorship.
Rodnyansky’s action served as a reminder: art exists not to divide, but to communicate.
When political filters replace artistic criteria, culture loses its independence.
Conclusion
Alexander Rodnyansky’s decision is not just an act of protest, but an attempt to restore meaning to the word “principle”.
The Ukrainian director reminded the world that collective guilt is a dangerous illusion, and that an artist should be judged not by their passport, but by their conscience.
“It’s simple: you cannot judge nations. We judge people by their actions, not by documents,” he wrote at the end of his post.
NANews Israel News Nikk.Agency November 6, 2025.