Another cinematography celebrity has publicly expressed support for Ukrainian filmmaker and writer Oleg Sentsov, who is imprisoned in Russia after being convicted of false terrorism charges by a sham Russian court.
Mexican director, screenwriter, and producer Alfonso Cuarón, who has just won an Oscar for Best Director, stepped in to advocate for Sentsov.
Cuarón wore a pin with an inscription “#Free Sentsov” attached to his jacket for the cocktail reception in honor of the foreign language film award nominees on Feb. 22 in Los Angeles, California.
PEN America, an association of writers and others in the literary community working to defend free expression, advance literature, and foster international literary fellowship, posted a picture of Cuarón wearing the pin.
“Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón joined us in calling for the release of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov last night,” PEN America’s post on Facebook published on Feb. 25 reads.
Earlier Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, U.S. actress Meryl Streep, actors George Clooney and Johnny Depp demanded that Russia release Sentsov via statements and flashmobs.
Sentsov, 42, a native of Crimea, opposed Russia’s invasion and annexation of the peninsula in 2014. He was arrested by Russian law enforcement in 2014 and later sentenced to 20 years of prison after a sham trial on charges of plotting a terrorist attack, which he denies. He is being held by Russia in a prison in Siberia.
Sentsov is one of about 70 Ukrainian political prisoners serving time in Russian and Crimean jails.
He declared a hunger strike in May 2018, before the start of the FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament held in Russia on June 14 – July 15, 2018, to draw global attention to Ukrainian prisoners of Russia. He demanded that they all be released, although he didn’t ask for his own release.
He ended the 145-day hunger-strike on Oct. 5, 2018, because, according to Sentsov, the Russian authorities were planning to start force-feeding him due to his health being in a critical condition.
Later that month, on Oct. 25, 2018, Sentsov won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded by the European Parliament.
Cuarón is famous for directing “Roma,” “Gravity,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Y Tu Mamá También.”
In 2013, he won an Oscar for Best Director for “Gravity,” becoming the first Latin American director to receive such an award.
At the 91st Academy Awards held on Feb. 24, Cuarón again won in the Best Director category, and picked up two more Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film for his latest black-and-white drama “Roma.”
