Mexican film wins top prize at Moscow International Film Festival while major studios boycott Russia

The Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A Mexican film has won the top prize at the Moscow International Film Festival which took place as major Western studios boycott the Russian market and as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its third year. The film “Shame,” by Mexican director Miguel Salgado was the most highly awarded film at the festival which began in 1935 and has been held annually since 1999. This year’s edition included more than 240 films from 56 countries. After Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, major studios in the United States and many European countries halted distribution of their films to Russia. The cutoff was a significant blow to Russian movie theaters; before the conflict started, the cinema sector got about 70% of its revenue from Hollywood films.