Ukrainian film-maker Sergei Loznitsa has criticised the European Commission for withdrawing €2m in funding from the Venice Biennale over the reopening of Russia's pavilion, calling the move "a punishment in kindergarten". Speaking ahead of the Venice film festival, he argued the funding row distracts from the EU's own failure to curb Russian gas imports, which he says continue to fund the war in Ukraine. The dispute is spilling over into the film festival, which is institutionally separate from the Biennale but will still feel the financial impact.

The Biennale drew criticism this spring for letting Russia use its pavilion for the first time since 2022, though the exhibition has been closed to the public since 9 May. The European Commission confirmed last month it was ending its multiyear grant, prompting Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco to accuse it of "abandoning our journey". This year's film festival programme has a notably political, Russia-focused slant, featuring Loznitsa's own film Imperium alongside works addressing repression in Belarus and exiled Russian journalists, reflecting the wider tensions the funding row has exposed.