NEWS FROM FERA MEMBERS: Petition of the Austrian film and TV directors to the Austrian Government: We demand the release of filmmaker Oleg Sentsov

Dear chancellor Sebastian Kurz,
Dear Federal Minister for Europe, integration and foreign affairs Dr. Karin Kneissl, Dear chancellor for EU, Art, Culture and Media Mag. Gernot Blümel,

We, the Austrian film and TV directors, are worried!

Since 2014 our colleague, the Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, has been arrested as political prisoner in a Sibirian high-security prison. According to statements by his family Oleg is at the risk of his life after he finished 145 days of hunger strike by the beginning of october.

On Wednesday dec 12th 2018 Oleg Sentsov will receive the award of the renowed Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the EU-Parliament in Strasbourg, which is an award for organizations and people who become involved with Human Rights since 1988.

Othmar Karas, ÖVP-head of delegation at EU-Parliament, declared „Oleg Sentsov stands for all Ukrainian people who have been unlawfully arrested and sentenced to jail after the illegal annexion of Crimea by Russia.“ President of France Emmanuel Macron made an effort for Oleg Sentsov and his release, so far without success. Regarding the Austrian EU Presidency, the republic of Austria also carries responsibility in the case of Sentsov.

We, the Austrian film and TV directors, ask the Austrian Government to help Oleg Sentsov to get better medical care and to stand up for his release.

Signed by 128 members of
ADA – Austrian Directors’ Association &
Austrian Directors ́Guild (Verband Filmregie Österreich)

Vienna, dec 7th 2018

Barbara Albert | Marco Antoniazzi | Kurdwin Ayub | Ruth Beckermann | Judith Benedikt | Christian Berger | Helmut Berger | Karin Berger | Dieter Berner | Reinhold Bilgeri | Iris Blauensteiner | Sebastian Brameshuber | Susanne Brandstätter | Sebastian Brauneis | Kurt Brazda | Alexander Bruckner | Peter Brunner | Michael Cencig | Patric Chiha | Angela Christlieb | Umut Dag | Gloria Dürnberger Stern | Andrea Maria Dusl | Barbara Eder | Therese Engels | Sara Fattahi | Severin Fiala | Veronika Franz | Christian Frosch | Thomas Fürhapter | Jenny Gand | Nikolaus Geyrhalter | Wolfgang Glück | Ernst Gossner | Johannes Grenzfurthner | Jacob Groll | Max Gruber | Josef Hader | Klaus Händl | Jessica Hausner | Rupert Henning | Bernhard Hetzenauer | Valentin Hitz | Daniel Hoesl | Edgar Honetschläger | Ruth Kaaserer | Florian Kehrer | Kenan Kilic | Kitty Kino | Tereza Kotyk | Michael Kreihsl | Marie Kreutzer | Chris Krikellis | Sandeep Kumar | Nina Kusturica | Tina Leisch | Ivette Löcker | Leopold Lummerstorfer | Ruth Mader | Carola Mair | Pavo Marinkovic | Sebastian Meise | Bady Minck | Johanna Moder | Markus Mörth | Sudabeh Mortezai | Andrina Mracnikar | Katharina Mückstein | Wolfgang Murnberger | Peter Nagy | Gabriele Barbara Neudecker | Michael Ostrowski | Michael Palm | Wolfram Paulus | Peter Payer | Caspar Pfaundler | Michael Pfeifenberger | Paul Poet | Karl-Martin Pold | Andreas Prochaska | Danielle Proskar | Michael Ramsauer | Goran Rebic | Juri Rechinsky | Wilfried Reichel | Arash T. Riahi | Arman T. Riahi | Stephan Richter | Erhard Riedlsperger | Ruth Rieser | Thomas Rigler | Lukas V. Rinner | Catharina Roland | Thomas Roth | David Ruehm | Stefan Ruzowitzky | Anja Salomonowitz | David Schalko | Elisabeth Scharang | Markus Schleinzer | Franz Leopold Schmelzer | Othmar Schmiderer | Andreas Schmied | Reinhard Schwabenitzky | Günter Schwaiger | Ulrike Schweiger | Paul Schwind | Ulrich Seidl | Harald Sicheritz | Georg Sokol Leitgeb | Eva Spreitzhofer | Sigmund Steiner | Lukas Stepanik | Axel Stummer | Michael Sturminger | Michael Synek | Hüseyin Tabak | Elena Tikhonova | Lisa Truttmann | Mirjam Unger | Lucas Vossoughi | Erwin Wagenhofer | Lisa Weber | Bernadette Weigel | Virgil Widrich | Barbara Windtner | Stefan Wolner | Thomas Woschitz | Constantin Wulff