Z (Comme Z): The film’s title sparks controversy over the war in Ukraine at Cannes

For two months now, we have been seeing the effects of propaganda on the way the ongoing war in Ukraine invaded by Russian forces is seen: one of the symbols used by Vladimir Putin’s militias is the Z, misused as a propaganda symbol by the media and by the Russian military and stigmatized in Ukraine to try to limit its allegorical meaning. Well, the movie Z (Come Z) by Michel Hazanavicius, which will be presented in Cannes, ended up in the middle of the controversy, with the Ukrainian Institute asking for the title to be changed in all locations and contexts.

We believe that changing the title of the film presented in Cannes would be a gesture against the barbarity, violence and terror of the Russian army.

reads the appeal, signed by the director general of the organization, Volodymyr Sheiko.

The film already has an international title, Final Cutbut in Cannes it is presented with the original title, as the director himself explains:

I called the movie Z (Comme Z) in France because it’s a zombie comedy and inspired by what we call in France [film di] “Series Z” or the correspondent of B Movies in America. Knowing that this has inconvenienced some people makes me pained and helpless because this is the last thing I wanted to do. I spent several years of my life making a movie called “The Search” about the 1999 war between Russia and Chechnya [remake di Odissea tragica di Fred Zinnemann, ndr], which showed the barbaric way the Russian army treated the Chechen people. I think I am the only French director who has made a film about this. [Purtroppo] the title appears on all promotional materials and in the titles and credits of the film. But we made sure that the international title is used in the presentations and the material used in Cannes. It would have changed everywhere if it were possible.

Natalie Movshovych of the Ukrainian Institute warns that this is not an ideological struggle, but an effective necessity, as the Russian media does not miss an opportunity to exploit everything to their advantage, and with this title they are already doing it.

The film currently has no release date in our country.