FilmEU stands with Ukraine

We, FilmEU, represent a unique Alliance of Four European Higher Education Institutions in the fields of film and Media Arts. We espouse a world view that is progressive and inclusive. Society is informed and shaped by the stories we tell and how we tell them. We believe in a society where all creative voices are nurtured and cared for, and critical appraising is a key educational value. FilmEU cannot be silent in front of aggression, misuse of information as a form of societal manipulation and the destruction of human lives. In these dark times, we must be a force for positive change. All the FilmEU partners come from diverse cultural backgrounds and yet we share the language of film and storytelling. Though we are grounded in the visual arts, our different approaches and cultures is our strength. It encourages us to ensure, through the arts and film in its broadest sense, that all voices are treasured and heard.

Today this is even more vital when we witness without being able to react to Russia’s brutal aggression to Ukraine. Today, we need to ensure that forms of violence, unfortunately similar to others well known from our past, do not become dominant and avert us from preserving those values we cherish the most: freedom; diversity and inclusiveness. As educators we cannot silence our voices, we need to stand together and send our strongest solidarity to the Ukrainian people at this moment when it is suffering the most under the Russian Government’s attack. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and call for the immediate stop of the war. True to the European values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, and human rights, we will remain inclusive to all students and academics and will continue to provide support to all who are affected by this tragic situation. We have already taken special measures in each one of our member schools to provide special support to Ukrainian students and teachers and special offers will be made to Ukrainian candidates for the Kino Eyes Joint Master.