Ilya Khrzhanovsky's Soviet project DAU enters competition at Venice Film Festival

The short version

• Director Ilya Khrzhanovsky's 165-minute film DAU is premiering in competition at the Venice Film Festival.[The Hollywood Reporter]
• The Ukrainian government filed a formal complaint against Venice over the film's selection.[The Hollywood Reporter]
• The project was filmed for three years on an isolated set in Ukraine and funded by sanctioned Russian oligarch Sergei Adoniev.[The Hollywood Reporter]

Key facts

• Director Ilya Khrzhanovsky filmed participants for three years in an isolated Soviet simulation in Ukraine.[The Hollywood Reporter]
• The 165-minute film titled DAU is debuting in competition at the Venice Film Festival.[The Hollywood Reporter]
• The Ukrainian government submitted an official protest to Venice over the festival's decision to screen the film.[The Hollywood Reporter]
• Russian oligarch Sergei Adoniev, who financed the original shoot, faces sanctions from Ukraine and the United States.[The Hollywood Reporter]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Inside ‘DAU,’ the 20-Year Soviet Simulation That Became Cinema’s Strangest Ghost StoryThe Hollywood Reporter metered