Gerda by Natalya Kudryashova will not feature in the official competition and those who purchased tickets for it will be reimbursed.

The decision to remove the film was taken in consultation with the ministry of culture and the city of Luxembourg, the two official institutional partners of the festival. The film was co-financed by the Central Partnership, a distribution and production company operating as a Russian unitary enterprise that was acquired by Gazprom in 2014. 

A number of other film festivals, including those in Glasgow and Stockholm, have also struck Russian films from their programme or decided not to select films made with the contribution of Russian state funds. Cannes has said it will not allow any Russian delegations to its festival this year.

Three films for young audiences—Blanket by Marina Moshkova, Le Roi et La Poire by Nastia Voronina and La princess aux Grandes Jambes by Anastasia Zhakulina—have also been withdrawn from Luxembourg City Film Festival’s competition. The programmes for young audiences containing these works will be adapted.

Banks and businesses in Luxembourg have been affected by the war in Ukraine, following the launch of a military operation on 24 February. Luxembourg television provider Post dropped Russian state-backed news channel RT from its lineup with the government saying it’s working with satellite operator SES to stop broadcasts.