Russian film critics boycott war series "Marik" filmed in ruined Mariupol

Twelve Russian film critics refused to rate the series "Marik", a war drama set in Russian-occupied Mariupol, at the "Pilot" TV festival in Ivanovo, triggering a fierce backlash from pro-war Z-bloggers. The show, directed by actor Yegor Beroev and partly filmed amid Mariupol's ruins, received the lowest average score among all festival premieres. Pro-war commentators and a State Duma deputy are now calling the critics a "fifth column."

At the "Pilot" television series festival in Ivanovo, Russia, the drama "Marik", directed by actor Yegor Beroev and set in Russian-occupied Mariupol, has become the centre of a cultural and political storm after a majority of participating film critics refused to grade it at all.

Critics Stay Silent on War Drama

Of the 19 film critics who publicly rated festival premieres, 12 declined to score "Marik", marking it with an "X" in their shared ratings table, signifying a conflict of interest, a missed screening, or a personal decision to abstain. The table, finalised on 21 June 2026, was a private initiative by the critics themselves, entirely separate from the official festival jury. Three critics gave the series half a star out of five, three more gave it one star, and one awarded three stars. The result: an average score of 1.07 out of 5, the lowest of any premiere at the festival.

The series follows Mark, a soldier who returns from Ukrainian captivity to his hometown of Mariupol, depicted as already under Russian control, and finds work as a paramedic. Filming took place in the war-devastated city itself, with ruins visible on screen, though the narrative also insists the city is being "reborn." Some critics argued the show pulls its punches due to self-censorship. «Maybe years will pass, and then cinema will find the courage to call things by their names. But in this case, we have what we have: a trauma drama that is afraid of itself,» wrote Vladimir Kirdyashov for the portal Serialy. Evgeny Tkachev, writing for Afisha Daily, added: «Few works ask so many questions, and give so few answers. This meditative spectacle is least of all like a propaganda piece, but it doesn't qualify as a full statement either, consisting entirely of silences.»

Pro-War Backlash

The critics' collective abstention was swiftly weaponised by pro-war voices as evidence of a cultural "fifth column." Military correspondent Alexander Kotz, whose Telegram channel Kotsnews has nearly half a million subscribers, published a widely-shared post on 25 June titled "12 crosses placed on a film about the Special Military Operation. Whose side are you on, cultural figures?" Kotz wrote: «Most of them maintain a public position of silence on the SMO. They don't speak out. They just very, very selectively stay quiet. But when it's some Russophobic cinematic garbage, that's "new sincerity". And for the SMO, a cross.»

The post was reposted by dozens of pro-war Telegram channels, including by Dmitry Pevtsov, an actor and State Duma deputy who is an outspoken supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Propagandist Andrei Medvedev also chimed in, writing that the critics, despite working for mainstream Russian publications rather than foreign-funded outlets, had apparently changed nothing in four and a half years of war.

Festival Distances Itself

The "Pilot" festival's organising committee quickly distanced itself from the controversy, issuing a statement clarifying that the ratings table had no connection to official festival proceedings. «The festival does not comment on the private initiative of individual critics, which is not part of the official programme or regulations of the festival,» the organisers said.

"Marik" was produced by Yuri Sapronov's film company Vsemirnye Russkie Studii ("World Russian Studios"), which also produced the patriotic melodrama "Landyshi", reportedly the most-watched series of 2026 on the streaming platform Wink, with over 200 million views. Both projects received funding from the Internet Development Institute (IRI), a Russian state body that has become a major financier of pro-war cultural content. Beroev, best known internationally for playing Erast Fandorin in the 2005 film "Turkish Gambit," has publicly supported Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine since its first days. "Marik" is his third directorial work and his debut as a series director.

Eyewitnesses at the festival reported that a noticeable portion of the audience left the hall when the "Marik" production team took to the stage to present the project, a telling indication of the atmosphere surrounding the series even before the critics' table became public.