The Toronto International Film Festival has announced it will pause all upcoming screenings of the film Russians at War.
Russians at War, a first-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, spurred protest from Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda. After a press screening earlier this week that brought hundreds of protesters to downtown Toronto, the feature was set to have its North American premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre at 2:30 p.m Friday. It was then scheduled to run additional screenings on Saturday and Sunday, all of which will be paused.
Organizers cited “significant threats to festival operations and public safety” as the reason for the cancellation but also stated they “support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion.”
“This is an unprecedented move for TIFF,” the statement reads.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision. When we select films, we’re guided by TIFF’s mission, our values, and our programming principles. We believe this film has earned a place in our festival’s lineup, and we are committed to screening it when it is safe to do so.”
What’s the film about?
In Russians at War, Trofimova follows soldiers and medics on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the United Nations estimates has killed more than 11,700 civilians and injured another 24,600 since February 2022.
Throughout the documentary, some of those profiled express doubts about the war and question their roles in it even as they proceed to follow orders and assert their patriotism. The film depicts scenes of Russian soldiers being killed.
“As Russia’s unjust war on Ukraine rages on, it is critical to understand the long history of colonization that has led to this current moment,” the official description of the movie on TIFF’s website says.
“[Russians at War] takes us beyond the headlines to join Russian soldiers as they place themselves in a battle for reasons that become only more obscure with each gruelling day, each confusing command, each gut-wrenching casualty.”
The joint Canadian-French production received $340,000 in funding provided through TVO, the Canadian Media Fund confirmed in a statement. On Tuesday, TVO later announced it was no longer supporting the film and would not be airing it in the coming months as planned.
Statement from the producers of RUSSIANS OF WAR. <a href=”https://t.co/01OLYZj10J”>https://t.co/01OLYZj10J</a> <a href=”https://t.co/By0sbDdDzN”>pic.twitter.com/By0sbDdDzN</a>
—@seafar
Consulting producer on the film Sean Farnel posted on X that TIFF’s decision was “heartbreaking” and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “fully investigate this affront, from within a sovereign government, to our democratic values in a free media.”
Our priority as producers, through its production, has been the safety and security of our courageous director, Anastasia Trofimova, despite her steadfast acceptance of these risks to make her documentary. We had assumed those risks would originate within Russia, not Canada.