Three years of reporting, funded by our readers — become a member now and help us prepare for 2025.
Goal: 1,000 new members for our birthday. Gift a membership to your friend and help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Become a member Gift membership
Skip to content
Edit post

Canadian film festival halts screenings of 'Russians at War,' citing security concerns

by Nate Ostiller and Dmytro Basmat and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 13, 2024 1:51 AM  (Updated: ) 2 min read
Anastasia Trofimova, director of the documentary, "Russians At War," during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 5, 2024. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Editor's note: The article was updated with comments to reflect comments made by the Toronto Police Service in regards to the alleged security threats.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will pause upcoming screenings of a controversial documentary about Russian soldiers entitled "Russians at War."

In a statement on Sept. 12, the festival claimed it had been "made aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety" and said the "decision (to halt screenings) has been made in order to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff, and volunteers."

The film "Russians at War," directed by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10. It has been widely criticized for whitewashing Russian war crimes, obfuscating the source of its funding, denying that the Russian government had authorized its production, attempting to humanize Russian soldiers, and ignoring the context of the full-scale invasion.

As pushback and protests against the film mounted, TIFF claimed on Sept. 11 that the film is not "propaganda" and vowed to continue showing it.

The decision to pause screenings just a day later was an abrupt about-face that TIFF said was an "unprecedented move" and an "incredibly difficult decision."

"As a cultural institution, we support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion, and we fully support peaceful assembly. However, we have received reports indicating potential activity in the coming days that pose significant risk; given the severity of these concerns, we cannot proceed as planned," TIFF's statement read.

The festival did not specify what security threats it was referring to.

In a statement to CBC News, the Toronto Police Service said that the decision to halt the screening was made independently by event organizers and was not under any recommendation by the police force.

Nonetheless, TIFF continued to defend the film, saying, "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."

The previous day, Oleh Nikolenko, Ukraine's Consul General in Toronto, said he was "extremely disappointed" by TIFF's statement and called the decision to screen the film "appalling."

Nikolenko also cast doubt on the narrative that its director, Trofimova, has maintained regarding the Russian government's involvement.

"Given how Russia treats journalists, it is naive to believe that Anastasia Trofimova spent over six months embedded with a Russian military unit without Russian military or government oversight," he said in a statement.

"We believe the production of this film was permitted because it aligns with Russia's narratives that downplay the atrocities of its invasion."

Funders of ‘Russians at War’ documentary dodge questions about accountability
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Canadian broadcaster TVO’s statement. TVO has withdrawn support from the documentary “Russians at War” following protests from the Ukranian community. Hot Docs contacted the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 11 to clarify that the 85,000 Canadian dollar…
Three years of reporting, funded by our readers.
Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 10,000 readers makes a financial contribution. Thanks to our community we've been able to keep our reporting free and accessible to everyone. For our third birthday, we're looking for 1,000 new members to help fund our mission and to help us prepare for what 2025 might bring.
Three years. Millions of readers. All thanks to 12,000 supporters.
It’s thanks to readers like you that we can celebrate another birthday this November. We’re looking for another 1,000 members to help fund our mission, keep our journalism accessible for all, and prepare for whatever 2025 might bring. Consider gifting a membership today or help us spread the word.
Help us get 1,000 new members!
Become a member Gift membership
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.