Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect a statement made by the organizers of the film festival on the screening of the "Russians at War" film.
Members of the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia are set to protest the screening of the controversial "Russians at War" documentary at the Antenna Documentary Film Festival in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 6.
Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova's documentary Russians at War has faced criticism for what many perceive as an attempt to whitewash Russian soldiers involved in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
The documentary has been criticized for lacking a concrete counter-narrative to Russian propaganda, failing to address documented Russian war crimes, and does not offer a definitive critique of Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime.
Earlier in her career, Trofimova worked for Russia Today (RT), a Kremlin-backed propaganda outlet.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations' (AFUO) planned rally comes as controversy continues to follow the film, after initially appearing on the official list of screenings at the prestigious Venice and Toronto film festivals.
Following protest across different cities since the film first raised controversy in September 2024, organizers at various international film festivals have pulled the film from various festivals' schedule.
Despite the anticipated protest, the Antenna Film Festival, which is scheduled to begin screening the film on Feb. 10, has not removed its scheduled screening from the festival's lineup.
"The Ukrainian community has come together with strength and focus to stop this Russian propaganda being screened in Australia," the AFUO said in a statement. "This film is not an independent exposé — it is a carefully controlled narrative that serves the interests of the Russian state."
In response to the planned protest, Antenna Film Festival released a lengthy statement on the controversy, noting that "Russians at War offers a perspective on the conflict that we believe holds value. By portraying the experiences and voices of Russian soldiers, the film sheds light on the internal contradictions, disillusionment, and sense of purposelessness within the ranks of the aggressor."
"Antenna does not claim to be ‘neutral’ or ‘balanced,’ nor do we suggest that all perspectives are equally valid. Rather, we aim to be a platform unafraid to engage with layered and complex narratives," the statement continues.
The statement added that the documentary Intercepted — a film that chronicles the work of Ukrainian intelligence agencies as it intercepts calls from Russian soldiers to family and friends — was also included in the festival's line up to to provide a complementary perspective for a "fuller and more nuanced picture of the war’s impact and dynamics."
The director of Intercepted, Oksana Karpovych, previously pulled her film from screening alongside Russians at War at a separate film festival.
In the most prominent case, the Toronto International Film Festival decided to pull the film from the schedule, citing security concerns, but later decided to hold a special screening for the film after the end of the festival in September, drawing widespread criticism.
Controversy further spread as it was revealed the Russians at War film received 340,000 Canadian dollars from the Canada Media Fund.
On Oct. 7, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) began investigating Trofimova on the charges of justifying and recognizing the legitimacy of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and illegally crossing Ukraine's internationally recognized borders when filming in the Russian-occupied territories.
Kate Tsurkan
