Canada's publicly-funded broadcaster TVO (formerly TVOntario) announced on Sept. 10 that it will not be airing a controversial documentary about Russian soldiers, following protests from the Ukrainian-Canadian community against the film's inclusion in the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film, "Russians at War," directed by a Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 10.
Hundreds took to streets in Toronto outside the Scotiabank Theatre, where the film was shown, according to the Kyiv Independent reporter on the ground. The demonstration featured vocal chants such as "Russia is a terrorist state" and "Shame on TIFF."
TVO's board of directors said in a statement that they have chosen to "respect the feedback" from the community regarding "Russians at War," a film portraying Russian soldiers' disillusionment with the invasion of Ukraine.
The production of Trofimova’s film was supported by several Canadian entities. It received $250,000 (340,000 Canadian dollars) in funding from the Canada Media Fund—a public-private partnership backed by the Department of Canadian Heritage—during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. The film was produced in collaboration with TVO. Canadian officials have emphasized that the Canada Media Fund operates independently in its funding decisions, without direct government involvement.
TVO had earlier defended the documentary, describing it as an "antiwar film" created at great personal risk by the filmmaker. The broadcaster also encouraged viewers to watch the film "for themselves" before forming an opinion.
TVO had originally intended to broadcast the documentary "in the coming months." Instead, the broadcaster will no longer support or air "Russians at War."
"TVO will be reviewing the process by which this project was funded and our brand leveraged," reads the statement.
Canadian government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, have strongly criticized the use of public funds to support a controversial documentary that portrays Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
"It’s not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this," Freeland said during a press briefing on Sept. 10.
Kate Tsurkan
