TIFF suspends screening of film about Russian soldiers after threats

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced that it will suspend all upcoming screenings of the film Russians at War.

Russians at Warfirst-person documentary by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, has sparked protests from Ukrainian officials and civil society groups who say the film is propaganda. After a press screening earlier this week that drew hundreds of protesters to downtown Toronto, the film was scheduled to have its North American premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre at 2:30 p.m. Friday. It was then scheduled for additional screenings on Saturday and Sunday, which will be postponed.

Organizers cited “serious threats to the festival’s operation and public safety” as the reason for the cancellation, but also said they “support civil discussion about and through the films, including disagreements.”

“This is an unprecedented step for TIFF,” the statement reads.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision. Our selection of films is guided by TIFF’s mission, our values, and our programming principles. We believe this film has earned a place in our festival lineup and we are committed to screening it when it is safe to do so.”

What is this movie about?

IN Russians at WarTrofimova follows the soldiers and medics on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has killed more than 11,700 civilians and injured 24,600 since February 2022, according to UN estimates.

Throughout the documentary, some of the characters portrayed express doubts about the war and question their roles in it, even as they follow orders and express their patriotism. The film depicts scenes of Russian soldiers being killed.

“In the face of Russia’s unjust war with Ukraine, it is crucial to understand the long history of colonization that led to the current situation,” reads the film’s official description on the TIFF website.

“(Russians at War) takes us beyond the headlines to join Russian soldiers as they plunge into battle for reasons that grow murkier with each grueling day, each confusing order, each heartbreaking casualty.

The joint Canadian-French production received $340,000 in funding through TVO, the Canadian Media Fund confirmed in a statement. TVO later announced Tuesday that it would no longer support the film and would not air it in the coming months as planned.

Consulting producer Sean Farnel wrote on X that TIFF’s decision was “heartbreaking” and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “thoroughly investigate this affront, within a sovereign government, to our democratic values ​​of free media.”

Our priority as producers, through production, was the safety and protection of our courageous director, Anastasia Trofimova, despite her unwavering acceptance of these risks to make her documentary. We assumed these risks would come from Russia, not Canada.