TIFF suspends screening of film on Russian soldiers after threats | CBC News

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

The first-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova spurred protest from Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda. The feature was set to have its North American premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre at 2:30 p.m ET Friday. Additional screenings scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will be paused. 

The move is a reversal for the festival, which said earlier this week the film was “in no way” Russian propaganda and that screenings would go ahead as planned.

Organizers on Thursday blamed “significant threats to festival operations and public safety,” in a statement.

“This is an unprecedented move for TIFF,” they said. 

“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.”

The film’s consulting producer, Sean Farnel, called the move “heartbreaking.”

He called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “fully investigate this affront, from within a sovereign government, to our democratic values in a free media.

“We had assumed those risks would originate within Russia, not Canada.”

The Toronto Police Service said the decision was made independently by event organizers, and was not based on any recommendation.

What’s the film about?

In Russians at War, Trofimova — who also worked at CBC/Radio-Canada’s Moscow bureau for six months until it was forced to close in 2022 — follows soldiers and medics on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations estimates that invasion killed more than 11,700 civilians and injured another 24,600 since February 2022.

Trofimova told Metro Morning‘s David Common she filmed a Russian battalion over seven months without Moscow’s permission — putting her at risk of criminal prosecution.

She said her attempt to focus on and humanize Russian soldiers was a way to combat further anger and violence.

“In this war, which is full of this complete fog where both sides don’t see each other, I had the chance to lift the veil a little bit on the reality of one of the sides that no one, especially Canadians, has heard from for the last two-and-a-half years,” she said Wednesday.

“I would appreciate everyone who is levelling these accusations to first of all see the film because, from what I understand, none of the protesters that we saw has seen the film.”

A 2023 UN-backed inquiry found Russian attacks against civilians in Ukraine amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations of atrocities.

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 shows 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,” reads the official description of the movie on TIFF’s website. 

It goes on to say that 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 through the Canada Media Fund in association with TVOntario. TVO said earlier it was no longer supporting the film and would not air it as planned. 

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage and has been banned from visiting Russia since 2014, said Wednesday she has “grave concerns” about the movie and that Canadian public money shouldn’t be used to fund the production and screening of such films. It’s unclear whether Freeland has seen the documentary.

Protest outside media screening

Large crowds gathered outside a Tuesday screening for media and industry members to take part in a protest organized by Ukrainian community groups and attended by officials, including Ukrainian Consul General Oleh Nikolenko.

Demonstrators handed out pamphlets that criticized the film’s attempts to “‘humanize’ the military of the aggressor country.” 

TIFF staff did not allow attendees to carry those pamphlets inside, though during the screening at least one woman handed them out to audience members in the theatre. Midway through the film, a man forced his way inside, shouting “You’re watching a f–king propaganda film” before he was escorted out by security.In a Monday letter to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, Nikolenko described TIFF’s inclusion of the film as “irresponsible.”

In a social media post on Thursday, he said TIFF’s about-face was “the only right decision.”

It is not the first time a film has seen last-minute changes in TIFF’s lineup. Both The People’s Joker and Punjab ’95 were removed by their filmmaking teams last year, while organizers pulled 2022’s Sparta the same day it was to have its world premiere due to allegations of child abuse on set. 

WATCH | Film draws protests from Ukrainian community:

TIFF pulls controversial Russians at War doc after ‘significant threats’

Toronto International Film Festival organizers have cancelled all upcoming screenings of Russians at War, a first-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, over ‘significant threats to festival operations and public safety.’