The film “Russians at War” will not be shown in Toronto. The international film festival has cancelled the screening of the film by Russian-Canadian director and former employee of the Russia Today channel Trofimova after criticism from Ukraine.
We are forced to immediately suspend screenings of the film, as we have become aware of significant threats to the festival and public safety, the event organisers said.
They called their decision “an unprecedented step” and “stand firm on the statement” regarding the film’s screening at the film festival. It was planned to be shown from September 13 to 15.
Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova positions the film as anti-war.
This is an unprecedented step for TIFF. It was an incredibly difficult decision. When we select films, we are guided by TIFF’s mission, our values, and our programming principles.
We believe this film deserves a place in our festival lineup, and we are committed to showing it when it is safe to do so, the festival organizers said in a statement.
In a statement to CBC, the Toronto Police Service said the decision to suspend the screenings was made by event organizers independently and not based on any advice from Toronto police.
In the film “Russians at War,” Trofimova tells the story of soldiers and medics on the front lines of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The film has sparked outrage among those who believe its sympathetic view of soldiers whitewashes their war crimes in Ukraine. Trofimova has defended her work, calling the film “anti-war.”
During Tuesday’s screening, media and industry representatives were treated to protests organized by Ukrainian activists and attended by officials including Ukraine’s Consul General Oleh Nikolenko.
In a letter to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey on Monday, Nikolenko called TIFF’s decision to include the film “irresponsible.”
In a social media post, he called TIFF’s decision to stop showing the film the only right decision.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Canada Yulia Kovalev congratulated the decision, but expressed regret that in their argumentation the festival organizers “lacked the courage to directly admit their profound mistake.”
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.