Barry Hertz
September 12, 2024
The Globe and Mail
Citing security concerns, organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival have paused the upcoming North American premiere of the new documentary Russians at War, which has been heavily criticized by members of the Ukrainian community.
The decision, which affects the three public screenings of the film set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, arrives one day after TIFF issued a statement standing firm on its decision to screen the film following a storm of controversy over the production, including the decision by Ontario’s public broadcaster TVO, which helped fund the documentary, to pull its support. “We have been made aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety. While we stand firm on our statement shared yesterday, this decision has been made in order to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff, and volunteers,” TIFF’s unsigned statement, issued Thursday afternoon, read.
Noting that the move was an unprecedented one for TIFF, organizers reiterated their commitment to supporting “civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion, and we fully support peaceful assembly. However, we have received reports indicating potential activity in the coming days that pose significant risk; given the severity of these concerns, we cannot proceed as planned.”
TIFF noted that it is still committed to screening Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova’s film – which follows Russian soldiers from their homes to the front lines of occupied Ukraine – “when it is safe to do so.”
Ahead of TIFF’s launch, Ukraine’s consul-general in Toronto, Oleh Nikolenko, urged festival organizers to pull the doc from its lineup, alleging that it whitewashes the war crimes perpetrated by Russian troops. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who has Ukrainian roots, told reporters that she had “grave concerns” about the film and the public funds that supported it.
Earlier Thursday, ahead of TIFF’s decision to pause screenings, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress called for the resignation of TIFF’s board, while Canadian Senators Donna Dasko and Stanley Kutcher, both of Ukrainian descent, urged the festival to remove Russians at War from this year’s program and in the future “review submissions with a more critical lens.”
The documentary, a co-production between Canada and France, was financed in association with two Canadian public broadcasters, TVO and British Columbia’s Knowledge Network, and partly funded through the Canada Media Fund, a not-for-profit organization that receives its funding from the federal government and telecommunications companies.
In an interview with The Globe over the weekend, Trofimova, who has noted that she “unequivocally” believes Russia’s invasion is unjustified and illegal, countered accusations that the film received funds or support from the Russian state. “One hundred per cent, no. I’m trying to be calm, but I want to ask how the hell does anyone think the state would pay me to go to places where Russian state media is not even allowed?” the filmmaker said. “There’s a lot of criticism online because I worked for RT. We also have to understand that Russia is the world’s biggest country and RT is Russia’s biggest broadcaster. If you can make the stories that you’re not ashamed of, then you go for it.”
Barry Hertz is the Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor for The Globe and Mail. He previously served as the Executive Producer of Features for the National Post, and was a manager and writer at Maclean’s before that. Barry’s arts and culture writing has also been featured in several publications, including Reader’s Digest and NOW Magazine. His favourite film franchise is the Fast and Furious series, and he will offer no apologies for that fact.