TIFF suspends screening of film on Russian soldiers after threats

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

Thefirst-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmakerAnastasia Trofimovaspurred protestfrom Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda. The featurewas set to haveits North American premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre at 2:30 p.m ET Friday. Additional screeningsscheduled for Saturday and Sundaywill be paused.

The move is a reversal for the festival, which said earlier this week the film was "in no way" Russian propagandaand 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."

Hecalled 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 closein 2022 followssoldiers and medics on the front lines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.TheUnited Nationsestimatesthat invasion killed more than 11,700 civilians and injured another 24,600 sinceFebruary 2022.

Trofimovatold Metro Morning's David Commonshe 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 soldierswas a way to combat further anger and violence.

WATCH | Movie does not 'whitewash' war crimes, Trofimovasays:

Documentary does not 'whitewash' Russian war crimes: filmmaker

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The Toronto International Film Festival said it will not pull a controversial documentary about Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine from its schedule, despite outcry from Ukrainian officials and community groups. In conversation with Metro Morning host David Common, Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova defended her work.

"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 foundRussian attacks against civilians in Ukraine amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity and theInternational Criminal Court hasissued an arrest warrant forRussian 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 productionreceived $340,000 through the Canada Media Fund in association withTVOntario. TVO said earlier it was no longer supporting the film and would not airit as planned.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage and has beenbanned 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 productionand screening of such films. It's unclear whether Freeland has seen the documentary.

Protest outside media screening

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

Demonstrators handed out pamphletsthatcriticized 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 inthe 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 Mondayletter to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey,Nikolenkodescribed TIFF's inclusion of the film as "irresponsible."

In asocial media poston 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. BothThe People's JokerandPunjab '95were removed by their filmmaking teams last year, while organizers pulled 2022'sSpartathe 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

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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.