TIFF Halts Screenings of ‘Russians at War’ After Threats to Safety
TIFF has announced it will halt the screening of the controversial documentary Russians at War after it had “been made aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety.”
Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova is behind the doc, a first-person account of Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
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The producers of the project offered in a statement that the halting of screenings is “heartbreaking for us as filmmakers and Canadian citizens.” They continued: “Our priority as producers, through this production, has been the safety and security of our courageous director, Anastasia Trofimova, despite her steadfast acceptance of these risks to make her documentary. We had assumed those risks would originate within Russia, not Canada.”
Controversy around the film first emerged at the Venice Film Festival, where the film had its world premiere. Trofimova sparked backlash after the film’s press conference on the Lido when she defended the film, which she made while embedded with a Russian army battalion in Eastern Ukraine.
On Sept. 10, around 400 Ukrainian Torontonians gathered outside TIFF Lightbox, the headquarters of the major film festival. They held signs that read “Russians at War Justifies and Victimizes Killers and Rapists” and “Hello TIFF?! Russian Propaganda Kills.” Deputy Canadian Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian background, also expressed during a press conference in Ottawa concerns over TIFF screening Russians at War.
Following the protest, Trofimova defended the film, telling THR that it offers a perspective no one else, including official Russian TV or Western journalists, has captured.
“Because of the geopolitical climate that exists, these guys [Russian soldiers] just wanted to share with someone. Yes, I went there and no one else has,” she explained. Her comments follow the Ukrainian-Canadian community protesting the Toronto Film Festival giving Trofimova’s film a North American premiere on Friday after a world premiere in Venice.
In today’s statement, TIFF supported a right to peacefully assemble but added that “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.” It is unclear what the threats entailed.
Festivalgoers who had tickets for the Friday screening of Russians at War were told via email that the screening was canceled and that refunds would be issued. The email made no mention of the potential threats to public safety.
See the full statement from TIFF below.
Effectively immediately, TIFF is forced to pause the upcoming screenings of Russians at War on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as 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.
This is an unprecedented move for TIFF.
As a cultural institution, we support 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.
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.
See the full statement from the producers of Russians at War below:
TIFF’s decision to pause its screenings of Russians at War due to extreme security concerns is heartbreaking for us as filmmakers and Canadian citizens. Our priority as producers, through this production, has been the safety and security of our courageous director, Anastasia Trofimova, despite her steadfast acceptance of these risks to make her documentary. We had assumed those risks would originate within Russia, not Canada.
This is not a win for Canadians, including Ukrainian Canadians. We condemn Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Ukraine Ambassador to Canada Yuliya Kovaliv, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto Oleh Nikolenko, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Senators Donna Dasko and Stanley Kutcher, MP Yvan Baker (Etobicoke Centre), MPP Christine Hogarth (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) and other political and community “leaders.” Their irresponsible, dishonest, and inflammatory public statements have incited the violent hate that has led to TIFF’s painful decision to pause its presentation of Russians at War.
This temporary suppression is shockingly unCanadian. We call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fully investigate this affront, from within a sovereign government, to our democratic values and a free media.
We are firmly committed to giving Canadians the opportunity to watch and reflect upon Russians at War. We believe reason and truth will prevail.
– The producers of Russians at War
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