TIFF pauses screenings of controversial ‘Russians at War’ documentary

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) organizers have announced they are pausing upcoming screenings of the film “Russians at War” due to what it calls “significant threats to festival operations and public safety.”

The controversial documentary about Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine has come under fire from Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda – an accusation organizers have denied.

However, one day later TIFF organizers say screenings of the film scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday have been paused.

“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 said in a statement, calling the move “unprecedented.”

“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.”

The producers of the film called the decision by TIFF “heartbreaking.”

This is not a win for Canadians, including Ukrainian Canadians,” the producers said in a statement while calling out political and community leaders for their “irresponsible, dishonest, and inflammatory public statements” about the film.

“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.”

In “Russians at War,” Canadian-Russian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova follows soldiers and medics at the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the documentary, some of them express doubts about the war and question their roles in it even as they proceed to follow orders and assert their patriotism.

TIFF organizers reiterate that the film has earned a place in the Festival’s lineup, and they are committed to screening it “when it is safe to do so.”