TIFF screens controversial doc ‘Russians at War’ amid protests, tight security

TORONTO – The Toronto International Film Festival screened the controversial “Russians at War” documentary under “exceptional” circumstances, the festival’s CEO said Tuesday as he shared more details about the threats that delayed the film’s North American première.
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey told the audience at the film’s first screening on Tuesday that while most of the opposition to the documentary has been civil and peaceful, festival staff received “terrifying” threats that ranged from emails and phone calls to verbal abuse.
“Our staff also received threats of violence, including threats of sexual violence,” Bailey said in his onstage remarks before the film was shown at the TIFF Lightbox.
“We were horrified and our staff members were understandably frightened.”
Bailey said organizers decided it would be safer to move the film’s original screenings at a multiplex to a “more secure” environment.
The film, which captures the experiences of Russian soldiers on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, has sparked considerable backlash from Ukrainian officials and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, who called it “Russian propaganda.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, has condemned the use of public funds to finance and screen the documentary, which received $340,000 from the Canada Media Fund and was produced in partnership with Ontario’s public broadcaster, TVO.
Last week, TVO’s board of directors retracted its support for the film and cancelled plans to broadcast it on the network.
Demonstrators who gathered outside the TIFF Lightbox Tuesday said they were outraged by the festival’s decision to proceed with the screenings, even though many of them said they have no plans to see the documentary. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has also said that it hasn’t seen the film.
Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova has told The Canadian Press that her documentary was filmed without the Russian government’s permission, which put her at risk of criminal prosecution.
She has denied the propaganda claims and defended her previous documentary work for Russia’s state-owned broadcaster RT, adding that she believes the invasion of Ukraine is unjustified and illegal.
Bailey said Tuesday that “Russians at War” went through a “rigorous” selection process for this year’s TIFF lineup and was chosen on its “artistic merits and on its relevance to the horrific ongoing war prompted by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The film shows the disillusionment of some Russian soldiers who question the purpose of the attacks on Ukraine and their own roles in the war.
“I believe that surrendering to pressure from some members of the public or from a government when it comes to presenting any cultural product can become a corrosive force in our society,” Bailey said.
During the Tuesday afternoon screening, one person stood up in the theatre and started shouting about people who have died in the war, but they were escorted out by security.
After the screening, some audience members challenged Trofimova to explain why the documentary didn’t include more historical context and facts about the war’s casualties.
Trofimova said such documentaries have already been made; her film is about “the ordinary man … who is a cog in the war machine.”
When Trofimova said she still doesn’t understand the reasons behind this war in response to another question, there was a murmur in the crowd. At times, her defence of the film received an applause.
One attendee said that after watching “Russians at War,” she does not believe the propaganda accusations are founded.
“If this is Russian propaganda, they need a new propaganda department because they don’t come off looking very good in it at all,” Naomi Campbell said.
Another filmgoer, Olya Glotka, said it bothered her that Trofimova’s past work for “the biggest propaganda channel in Russia” wasn’t mentioned during the screening.
”(That) screams, screams very loudly to me as disrespect to documentary and … journalistic ethics,” Glotka said.
Ivanka Tymchuk, who sits on the board of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, told reporters outside the Tuesday afternoon screening that use of public funds for this film is “not OK” and that protesters don’t want to see “Russians at War” screened at any other film festivals in the country.
Tymchuk said the protests held outside TIFF events since last week have all been orderly and peaceful.
-with files from Sonja Puzic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.