UKRAINIAN NATIONALISTS ARE FASCISTS
In an unprecedented move, the film festival announced they would pause screenings of 'Russians at War' amid concern of 'threats'
Corné van Hoepen
·Editor, Yahoo News Canada
Fri, September 13, 2024
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced it will pause all upcoming screenings of the film Russians at War — a move that has garnered a strong response from those connected to the film and festival executives.
In a statement published Thursday, 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
Filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who identifies as Russian-Canadian, is behind the doc, which details a first-person account of Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
"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," reads a statement shared by producers of Russians at War late Thursday.
Controversy around the film first emerged at the Venice Film Festival, where the film had its world premiere, Hollywood Reporter states in a report. 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, over 400 Ukrainian Torontonians gathered outside TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto. They held signs that read “Russians at War Justifies and Victimizes Killers and Rapists” and “Hello TIFF?! Russian Propaganda Kills.”
TORONTO, ON: SEPTEMBER 10: Protestors demonstrate in front of the headquarters of the Toronto International Festival in protest against the use of public funds for the film 'Russians At War' on September 10, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Credit: mpi099/MediaPunch /IPX
Ukrainian critics, in addition to Canadian MPs and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who herself is Ukrainian, have denounced any attempts to portray the Russians in a sympathetic light and accused the filmmakers of “whitewashing” the Russian army’s crimes in Ukraine.
"This is a war of Russian aggression, this is a war where Russia is breaking international law," said Freeland when speaking with reporters on Tuesday. "It's not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this."
Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, has expressed his outrage over the initial decision by TIFF to proceed with the screening of the film, and shared a lengthy statement over Facebook.
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.
TIFF issued a statement to their website Thursday in which they announced the immediate halting of the Russian war doc screenings.
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.TIFF statement on halting of 'Russians At War' doc
'We did it' to 'Censorship has no place in Canada': Social media has mixed reactions
"This film has no place in Canada," shares MP for Etobicoke Centre over X.
Prominent writer Stas Olenchenko, who is known for shedding light on myths surrounding the Ukraine war shared his insights in a lengthy thread posted to X, calling the halting of the screening "a teachable moment."
Others are going so far as to ask how a propaganda film like Russians at War received Canadian funding from the get-go.
Response to the halting of screening of the Russian war doc is pouring in from outside Canada's borders, with one Ukrainian page offering an analysis on "what is wrong with the documentary."
Others are going so far as to defend the Russian-Canadian filmmaker, saying that her story sounds "entirely plausible."
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