Editor’s note: TIFF has paused upcoming screenings of Russians at War on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, saying it has been made aware “of significant threats to festival operations and public safety.”
The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) says it is profoundly alarmed by a decision by TVO’s Board of Directors to withdraw support for the documentary “Russians at War.”
Currently set to make its North America debut at TIFF, following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the Canadian-French co-production, was developed through a multi-year collaborative effort involving the filmmakers, led by Russian-Canadian Anastasia Trofimova, TVO’s Documentary team, and B.C.’s Knowledge Network. The film also received $340,000 from the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and funding from the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund and Rogers Documentary Fund.
Working alongside award-winning editor Roland Schlimme, Trofimova’s first-person doc sees her join Russian soldiers in Ukraine as they advance toward the front lines, following a chance encounter with a middle-aged man on a train about to leave his family and go to war. It largely explores a theme of many Russian soldiers beginning to doubt their purpose as each day passes.
The film has sparked outrage from Oleh Nikolenko, Ukraine’s consul general in Toronto, who has called upon TIFF to withdraw the documentary, saying “it distorts the realities of Russian aggression against Ukraine.” It has also been denounced by federal Finance Min. Chrystia Freeland, who told reporters this week “there can be no moral equivalency in our understanding of this conflict…It’s not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this.”
We gathered in Toronto today to demand the removal of the film Russians at War from @TIFF_NET.
Ignoring the attempts of Russian propaganda to downplay and distort the realities of Russian aggression against Ukraine is irresponsible and unacceptable. #NoStageForRussia #TIFF2024 pic.twitter.com/nJrLkuQcCQ
— Oleh Nikolenko 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@OlehNikolenko_) September 10, 2024
In a Globe and Mail editorial on Tuesday, Toronto-based Ukrainian journalist Lidiia Karpenko questioned Trofimova’s independence, accusing the documentary of putting forward Kremlin-directed propaganda about Ukrainian Naziism.
“The tolerance that is a hallmark value of democracy has been perverted to allow Canadian taxpayer money to fund this whitewashing,” wrote Karpenko, a member of PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile Program.
Chris Day, Chair of the TVO Board of Directors, issued a statement Tuesday saying that the Ontario public broadcaster had “listened to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and their thoughtful and heartfelt input.”
“TVO’s Board of Directors has decided to respect the feedback we have received, and TVO will no longer be supporting or airing Russians at War,” Day said. “TVO will be reviewing the process by which this project was funded and our brand leveraged.”
The board’s statement is an about-face to a release from TVO’s Media Education Group last week, acknowledging the public conversation around the film, and encouraging people to see it for themselves.
“Russians at War is at its core an anti-war film. It is unauthorized by Russian officials and was made at great personal risk to the filmmaker, who was under constant threat of arrest and incarceration for trying to tell an unofficial story. This film shows the increasing disillusionment of Russian soldiers as their experience at the front doesn’t jive with the media lies their families are being told at home,” the public broadcaster stated last week.
“The film was produced by an Academy Award–nominee with the support of cultural agencies in France and Canada because it is a documentary made in the tradition of independent war correspondence,” it continued. “We encourage people to see the documentary for themselves when it is available. It will be screening at the Toronto International Film Festival next week and will be airing on TVO in the coming months.”
“TVO is an education and public affairs-focused organization. Our priority is to provide our viewers with important stories from across Ontario and around the world. TVO remains firmly committed to delivering high-quality and ethical content. We value transparency and integrity in our work and continue to uphold these principles in all our operations.”
DOC says TVO’s team has traditionally operated with editorial independence and the board decision “undermines these fundamental processes and raises serious concerns about political interference, and must be confronted in order to preserve the integrity of our media institutions.”
“Independent media is the cornerstone of democracy, essential for ensuring accountability and informed public discourse. Documentaries bring critical in-depth perspectives that allow for nuance, context and reflection,” the DOC statement reads. “Protecting the documentary creator’s ability to explore controversial subjects is vital for a healthy society. This action by the Board of a public broadcaster to censor content poses a serious threat to independent media in Canada. TVO’s decision risks setting a dangerous precedent and must be immediately reversed.”
Film will screen as scheduled: TIFF
TIFF issued a statement Wednesday, saying it acknowledges and respects concerns around the film, but it will make its North American premiere this week, as scheduled.
“This documentary is an official Canada-France co-production with funding from several Canadian agencies, at both the federal and provincial level,” the festival said in a statement. “Our understanding is that it was made without the knowledge or participation of any Russian government agencies. In our view, in no way should this film be considered Russian propaganda. While we understand the concerns expressed by many, we believe, like the Venice Film Festival and other international festivals who have programmed the film, that this Canadian documentary merits a place in our selection.”
“We understand and deeply feel the suffering of the Ukrainian people as the result of an illegal Russian invasion. As we engage with the art made at this politically charged time, we are guided by the democratic values of freedom of conscience, opinion, expression and peaceful assembly as protected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for all Canadians including Canadian artists.”
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