The Toronto International Film Festival has paused upcoming screenings of Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova’s documentary Russians At War “effective immediately” after learning that “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,” said TIFF in statement, adding “This is an unprecedented move for TIFF.”
TIFF continued, “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 docu provides a rare insight into life for Russian soldiers on the frontline in Ukraine. Trofimova embedded herself under the radar with Russian troops after making the connection via a soldier she met on a train as he returned home briefly from the front to visit his family. Her aim was not to glorify the Russian troops, but rather to get to the bottom of what as happening on the frontline. Russians at War also played out of competition in Venice.
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Summed TIFF, “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.”
Yesterday, TIFF stood firm on the docu making its North American premiere at the fest. “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,” said TIFF.
“In April, we issued a Programming Statement for Peace. Today, we would like to reaffirm this excerpt: As a cultural institution, we stand for the right of artists and cultural workers to express fair political comment freely and oppose censorship. Because filmmakers, like all artists, work in dynamic engagement with their societies, we believe that our role as curators and presenters of film must stand for an unequivocal defense of artistic expression, and a commitment to provide safe, open spaces to engage, critique and reflect on artists’ work,” said TIFF’s statement on Russians at War Wednesday.
At the Venice presser for the movie, the filmmaker was asked if it was ethical to “humanize” Russian soldiers in light of war crimes committed by the country’s army during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
“I find it a little bit of a strange question, if we can humanize or not humanize someone. So, are there lists of people who we can humanize and people who we can’t? Of course, we have to humanize everyone. This is a huge tragedy for our region, first of all, and for the entire world,” replied Trofimova.
“If we don’t see each other as people… these black and white stereotypes about each other, this will only make the war continue. This will only make the hatred grow… unfortunately, that’s sort of the route taken by politicians, but I don’t think that this is the route that regular people should take.”
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