One of North America’s biggest film festivals on Thursday canceled all screenings of “Russians at War,” a documentary about Russian soldiers in Ukraine that has faced backlash and been called propaganda supporting the Kremlin.
The cancellation happened a day after the Toronto International Film Festival had said it would not bow to protests. Organizers said that while they still felt the film was not Russian propaganda, they were making the “unprecedented” decision to remove it from its lineup because of serious threats to public safety and the festival. The producers called the decision “heartbreaking” in a statement on Thursday.
Critics say the film, shot by Anastasia Trofimova while she was embedded with a Russian battalion in eastern Ukraine, humanizes members of a military that has been accused of war crimes, and serves as Kremlin propaganda.
Ms. Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian, has said she did not seek approval from Russian authorities to make the film, which she has called “an antiwar film made at great risk to all involved, myself especially.” She added that she “unequivocally” believes the Russian invasion of Ukraine is “unjustified, illegal.” The producers said on Thursday irresponsible and dishonest statements had been made about the film by critics.
Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian community in Canada condemned the film when it was selected for screening at the festival in Canada, which is home to the world’s third-largest population of people of Ukrainian descent. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy prime minister, said she shared their “really grave concerns.” Ms. Freeland’s maternal grandparents were from Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, setting off a series of moves by governments to impose sanctions and punish Russia, and casting a long shadow on the worlds of the arts and sport. The Olympics have prevented Russian athletes from competing under their country’s flag. And Russian artists and performers have faced boycott calls around the world, even when they have condemned their government.
Some of the film’s critics have said that Ms. Trofimova would never have been able to work in the war zone without approval from the Russian government. And they have said that her prior work for RT, a global Russian network that is banned in Canada and Europe, demonstrates her bias in favor of Russia. The United States has called RT an important part of the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda apparatus.
Opposition to the film grew louder when it premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Ms. Trofimova told journalists in Venice last week that it was important to “humanize everyone” and hear from ordinary soldiers and not just political leaders.
“Russians at War” received around $250,000 in funding through the Canadian Media Fund, a nonprofit that receives contributions from government agencies and cable companies. TVO, a public broadcaster in the province of Ontario that had previously supported the film, said it would not air it.
Ms. Freeland, the deputy prime minister, said it was “not right” for Canadian public money to support a film like “Russians at War.”
“This is a war where there is no moral equivalency,” she told reporters. “There is very clearly good and evil in this war.”
