'Censorship in Canada' affects 'Russians at war'
The Toronto Film Festival has chosen not to present a documentary focused on Russian soldiers following threats from Ukrainian activists. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has made the "unprecedented" choice to essentially cancel the scheduled screenings of the documentary feature ‘Russians at War,’ citing security threats following pressure from Ukrainian activists.
The film, created by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, resulted from seven months spent with a Russian military unit, with funding from the Canadian government. Its pre-screening on Tuesday drew protests from Ukrainian groups, who labeled it “Russian propaganda.”
“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,” TIFF organizers shared on Thursday evening.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision,” they continued. “This is an unprecedented move for TIFF.”
The festival plans to "pause" the screenings set for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with intentions to show the film "when it is safe to do so," according to the organizers. The Friday screening was meant to mark the film’s North American premiere.
According to the Toronto Police Service, as reported by CBC, the organizers' decision was made independently and not based on their recommendations.
Ukrainian groups organized a protest outside the pre-screening on Tuesday, condemning the film for “humanizing the aggressor.” Oleg Nikolenko, Kiev’s consul-general in Toronto, was in attendance of the “large crowd,” as noted by CBC. A protester attempted to enter the theater during the screening, denouncing the film as “propaganda” before being escorted out by security, while another handed out pro-Ukrainian pamphlets to attendees.
Nikolenko asserted that the film has tarnished TIFF’s reputation and given “Russia a chance to further undermine democracy,” pledging that Ukrainians will “continue to fight Russian propaganda in every corner of the world using all peaceful and legal means.”
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress demanded the resignations of TIFF’s board of directors, the suspension of government funding to the festival, and an investigation into “advocating genocide.”
The producers of ‘Russians at War’ described TIFF’s decision to effectively cancel the film as “heartbreaking” and an “affront… to our democratic values in a free media.” They criticized Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, along with two Canadian senators and two MPs who aligned with Ukrainian officials in their campaign for the film's censorship, for “irresponsible, dishonest, and inflammatory” rhetoric that “incited the violent hate” leading to the film’s restriction.
Freeland, whose grandfather was a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator, stated on Wednesday that she had “grave concerns” about the film and asserted that it should not have received government funding. The project secured around 340,000 Canadian dollars from the Canada Media Fund through TVOntario, which has since distanced itself from the film.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
The film, created by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, resulted from seven months spent with a Russian military unit, with funding from the Canadian government. Its pre-screening on Tuesday drew protests from Ukrainian groups, who labeled it “Russian propaganda.”
“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,” TIFF organizers shared on Thursday evening.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision,” they continued. “This is an unprecedented move for TIFF.”
The festival plans to "pause" the screenings set for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with intentions to show the film "when it is safe to do so," according to the organizers. The Friday screening was meant to mark the film’s North American premiere.
According to the Toronto Police Service, as reported by CBC, the organizers' decision was made independently and not based on their recommendations.
Ukrainian groups organized a protest outside the pre-screening on Tuesday, condemning the film for “humanizing the aggressor.” Oleg Nikolenko, Kiev’s consul-general in Toronto, was in attendance of the “large crowd,” as noted by CBC. A protester attempted to enter the theater during the screening, denouncing the film as “propaganda” before being escorted out by security, while another handed out pro-Ukrainian pamphlets to attendees.
Nikolenko asserted that the film has tarnished TIFF’s reputation and given “Russia a chance to further undermine democracy,” pledging that Ukrainians will “continue to fight Russian propaganda in every corner of the world using all peaceful and legal means.”
On Thursday, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress demanded the resignations of TIFF’s board of directors, the suspension of government funding to the festival, and an investigation into “advocating genocide.”
The producers of ‘Russians at War’ described TIFF’s decision to effectively cancel the film as “heartbreaking” and an “affront… to our democratic values in a free media.” They criticized Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, along with two Canadian senators and two MPs who aligned with Ukrainian officials in their campaign for the film's censorship, for “irresponsible, dishonest, and inflammatory” rhetoric that “incited the violent hate” leading to the film’s restriction.
Freeland, whose grandfather was a Ukrainian Nazi collaborator, stated on Wednesday that she had “grave concerns” about the film and asserted that it should not have received government funding. The project secured around 340,000 Canadian dollars from the Canada Media Fund through TVOntario, which has since distanced itself from the film.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
