TIFF Rejects Calls to Cancel 'Russians at War' Claiming Film Is Not Russian Propaganda

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) "acknowledges and respects" concerns about the ‘Russians at War’ documentary, but will not cancel its premiere.

“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,” the TIFF statement reads.

Previously, the movie received a wide public backlash. The film provides only small glimpses of the actual combat and does not reveal the extent of the destruction being inflicted by Russia in Ukraine. The documentary features a Ukrainian who fights on the side of Russia saying Ukraine bombed its own eastern regions. Another character spreads the narrative about “Ukrainian Nazis.”

“As a cultural institution, we stand for the right of artists and cultural workers to express fair political comment freely and oppose censorship,” wrote TIFF. “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.” 

TIFF concluded its statement by expressing its understanding of the suffering of the Ukrainian people due to the Russian invasion, while emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression.

“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,” TIFF added.

Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, Mykola Tochytskyi, noted that legal actions will be taken to fight propaganda.

The publicly funded TV network TVO (formerly TVOntario) released a statement on September 10 announcing no longer airing the 'Russians at War' documentary.

‘Russians at War’ was filmed in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, without official authorization. The movie was directed by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who formerly worked with Russia’s state-sponsored RT news agency, who stated seeing “absolutely ordinary guys with a sense of humor” and “no signs of war crimes during her time near the front.”