The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has rescheduled the screening of the controversial film Russians at War, directed by Russian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, after the initial screenings were canceled due to widespread criticism.
The festival’s website now lists the film’s screening for Tuesday, September 17. This follows the conclusion of the 2024 festival, with no other screenings scheduled for September 16 or subsequent days.
The film had been pulled from its original lineup after a strong backlash, with the festival’s organizing committee citing “security considerations” as the reason for the cancellation. However, the committee insisted that the film would be shown at a later date “when it is safe.”
Toronto police later clarified that the festival’s decision to cancel the screenings was made independently and was not based on any recommendations from the police.
The police also stated that there were no known security threats to the festival at the time.
Yuliya Kovaliv, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, expressed disappointment that the festival did not acknowledge its mistake in the cancellation statement.
Additionally, TV Ontario, the Canadian media organization that provided funding for the film, has decided not to broadcast it in the future.
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