TIFF to show 'Russians at War' this week after postponing screenings

A still from the documentary "Russians At War" is shown in a handout. Ukrainian officials are calling on the Toronto International Film Festival to pull the documentary about Russian soldiers from its schedule. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced that it will be screening the controversial film “Russians at War” after all as part of its TIFF '24 programming on Tuesday.

The documentary, which follows soldiers and medics at the front lines of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was set to have its North American debut at TIFF on Friday, with additional screenings on Saturday and Sunday, however those screenings were postponed due to "significant threats" to festival operations and public safety, TIFF said.

The festival called this move “unprecedented” in a statement issued last Thursday.

"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 Ukrainian Canadian Congress called the film “Russian propaganda,” though the group admitted it had not seen the documentary. Members of the Ukrainian community held demonstrations protesting its inclusion in this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova denied those accusations, saying that the documentary was filmed without the Russian government’s permission putting her at risk of criminal prosecution.

"I want to be clear that this Canada-France co-production is an antiwar film made at great risk to all involved, myself especially," she said in a written statement provided to The Canadian Press.

"I unequivocally believe that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is unjustified, illegal and acknowledge the validity of the International Criminal Court investigation of war crimes in Ukraine."

TIFF also firmly rejected claims that “Russians at War” is Russian propaganda and had initially refused to remove the movie from its schedule despite protests. 

"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,” the festival said late last week.

While the festival officially closed Sunday night, the organization said the screenings this week are part of its TIFF ’24 lineup.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which helped organize protests against the film in Toronto, responded to TIFF’s news in a Sunday evening post on X.

“TIFF is planning another screening of the Russian propaganda film ‘Russians at War’ on September 17. We'll need to organize another protest in response,” the group wrote.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also denounced the use of public money to help fund and screen the documentary, which received $340,000 through the Canada Media Fund and was produced in association with Ontario's public broadcaster TVO. TVO’s board of directors withdrew its support for the film last week and cancelled plans to air it on the network.

“Russians at War”can be viewed at 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the TIFF Lightbox at 350 King St. W. Tickets are now available for purchasing online, the film festival’s press office wrote in an email.

With files from The Canadian Press