Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has programmed two screenings of Anastasia Trofimova’s controversial documentary Russians At War this week after it was forced to halt shows at the just-ended festival amid threats and protests.
The film will screen on Tuesday at TIFF lightbox at 2pm and 6.30pm local time.
TIFF did not elaborate on the process behind its decision, several days after it said it had been “forced to pause” a trio of weekend screenings after it was made aware of “significant threats to festival operations and public safety”. Representatives of the producers had not comment at time of writing, either.
According to the CBC News website, TIFF’s decision was not based on guidance by Toronto Police Service.
Russian Canadian filmmaker Trofimova’s first-person dispatch from the Russia-Ukraine war premiered in Venice, but its notoriety took off when it arrived in Toronto.
Members of the Ukrainian community said the film was humanising their country’s military aggressors and called it Russian propaganda, a claim both Trofimova and TIFF rejected.
In Russians At War, Trofimova embeds herself with Russian troops headed for the frontline as they talk on camera about family, death, and their evolving views on the war. Trofimova, who has denounced the Russian invasion as illegal, said her film was shot without the permission of Russian authorities.
The Canada-French co-production from Raja Pictures and CAPA Presse (Films À Cinq) was backed in part by Canadian public funds, and drew the ire of Canada’s deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland and others in political and diplomatic circles last week.
TIFF initially stood by its selection before issuing a statement a day later saying it had been made aware of a security threat and was pausing the screenings.
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