OTTAWA: A controversial documentary Russians at War about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine was to be unveiled to North American audiences on Friday, but the Toronto International Film Festival paused the screening after receiving “significant threats”.

Since it was first shown in Venice earlier this month it has sparked outrage in Ukrainian cultural and political circles against what many consider a pro-Kremlin film that seeks to whitewash and justify Moscow’s assault on its neighbour.

In Toronto, protestors and diplomats — as well as Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland — called on the festival organisers to drop the film, but they refused, until now.

“We have been made aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety,” festival organisers said in a statement.

“This is an unprecedented move for TIFF,” read the statement, adding: “Given the severity of these concerns, we cannot proceed as planned.”

Police noted that the decision to pause the screenings was not recommended by them and was “made independently by the event organizers.” Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova first presented Russians at War at the Venice Film Festival.

In the film, she embedded with a Russian battalion as it advanced across eastern Ukraine after Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.

Additional screenings in Toronto scheduled over the weekend have also been paused.

One of the film’s producers Philippe Levasseur said on Friday: “It’s sad that we’ve come to this point.” Continuing to hold out hope that audiences will still get a chance to see the film, he noted that the filmmakers had expected a backlash in Russia, “because in the film the Russian soldiers say they’re fed up with this war”.

He said he also understands “very angry reactions on the Ukrainian side,” but he insisted it was important to tell “all facets of this story.”

Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Friday he felt the festival should have dropped the film sooner, while Ukraine’s consul general in Toronto said scrapping it was “the only right decision.”

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024