Ontario’s public broadcaster won’t air doc on Russian soldiers amid TIFF protest

Ontario’s public broadcaster says it won’t be airing a documentary about Russian soldiers it helped produce, amid protests against the film’s screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

TVO said Tuesday its board of directors has decided to “respect the feedback” from the Ukrainian-Canadian community on “Russians at War,” described as a film that shows Russian soldiers’ disillusionment with their military’s invasion of Ukraine.

The documentary is set to screen at TIFF on Friday and TVO had planned to air it “in the coming months.”

“TVO will be reviewing the process by which this project was funded and our brand leveraged,” the broadcaster said in a statement after dozens of people protested outside a Toronto theatre where the film was shown to members of the industry and press Tuesday.

TVO had previously defended the documentary against criticism, saying it’s an “antiwar film” that was made at great personal risk to the filmmaker. It also encouraged people to see the doc “for themselves.”

“Russians at War” was funded in part by the Canada Media Fund, which provided $340,000 for the project through its broadcaster envelope program. A spokesperson for the fund said TVO independently chose to use that money to support the production of the documentary.

Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland denounced the use of public funds for the film while speaking to reporters in Nanaimo, B.C.

“It’s not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this,” Freeland said.

The documentary has drawn the ire of Ukrainian officials and members of the Ukrainian-Canadian community who called it “Russian propaganda.”

Ukraine’s consul general in Toronto has called on TIFF to pull the film from its public screening schedule, saying the documentary whitewashes the responsibility of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine. At Tuesday’s protest outside Scotiabank Theatre, demonstrators chanted “Shame on TIFF” and waved Ukrainian flags.

The film’s Canadian-Russian director, Anastasia Trofimova, has denied the propaganda accusations, saying that she and others took great risks while filming without permission of the Russian government.

“I want to be clear that this Canada-France co-production is an antiwar film,” she said in a statement, adding that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are “unjustified.”

Freeland said Russia is breaking international laws with its invasion of Ukraine and Canada as a country must make it clear that there is “no moral equivalency” in that war.

“Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian-Canadian community have expressed really grave concerns about that film,” said Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage. “And I do want to say I share those concerns.”

Spokespeople for TIFF have not responded to multiple requests for comment about the calls to pull the film, and did not immediately answer Tuesday when asked about Freeland’s remarks.

The Canada Media Fund said it takes concerns about the film “very seriously” and has been in contact with TIFF organizers.

“We remain committed to supporting Canadian content that reflects a wide array of voices and stories, while also understanding the sensitivity of the subject matter and the potential for differing interpretations,” it said in an emailed statement.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.

Sonja Puzic, The Canadian Press