The documentary "Russians at War" will be screened, according to TIFF on September 17
TIFF’s statement continued, “As a cultural institution, we support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion, and we fully support peaceful assembly.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has rescheduled screenings of the controversial film “Russians at War” for Tuesday, September 17, at the TIFF Lightbox.
According to the TIFF Lightbox page, tickets for screenings at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. are now available.
A social media post by the Toronto branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has called for “another protest” in response to the decision to screen the film.
Ukrainian officials and community groups have criticized the documentary as propaganda.
The film was initially scheduled to premiere on Friday at the festival, with additional screenings on Saturday and Sunday.
However, one day before the first showing, festival organizers announced they would pause future screenings due to “significant threats to festival operations and public safety.”
They had previously stated they would not remove the film from the lineup.
TIFF did not provide details about the nature of the threats. Toronto police have directed inquiries back to the festival organizers. In a statement issued on September 12, TIFF said, “While we stand firm on our statement shared [Wednesday], this decision has been made in order to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff, and volunteers.”
The festival emphasized their commitment to screening the film “when it is safe to do so.”
TIFF’s statement continued, “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.”
“Russians at War,” directed by Canadian-Russian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, follows soldiers and medics on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The documentary features some soldiers expressing doubts about the war while continuing to follow orders and assert their patriotism.
