The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has pulled its planned screenings for the controversial doc Russians at War after being made aware of what they call “significant threats to festival operations and public safety.”

“While we stand firm on our statement shared yesterday, this decision has been made in order to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff, and volunteers,” read a statement issued by TIFF late Thursday afternoon (Sept. 12).

The statement was released ahead of the first scheduled screening of the doc from Russian-Canadian director-producer Anastasia Trofimova on Friday (Sept. 13). The Festival announced on Wednesday (Sept. 11) it was pressing ahead with screenings in the wake of protests from Ukrainian-Canadian organizations.

“As a cultural institution, we support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion, and we fully support peaceful assembly,” the statement continued. “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.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision,” the statement read in closing. “When we select films, we’re guided by TIFF’s mission, our values, and our programming principles. 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 documentary, which made its world premiere at Venice, follows Trofimova, a former reporter for CBC, as well as Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT, as she embeds herself for seven months with a group of Russian troops near the frontline in Ukraine. Friday’s screening would have marked the film’s North American premiere.

It’s produced by Canada’s Raja Pictures and Paris-based prodco CAPA Presse (Films à Cinq). Sally Blake and Philippe Levasseur produce for CAPA Presse, one of France’s largest doc and news reportage producers. Cornelia Principe produces for Raja Pictures.

Following news of TIFF’s decision to pull the screenings of the film for the time being, its producers issued a statement saying, “TIFF’s decision to pause its screenings of Russians at War due to extreme security concerns is heartbreaking for us as filmmakers and Canadian citizens,” the statement reads.

“Our priority as producers, through this production, has been the safety and security of our courageous director, Anastasia Trofimova, despite her steadfast acceptance of these risks to make her documentary. We had assumed those risks would originate within Russia, not Canada.”

When news broke of the film’s addition to the TIFF slate, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which represents Ukrainians living in Canada, publicly criticized the film, alleging on its website that it is “Russian propaganda.”

The organization issued an open letter to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and chief programming officer Anita Lee calling on the festival to cancel the screening. The letter was also addressed to Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly; Yuliya Kovaliv, Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada; and Oleh Nikolenko, consulate general of Ukraine in Toronto.

Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland also waded into the controversy, telling reporters on Tuesday (Sept. 10): “It’s not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this.”

The documentary’s primary funder, TVO, pulled its support from the film on Wednesday via a decision from its board of directors.

“We have listened to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and their thoughtful and heartfelt input,” said Chris Day, chair of the TVO board. “TVO will no longer be supporting or airing Russians at War. TVO will be reviewing the process by which this project was funded and our brand leveraged.”

That move prompted responses from the film’s producers and from the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), with both statements pointing to potential ramifications for the Canadian independent filmmaking industry.

“This bow to political pressure, made by the TVO board of directors, not its management, sends a chill across the entire independent filmmaking community in Canada,” read the statement from the producers, while DOC said TVO’s decision “poses a serious threat to independent media in Canada” and “risks setting a dangerous precedent and must be immediately reversed.”

Now, with the film’s North American debut in limbo following TIFF’s decision to pause the screenings, its producers are calling out the politicians such as Deputy Prime Minister Freeland and assorted MPs and MPPs who have also spoken out against Russians at War, as well as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada Yuliya Kovaliv, among others, for what the producers call “irresponsible” and “inflammatory public statements” regarding the film.

“This temporary suppression is shockingly unCanadian,” the producers said via their statement. “We call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fully investigate this affront, from within a sovereign government, to our democratic values and a free media.”

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Photo by Anastasia Trofimova