Anastasia Trofimova’s documentary Russians at War was set to debut at public screenings this weekend as this year’s Toronto International Film Festival winds down, but TIFF is now halting those screenings for “public safety,” a statement said today. Three public screenings were remaining on TIFF’s schedule for this weekend.
Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that there was pressure to drop the film from the lineup, and around 400 Ukrainian Canadians had gathered outside TIFF’s Lightbox Theater on Tuesday to protest the inclusion of the film in the festival. Trofimova’s film also played at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Read TIFF’s entire statement below:
“Effectively immediately, TIFF is forced to pause the upcoming screenings of Russians at War on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as we have been made aware of 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.
This is an unprecedented move for TIFF.
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.
This has been an incredibly difficult decision. 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.”
