The Toronto International Film Festival says it has been forced to pause upcoming screenings of the “Russians at War” documentary due to “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 shared on Thursday.
“This is an unprecedented move for TIFF,” the statement continued.
The decision comes in the wake of protests against the documentary, which follows Russian soldiers on the front lines of the war in Ukraine. TIFF also faced pressure from elected officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Ukrainian officials, to drop the film.
On Wednesday, TIFF reiterated its support for the filmmakers behind “Russians at War,” and said it had no plans to stop the screenings.
“This documentary is an official Canada-France co-production with funding from several Canadian agencies, at both the federal and provincial level,” TIFF said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Our understanding is that it was made without the knowledge or participation of any Russian government agencies. In our view, in no way should this film be considered Russian propaganda.”
The statement also expressed sympathy for the Ukrainian people and the suffering caused by Russia’s invasion.
On Thursday, the producers of “Russians at War” shared a statement on X, responding to TIFF’s decision to pause screenings of the film. They called the decision “heartbreaking for us a filmmakers and Canadian citizens.”
The producers condemned Freeland, Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada Yuliya Kovaliv, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and others for what they called “irresponsible, dishonest and inflammatory statements that have incited the violent hate that has led to TIFF’s painful decision.”
“This temporary suppression is shockingly unCanadian,” the statement continued. “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.”
The decision to pause the screenings was “made independently by the event organizers and was not based on any recommendation from Toronto Police,” a TPS spokesperson told the Star on Thursday. “We were aware of the potential for protests and had planned to have officers present to ensure public safety.”
