Scandal at the Toronto International Film Festival: the showing of a pro-Russian film caused international outrage

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has ended, but the loud scandal surrounding the film "Russians at War" by the Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova still does not subside.

Propaganda tape causes protests

The film, which frankly distorts reality, caused outrage from the very beginning both among the audience and in government circles. The film tries to show the Russians as victims of the conflict, but glosses over the brutality of the Russian army. In response to this, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine included Anastasia Trofimova in the list of persons who pose a threat to the national security of Ukraine.

"Each similar product that distorts reality or removes responsibility from the aggressor is a threat to all those fighting for their freedom and dignity, " the ministry explained.

The Venice Film Festival and the first scandal

The first scandal surrounding the film happened at the Venice Film Festival, where the film also caused a wave of protests. The screening of the film at TIFF was canceled due to outrage from the Ukrainian diaspora and security concerns. However, the organizers found a way around these restrictions.

TIFF organizers still showed the film

Despite all the protests, the film "Russians at War" was still shown at TIFF. The organizers of the film festival decided to hold the screening on a separate day, not during the main program of the event, in order to avoid additional protests and security threats.

"The film also promotes the idea that this war is a 'conflict between two fraternal peoples' and that Russians are allegedly just as much victims of it as Ukrainians, which is unacceptable in the context of real events taking place in Ukraine, " the ministry notes.

This step caused a new wave of indignation, which was joined by the government of Ukraine. The premiere of the film became another reason for criticism of the Canadian government, which previously allocated 340 Canadian dollars for the filming of the film. The film was shown at two different times on September 17, sparking further protests.

Editor: Yana Davydiuk