Ukrainian official urges Toronto film fest to cancel documentary on Russian soldiers

Ukraine’s consul-general in Toronto, Oleh Nikolenko, has urged the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to remove a documentary centering Russian soldiers fighting on the front lines in Ukraine.

“Russians at War,” a documentary by Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, sparked outrage when it screened at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 5. Trofimova shot the film while embedded with Russian troops participating in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“It is irresponsible to allow the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most reputable world film stages, to be used to whitewash the responsibility of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion,” Nikolenko said in a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail.

The film is set to have its North American premiere at TIFF on Sept. 10.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) reported that the documentary received funding from the Canadian Media Fund, a public-private partnership backed by the Department of Canadian Heritage, in amount of 340,000 Canadian dollars ($250,358).

Nikolenko in his letter criticized the Canadian government for helping to fund the documentary. He also said that by joining a Russian military unit on occupied Ukrainian territory, Trofimova “grossly violates Ukrainian legislation.”

Trofimova issued a statement on Sept. 6 defending the documentary against what she characterized as attacks.

“I want to be clear that this Canada-France co-production is an anti-war film made at great risk to all involved, myself especially,” she said.

Trofimova has previously shot documentaries for the Russian state news agency RT, which has been sanctioned by Canada and the United States.

Nikolenko said that the Consulate General’s office, the Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa, and UCC has been in “intensive communication” with TIFF senior management for weeks.