Yesterday (September 10) at Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre, a protest formed outside of TIFF's press screening of Russians at War — a highly controversial film that many online, as well as Ukrainian officials, have spoken out against because of claims that it "whitewashes" Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Protestors were heard chanting "Shame on TIFF" on Richmond Street during the demonstration, and now, festival organizers have responded.
Transmitting from TIFF's website, a statement addresses the protest and controversy, but remains firm in the festival's plan to go ahead with further public screenings, saying that "in no way should this film be considered Russian propaganda." As of now, there are three more screenings of Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova's film on the schedule.
TIFF's statement reads:
TIFF acknowledges and respects the concerns expressed and discussion taking place about the Canadian documentary Russians at War. The film will make its North American premiere later this week, as scheduled.
This documentary is an official Canada-France co-production with funding from several Canadian agencies, at both the federal and provincial level. 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. While we understand the concerns expressed by many, we believe, like the Venice Film Festival and other international festivals who have programmed the film, that this Canadian documentary merits a place in our selection.
In April, we issued a Programming Statement for Peace. Today, we would like to reaffirm this excerpt: As a cultural institution, we stand for the right of artists and cultural workers to express fair political comment freely and oppose censorship. Because filmmakers, like all artists, work in dynamic engagement with their societies, we believe that our role as curators and presenters of film must stand for an unequivocal defence of artistic expression, and a commitment to provide safe, open spaces to engage, critique and reflect on artists' work.
We understand and deeply feel the suffering of the Ukrainian people as the result of an illegal Russian invasion. As we engage with the art made at this politically charged time, we are guided by the democratic values of freedom of conscience, opinion, expression and peaceful assembly as protected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for all Canadians including Canadian artists.
In addition to the demonstration that took place at Scotiabank, a protest also happened before the Q&A at a screening of Pharrell's LEGO documentary, with one protestor seemingly irate about animal rights and the musician's role within Louis Vuitton's directorial team.