TIFF cancels screening of propaganda film “Russians at War”
Kyiv • UNN
The Toronto International Film Festival has suspended the screening of the film Russians at War due to security threats. TIFF called the decision “unprecedented” but hopes to show the film later when it is safe to do so.
The Toronto International Film Festival TIFF cancels the screening of the propaganda film Russians at War, Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Yulia Kovaliv said, UNN reports .
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“TIFF is canceling the screening of the propaganda film Russia at War. It's a pity that the festival didn't have the courage to directly admit its deep mistake in its argumentation,” she wrote on Facebook.
Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto Oleh Nikolenko commented on the decision of the film festival to stop screening Anastasia Trofimova's film Russians at War as “the only right one.
“This project has already caused significant damage to the festival's reputation and gave Russia a chance to further undermine democracy. We will continue to fight Russian propaganda in every corner of the world using all peaceful and legal means,” Nikolenko wrote on Facebook.
A TIFF statement posted on the film festival's website on Thursday announces the “immediate suspension of screenings” due to “serious threats to the festival's operations” and calls the move “unprecedented” for TIFF.
“TIFF has been forced to immediately suspend the screening of Russians at War on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as we have become aware of serious threats to the festival and public safety. We stand firmly by our statement yesterday, but this decision was made to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff and volunteers. This is an unprecedented step for TIFF,” the statement said.
Also, in its statement, TIFF calls Anastasia Trofimova's propaganda film Russians at War a “Canadian documentary” and hopes to show it “when it is safe to do so.
“It was an incredibly difficult decision. When selecting films, we are guided by TIFF's mission, our values and programming principles. We believe that this film has earned a place in the festival's program, and we are ready to show it when it is safe to do so,” the statement concludes.
