The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has revealed that “hundreds” of threats directed at staff led the festival to make the unprecedented decision to pull the controversial documentary Russians at war from last week's lineup, including threats of violence and sexual assault.
TIFF said Thursday that it was “forced to suspend” three upcoming public screenings of Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova's documentary after being “informed of significant threats to festival operations and public safety.” The documentary was scheduled to have its North American premiere during the festival's final Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“This decision was made to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff and volunteers,” the festival added in a statement.
The announcement was met with some skepticism from the Canadian documentary and media community, with several publications speculating that TIFF had simply backed out in the face of public outcry and political pressure.
But the festival made good on its promise to move forward with the film on Tuesday afternoon, hosting afternoon and evening screenings at its TIFF Lightbox. Introducing the documentary to an eager crowd at 2 p.m. ET, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey told attendees of the “strong pushback” his team had received over the decision to screen the film.
“Most of it has been civil and peaceful,” Bailey said. “Some of it has been terrifying.”
Bailey continued, “Through emails and phone calls, TIFF staff received hundreds of instances of verbal abuse. Our staff also received threats of violence, including threats of sexual assault. We were horrified and our staff members were understandably frightened.
“We also learned of plans to interrupt or halt screenings. Since last week's screenings were scheduled to take place at a 14-screen multiplex on some of the busiest days of the festival, we decided it would be safest not to move forward with those plans.”
Bailey did not dwell on the latter, but The Hollywood Reporterhas learned that several former TIFF staff members have received requests for information about theater floor plans, along with questions about where exactly performers enter and exit.
The screens at Toronto’s Scotiabank Richmond multiplex, where the documentary was originally scheduled to screen, do not have side entrances for talent who want to enter for the Q&A. They must use the same entrance as the audience. The festival’s Lightbox multiplex, by contrast, has dedicated stage doors, usually used to whisk away A-list stars during the festival.
Bailey's comments will put significant pressure on embattled Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who has been criticized for calling the documentary propaganda. “It's not right that Canadian public money is supporting the screening and production of a film like this,” she told reporters on September 10, despite not having seen the film at the time.
Following the minister's comments, hundreds of Ukrainian Canadians took to the streets of Toronto to protest the first press and industry screening, waving signs and chanting “shame on TIFF.” Coinciding with the protests, the board of directors of Canadian public broadcaster TVO announced it would no longer screen or support the film, in an unprecedented move that bypassed the network's executive team and commissioning editors.
However, the film was seen by a significant number of Canadian journalists during the festival, and the press reacted unanimously rejecting the characterization of the Deputy Prime Minister.
The country's three national dailies, ranging from left to right, are: Toronto Star , The Globe and Mail and theNational Post– all published articles praise the film (which this writer has seen) as a powerful anti-war polemic that portrays the Russian infantry as inept and unmotivated, feeling betrayed and confused about why they are actually fighting.
“ Russians at war “It's a brave and exceptional documentary,” he wrote The Globe and Mailin his review. “It shows, without frills, the horrors of war, including some of the most horrifying footage you will ever see on a big screen. This documentary in no way glorifies Russia or its military or its war effort. This film in no way demonizes Ukraine or its people.”
Referring to Minister Freeland’s remarks, Bailey told attendees, “I believe that giving in to pressure from some members of the public, or from government, when it comes to presenting a cultural product can become a corrosive force in our society. We were guided by TIFF’s mission and its values when we selected the film, and I believe those principles, and the principle of independent media in Canada, are worth defending.”
Bailey reiterated that Trofimova's film (which is a French-Canadian co-production seeking international distribution) had undergone a “rigorous selection process” and was invited based on its “artistic merit” and its “relevance to the horrific ongoing war sparked by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
He added that TIFF has screened several documentaries by Ukrainian filmmakers at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 festivals, offering first-hand insights into such horrors.
“We deeply sympathize with the pain felt by Ukrainian Canadians over the violence and destruction caused by the Russian invasion,” Bailey concluded. “But verbal abuse and threats of violence in response to a film screening cross a dangerous line.
“We are presentingRussians of the warsto oppose those abuses, those threats and for the importance of the independence of the media and curators.”