The Toronto International Film Festival said Thursday it is suspending upcoming screenings of the controversial documentary Russians At War due to “significant threats to festival operations and public safety.”
The announcement came a day after TIFF stood by the film, which is helmed by a Russian-Canadian director and received Canadian public funding, amid growing backlash from the Ukrainian community and government officials for both Ukraine and Canada.
A large protest was held outside Tuesday’s debut screening and another was planned for Friday.
The protests were organized by Ukrainian-Canadian community leaders who have called the film “Russian propaganda” — a charge denied by the filmmaker and festival organizers — and called for government investigations.
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“As a cultural institution, we support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion, and we fully support peaceful assembly,” a statement from the festival said. “However, we have received reports indicating potential activity in the coming days that pose significant risk; given the severity of these concerns, we cannot proceed as planned.
“This is an unprecedented move for TIFF.”
The festival said it will pause screenings scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday but is committed to showing the film “when it is safe to do so,” adding organizers “believe this film has earned a place in our festival’s lineup.”
Global News has reached out to the Toronto Police Service for details on the alleged security threats.
More to come…
