Movies | Documentary following Russian soldiers sparks outrage in Canada – film festival defends

of Toronto the conclusion of the international film festival will feature a Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova movie Russians at War causing outrage in Canada.

Trofimova spent seven months in the Russian army, filming warfare near the front lines in Ukraine. The film is shot from the point of view of Russian soldiers, and the soldiers speak directly to the camera about fear, death and hope in the midst of war.

According to Reuters, Ukrainian diplomats and activists in Canada have called on the Toronto film festival to cancel screenings of the film, as they believe the film is “Russian propaganda”.

Consul General of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko according to the documentary, an attempt is made to cover up war crimes committed by the Russian army. Also the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freelandwho has a Ukrainian background, condemned the screening of the film.

People gathered outside a movie theater in Toronto on Tuesday to protest the festival’s decision.

“Now is not the time to give voice to people who commit war crimes, kill civilians and rob children every day,” Ukrainian-Canadian filmmaker who put together the protest Olja Glotka quoth.

of The Globe and Mail by the film has been heavily criticized since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Despite opposition, the Toronto Film Festival has not agreed to remove the film from its program.

“In our opinion, this film should in no way be considered Russian propaganda. While we understand the concerns of many, we believe, like the Venice Film Festival and other international festivals that have screened the film, that this Canadian documentary deserves a place in our selection,” the festival said in a statement.

The festival said it opposes censorship and defends the right of artists to express their political views freely.

The Ontario Provincial Broadcasting Corporation financed the film, but withdrew its support and canceled its planned release after the Ukrainian community criticized its showing.

The movie director Anastasia Trofimova has denied claims that her documentary is propaganda. He said that the documentary was filmed without the permission of the Russian government. By acting like this, he said that he took a risk, because of which he could be accused in Russia.

“I want to make it clear that this Canadian-French co-production is an anti-war film where everyone involved took a big risk,” the director said in a statement.

Trofimova also wrote that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is unfounded and illegal, and the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine is justified.