Freeland criticizes use of public funds for doc on Russian soldiers amid TIFF protest

By Sonja Puzic, The Canadian Press on September 10, 2024.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the use of public funds to support the screening of a documentary about Russian soldiers at the Toronto International Film Festival is "not right." Freeland speaks to reporters at the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland denounced Tuesday the use of public funds for a documentary about Russian soldiers, hours before a crowd of people protested its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Freeland said she shares the “grave concerns” raised about “Russians at War,” a film set to make its North American debut at TIFF on Friday.

“It’s not right for Canadian public money to be supporting the screening and production of a film like this,” Freeland said while speaking to reporters Tuesday in Nanaimo, B.C.

The documentary, described as a story of Russian soldiers’ disillusionment with the war in Ukraine, has drawn the ire of Ukrainian officials and members of the Ukrainian-Canadian community who called it “Russian propaganda.”

A protest organized by the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress had dozens of people chanting “Shame on TIFF” outside a downtown Toronto theatre Tuesday as the film was shown to members of the press and industry.

Ukraine’s consul general in Toronto has called on TIFF to pull the film from its public screening schedule, saying the documentary whitewashes the responsibility of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine.

The film’s Canadian-Russian director, Anastasia Trofimova, has denied the propaganda accusations, saying that she and others took great risks while filming without permission of the Russian government.

“I want to be clear that this Canada-France co-production is an antiwar film,” she said in a statement, adding that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are “unjustified.”

Freeland said Russia is breaking international laws with its invasion of Ukraine and Canada as a country must make it clear that there is “no moral equivalency” in that war.

“Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian-Canadian community have expressed really grave concerns about that film,” said Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage. “And I do wanna say I share those concerns.”

Spokespeople for TIFF have not responded to multiple requests for comment about the calls to pull the film, and did not immediately answer Tuesday when asked about Freeland’s remarks.

The Canada Media Fund, which provided $340,000 for the production of “Russians at War,” said it takes concerns about the film “very seriously” and has been in contact with TIFF organizers.

“Russians at War” was funded through the Canada Media Fund broadcaster envelope program and in this case, TVO independently chose to use that money to support the production of the documentary, a CMF spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“We remain committed to supporting Canadian content that reflects a wide array of voices and stories, while also understanding the sensitivity of the subject matter and the potential for differing interpretations,” the statement said.

TVO said last week that “Russians at War” is at its core an antiwar film, “made at great personal risk to the filmmaker, who was under constant threat of arrest and incarceration for trying to tell an unofficial story.”

The publicly funded Ontario broadcaster is encouraging people to “see the documentary for themselves when it is available.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.