Toronto Film Festival Pulls Documentary on Russian Soldiers

One of North America’s biggest film festivals on Thursday canceled all screenings of “Russians at War,” a documentary about Russian soldiers in Ukraine that has faced backlash and been called propaganda supporting the Kremlin.

The cancellation happened a day after the Toronto International Film Festival had said it would not bow to protests. Organizers said that while they still felt the film was not Russian propaganda, they were making the “unprecedented” decision to remove it from its lineup because of serious threats to public safety and the festival. The producers called the decision “heartbreaking” in a statement on Thursday.

Critics say the film, shot by Anastasia Trofimova while she was embedded with a Russian battalion in eastern Ukraine, humanizes members of a military that has been accused of war crimes, and serves as Kremlin propaganda.

Mr. Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian, has said she did not seek approval from Russian authorities to make the film, which she has called “an antiwar film made at great risk to all involved, myself especially.” She added that she “unequivocally” believes the Russian invasion of Ukraine is “unjustified, illegal.” The producers said on Thursday irresponsible and dishonest statements had been made about the film by critics.

Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian community in Canada condemned the film when it was selected for screening at the festival in Canada, which is home to the world’s third-largest population of people of Ukrainian descent. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy prime minister, said she shared their “really grave concerns.” Ms. Freeland’s maternal grandparents were from Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, setting off a series of moves by governments to