Ukrainian-Canadian filmmakers pulled their pro-Ukrainian film "Intercepted" from screening at the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) in protest after learning that it would be featured in a lineup alongside the controversial "Russians at War" documentary, the Canadian media outlet Windsor Star reported on Oct. 26.
When a country goes through a war, documentarians often feel empowered to capture reality with the aim of creatively reflecting the pain on both a national and personal level. As the history of documentary cinema shows, such conditions can be the birthplace of groundbreaking films that shape the genre. Yet,
The Ukrainian documentary "Jamala. Songs of Freedom" won the Gold Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, in the Human Concerns and Social Issues category.
At the start of Russia’s full-scale war, Kyiv-based Swiss filmmaker Marc Wilkins, like many artists in Ukraine, was struggling to create. “The violence around me left me feeling paralyzed,” Wilkins, who has lived full-time in Ukraine since 2016, told the Kyiv Independent. But then Wilkins learned of an admirable
The documentary “Russians at War” has sparked controversy since its debut on the festival circuit, with many accusing it of whitewashing Russian soldiers and their crimes in Ukraine. Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova has defended the film, calling it “anti-war.” After facing backlash, the Toronto International Film Festival pulled screenings of
In a statement to CBC News, the Toronto Police Service said that the decision to halt the screening was made independently by event organizers and was not under any recommendation by the police force.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Canadian broadcaster TVO's statement. TVO has withdrawn support from the documentary "Russians at War" following protests from the Ukranian community. Hot Docs contacted the Kyiv Independent on Sept. 11 to clarify that the 85,000 Canadian dollars was the total sum
A film about Russian soldiers taking part in the war against Ukraine was recently presented at the Venice Film Festival. The film portrays ordinary people who care about their families, joke, and have doubts, fears, and dreams. Some fight to avenge a fallen comrade, some just to make money, while
After two and a half years of brutal aggression and growing evidence of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers, some people abroad still cling to the hope that the reality of what’s happening in Ukraine isn't as grim as it seems: a nation of nearly 150 million people can’
"It is irresponsible to allow the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most reputable world film stages, to be used to whitewash the responsibility of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion."
Controversy over the film only grew louder with the revelation by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) that the film is set to be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and has previously received Canadian government funding.
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of graphic scenes. “My brain will desperately want to forget all this,” narrates journalist Mstyslav Chernov over footage he filmed of city workers adding bodies to a mass grave in Mariupol, “but the camera will not let it happen.” At the start of
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