The Toronto International Film Festival has announced it will cancel all upcoming screenings of the controversial documentary Russians at War.
Russians at War, a first-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, was set to have its North American premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre at 2:30 p.m Friday. It was then scheduled to run additional screenings on Saturday and Sunday, all of which will be paused.
Organizers cited “significant threats to festival operations and public safety” as the reason for the cancellation but also stated they “support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion.”
“This is an unprecedented move for TIFF,” the statement reads.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision. When we select films, we’re guided by TIFF’s mission, our values, and our programming principles. We believe this film has earned a place in our festival’s lineup, and we are committed to screening it when it is safe to do so.”
More to come.