A still from the documentary Russians At War' is shown in a handout. Ukrainian officials are calling on the Toronto International Film Festival to pull the documentary about Russian soldiers from its schedule.
The Toronto International Film Festival says it's not pulling a controversial documentary about Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine from its schedule, despite outcry from Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda.A still from the documentary Russians At War is shown in a handout. The Toronto International Film Festival says the controversial film 'merits a place in our selection' despite protests from Ukrainian officials and community groups.
"While we understand the concerns expressed by many, we believe, like the Venice Film Festival and other international festivals who have programmed the film, that this Canadian documentary merits a place in our selection." "They have steadfastly ignored any letters from us, from the Ukrainian government, from community leaders," the organization's CEO Ihor Michalchyshyn said in an interview. "I think it's quite shocking that they're not really listening to the concerns they're getting.
TIFF said that while it "deeply" feels and understands the suffering of Ukrainian people, "as a cultural institution, we stand for the right of artists and cultural workers to express fair political comment freely and oppose censorship.
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