““Each such product, which distorts reality or removes responsibility from the aggressor, is a threat to all those who fight for their freedom and dignity””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
As noted, the former employee of the propaganda channel “Russia Today” was included in this list, in particular, for the documentary film “Russians at War” (“Russians at War”), which she directed.
“The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine opposes any attempts to use art as a tool of Russian propaganda. Cases like Trofimova’s are part of a broader information war waged by the Russian Federation in an attempt to justify its aggression through culture and the media. We fight against the promotion of false narratives and manipulations that try to replace the truth and remove responsibility from the aggressor. Ukraine consistently works to ensure that Russian propaganda cannot penetrate into cultural venues both inside the country and abroad, defending the truth about war and freedom,” said the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi.
Although the film was shown at the Venice Film Festival, the screening of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was limited. After the first screening, the film was removed from the program due to security measures caused by the outrage of the Congress of Ukrainians of Canada, Ukrainian and foreign government officials, the department notes.
The ministry says that “the film promotes the idea that this war is a ‘conflict between two fraternal nations’ and that Russians are allegedly just as much victims of it as Ukrainians, which is unacceptable in the context of real events taking place in Ukraine.”
“Each such product that distorts reality or removes responsibility from the aggressor is a threat to all those who fight for their freedom and dignity,” the ICSK added.
Earlier, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) decided to stop screenings of the Russian film “Russians at War”, the organizers of the festival announced on September 12.
Oleg Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, said on Facebook that stopping the screening of the film “is the only correct decision.”
Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Yulia Kovaliv expressed her regret that “in its arguments, the festival did not have the courage to directly admit its deep mistake.”
TIFF refused to cancel screenings of the Russian film Russians at War, saying that because the film was a Canadian-French co-production and was funded by Canadian agencies, it could not be considered Russian propaganda.
“As far as we understand, it was created without the knowledge or involvement of Russian state authorities. In our opinion, this film can in no way be considered Russian propaganda. While we understand the concerns expressed by many, we believe, like the Venice Film Festival and other international festivals that have included the film in their programs, that this Canadian documentary deserves a place in our selection,” the organizers stated.
The film by the Russian director Anastasia Trofimova, dedicated to the participants of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, was also presented at the Venice Film Festival on September 6. This caused outrage among Ukrainians and social network users from other countries who support Ukraine.
Ukrainian Consul General in Toronto Oleg Nikolenko previously criticized TIFF organizers for “whitewashing the crimes of Russian soldiers in Ukraine” through the planned showing of Russians at War.
Also, the Canadian Congress of Ukrainians pointed to the credits of the film, judging by which it had the support of the public-private Canadian Media Fund – according to the Congress, the funding amounted to 340 thousand dollars.
According to the media, Anastasia Trofimova worked for the Russian state media network RT, which is under Western sanctions. In her comments to the film, she stated that she “did not see” the war crimes of the Russian military while in the war zone.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada Khrystia Freeland supported the criticism of the tape by Kyiv and the Ukrainian-Canadian community and noted that Canadian public funds should not be used to support “media that tries to whitewash Russian war crimes.”