The Canadian network TV Ontario, through which the Canada Media Fund financed the propaganda film 'Russians at War,' will not air the film, which normalizes Russian atrocities against Ukrainian civilians.
This was stated in a release from the TVO Board of Directors on their website.
"We have listened to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and their thoughtful and heartfelt input. TVO’s Board of Directors has decided to respect the feedback we have received, and TVO will no longer be supporting or airing Russians at War," said TVO Board Chair Chris Day.
He also mentioned that TVO will review the funding process for this project and the use of their brand.
The Canadian network TVO is an agency under the Ontario Ministry of Education and a non-profit charitable organization.
The documentary by Russian director Anastasia Trofimova, which whitewashes the crimes of Russian soldiers in Ukraine and portrays Russian soldiers as "ordinary people" rather than beasts, is scheduled to be shown on September 13 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was initially planned to be aired by TVO.
It is known that the Canada Media Fund allocated $340,000 in public funds, which TVO directed towards the film directed by Trofimova, a former host of Russia Today (RT) and a Russian-Canadian documentary filmmaker. The film depicts Russian war criminals as "ordinary people in an extraordinary situation."
The Canadian Heritage Department expressed outrage over the Canadian government's financing of a propaganda film, directed by someone who "entered sovereign Ukrainian territory along with invading Russian troops, thereby violating Ukrainian legislation, Ukrainian sovereignty, and possibly Canadian sanctions."
At the beginning of September, the Venice Film Festival's non-competitive program showcased Trofimova's documentary "Russians at War," which aims to show the world that Russian soldiers are "not beasts but ordinary people."
Ukrainian Consul General in Toronto Oleg Nikolenko and Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Yulia Kovaliv sharply criticized the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for intending to show the propaganda film "Russians at War" by Anastasia Trofimova.
On the international online platform Change.org, the Canadian organization OSUDemocracy launched a petition to the Toronto International Film Festival organizers, demanding that they not show "Russians at War," which normalizes Russia's atrocities against Ukrainian civilians. The petition emphasized that the film, funded by the Canada Media Fund—a public-private partnership between the Canadian Heritage Department and the Canadian cable industry—draws attention to the Russian aggressor while failing to adequately address the horrific war crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians.
