Ukraine's consul general in Toronto outraged by repeated attempt to screen propaganda film Russians at War
Oleh Nikolenko, Ukraine's Consul General in Toronto, has expressed outrage at the decision of the organisers of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to screen the controversial film Russians at War.
Nikolenko emphasised on Facebook that the TIFF organisers' decision to resume screenings of the film Russians at War came right after Canada revealed Russia's global disinformation campaigns and the involvement of the Kremlin-aligned broadcaster RT in these efforts.
The diplomat emphasised that the festival continues to overlook RT's efforts to undermine public and political support for Ukraine in the West.
"All other arguments regarding context, production process, and conflicts of interest have also been disregarded," he added.
Nikolenko also condemned the statements of "some co-producers" of the film Russians at War that incited hatred against Ukrainians and the defacing of two Ukrainian murals near the TIFF Lightbox cultural centre.
"Screening Russians at War is a significant blow to TIFF’s reputation and journalism. Russian propaganda must be contained, not promoted in theatres," the Consul General in Toronto concluded.
Yuliia Kovaliv, Ukraine's Ambassador to Canada, also condemned TIFF's decision to screen Russians at War, urging them to change their mind.
"Despite all calls to stop whitewashing Russian killers and rapers [sic] they still want to show this documentary under the roof of the festival," the diplomat reacted.
Earlier, the Toronto International Film Festival set a new date for the screening of the controversial film Russians at War by Russian director Anastasia Trofimtseva after it cancelled the first screenings amid a barrage of criticism.
The film Russians at War was screened on 5 September at the Venice International Film Festival. Its director said she spent seven months with a Russian battalion fighting in Ukraine, and it was a shock for her to see that they were "absolutely ordinary guys with families and a sense of humour".