In a letter addressed to Jeffrey Remedios, Chair of the Board of the Toronto International Film Festival, the UCC, representing the interests of 1.4 million Ukrainian Canadians, voiced its opposition to the screening of the film directed by Anastasia Trofimova, a former RT employee.

The UCC claims that the film, which received $340,000 in funding from Canadian taxpayers, equates the aggressor and the victim, portraying Russia’s war against Ukraine as a “nefarious game.” The organization argues that this perspective represents a moral equivalency of the most disgraceful kind and serves to infantilize the criminal actions of Russian forces in Ukraine.

Of particular concern to the UCC is how the film was made. They state that it’s improbable that Trofimova could have traveled to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory without the knowledge, support, and permission of the Russian state. This raises questions about the legality of the director’s actions and the nature of the access granted for filming.

The Congress is calling for two main actions: the cancellation of the film’s screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, scheduled for September 10th, and an investigation into how and why Canadian taxpayer money was used to fund what they consider Russian propaganda.

The UCC’s stance is echoed by Ukraine’s Consulate General in Toronto, which has also requested the festival organizers to cancel the screening. Additionally, a group of Ukrainian parliament members has appealed to their Canadian counterparts to prevent the showing of the film.

The UCC emphasizes that the funding and support of this film by the Canadian and Ontario governments have handed Russia a propaganda victory, and they are calling for accountability in the use of public funds for what they see as support for Russian propaganda.

As was previously reported, Ukrainian MPs urged Canada to block the screening of “Russians at war” film at Toronto festival, stating that the “documentary” whitewashes the Russian army that attacked Ukraine and promotes Russia’s soft power narratives about a “deeper understanding of war.”