Screening of the film "Russians at War" in Toronto caused large-scale pro-Ukrainian protests.

On September 18, protests against the screening of the film "Russians at War" by Russian director Anastasia Trofimova took place outside the largest hall of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Lightbox. This was reported by Ukrainian film producer Anna Palenchuk on her Instagram.

According to the report, the director came out before the audience after the final credits and explained how she started filming without the management's consent. The Canadians applauded and laughed.

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Post by Anna Palenchuk (@anna_palenchuk)

The film was initially planned to be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, but after Ukraine's statement about its propagandist nature, it was excluded from the program. However, the organizers decided to show it after the festival ended, causing a new wave of protests.

According to Palenchuk's report, the hall was half-empty because many tickets were bought by the Ukrainian community. Protests were held during the screening, and the participants demanded the cancellation of the film's screening.

After the screening, Trofimova spoke to the audience but did not mention Ukraine or Russia's war crimes, which caused additional criticism from the Ukrainian community.

This film was also shown at the Venice Film Festival and also caused criticism from Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the film's screening and called for its cancellation in Toronto.

It should be noted that the film "Russians at War" will still be shown at the Toronto Film Festival.