Latest news with #Canadian-Russian
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Belgian film festival cancels screening of 'Russians at War' documentary after Ukraine's appeal
The Docville Film Festival in Leuven canceled the screening of the controversial "Russians at War" documentary after an intervention of the Ukrainian Embassy, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry announced on March 31. Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova's documentary has faced criticism for what many perceive as an attempt to whitewash Russian soldiers involved in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The embassy appealed to the Belgian federal government, the Flemish government, the local authorities of Leuven, the management of the Docville festival, and the Catholic University of Leuven to cancel the screening of the film. The movie portrays Russian soldiers in Ukraine as ordinary people, never shows or mentions the war crimes committed by them in Ukraine, and subtly questions the truthfulness of Ukrainian testimonies of them. Earlier in her career, Trofimova worked for Russia Today (RT), a Kremlin-backed propaganda outlet. The movie's past screenings have sparked protests in Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. Read also: 'Outright propaganda' — Dutch university to screen 'Russians at War' and host panel with controversial director We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Outright propaganda' — Dutch university to screen 'Russians at War' and host panel with controversial director
A Dutch university is to screen the controversial documentary "Russians at War" and a panel discussion with its director, despite Ukrainian calls for it be be canceled because it "whitewashes… murder, rape, and torture." Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova's documentary has been criticized for what many perceive as an attempt to whitewash Russian soldiers involved in Russia's war against Ukraine, sparking protests against its past screenings in Canada and Australia. Leiden University in the Hague will screen the film on March 26 as part of its Fireside Peace Chats, an initiative of a Leiden University College staff member in collaboration with "several external partners." It will be followed by a panel discussion with Trofimova and academic staff members. Ukraine's Embassy in the Netherlands on March 25 published a statement calling for the screening to be canceled. It said the film is "whitewashing Russian soldiers and absolving them of responsibility for murder, rape, torture, looting, forced deportation of children, and destruction of Ukrainian cities." "'Russians at War' documentary is a piece of Russian outright propaganda that intentionally distorts the reality of the ongoing genocidal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, thereby misleading viewers and promoting (the) toxic narratives of (the) Kremlin," it added. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in October 2024 began investigating Trofimova, the film's director, on charges of justifying and recognizing the legitimacy of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and illegally crossing Ukraine's internationally recognized borders when filming in the Russian-occupied territories. Student groups who spoke to the Kyiv Independent also expressed outrage at the screening, saying the film "misrepresents the reality of Russia's war against Ukraine, downplays Russian war crimes, and silences Ukrainian voices," and that the event should be canceled. "We are deeply outraged that Leiden University, a leading academic institution in the Netherlands, is providing a platform (for the film)," Anna Mamedova, a Leiden University alumna, and co-founder of the ABBA Student Association, a group that represents students from Ukraine as well as several Baltic and Eastern European countries. Leiden University has so far refused to cancel the event, arguing it is a "a bastion of freedom" and "a fervent advocate of open, critical debate where different opinions and convictions are engaged with." "It has chosen to overlook the fact that this film was produced in illegally occupied Ukrainian territories without authorization, violating international law." "We choose to engage with extremely difficult topics rather than closing our eyes, in order to better understand humanity and the world. We will provide a critical context to this film, where there is room for debate, discussion, and criticism," the university said on March 25. Mamedova said the ABBA Organisation had contacted the university expressing its concerns. "It has chosen to overlook the fact that this film was produced in illegally occupied Ukrainian territories without authorization, violating international law. It is particularly shameful that this occurs in The Hague — the City of Peace and Justice," Mamedova said. In response, the university acknowledged "the immense suffering" caused by Russian aggression and assured that it takes academic integrity seriously, Mamedova said. ABBA is organizing a protest in response to the film screening in front of the university building 30 minutes before it starts and a combat casualty care workshop featuring Ukrainian combat medic Anastasia Mutsey, which will also take place at Leiden University at the time the screening begins. Protests against the film's screening were held in several countries, including Canada and Australia. Earlier in her career, Trofimova worked for Russia Today (RT), a Kremlin-backed propaganda outlet. Read also: Is 'Russians at War' propaganda? We asked 7 people in film who saw it We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Protest planned against 'Russians at War' documentary screenings in Australia
Members of the Ukrainian diaspora in Australia are set to protest the screening of the controversial "Russians at War" documentary at the Antenna Documentary Film Festival in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 6. Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova's documentary Russians at War has faced criticism for what many perceive as an attempt to whitewash Russian soldiers involved in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The documentary has been criticized for lacking a concrete counter-narrative to Russian propaganda, failing to address documented Russian war crimes, and does not offer a definitive critique of Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. Earlier in her career, Trofimova worked for Russia Today (RT), a Kremlin-backed propaganda outlet. The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations' (AFUO) planned rally comes as controversy continues to follow the film, after initially appearing on the official list of screenings at the prestigious Venice and Toronto film festivals. Following protest across different cities since the film first raised controversy in September 2024, organizers at various international film festivals have pulled the film from various festivals' schedule. Despite the anticipated protest, the Antenna Film Festival, which is scheduled to begin screening the film on Feb. 10, has not removed its scheduled screening from the festival's . "The Ukrainian community has come together with strength and focus to stop this russian propaganda being screened in Australia," the AFUO said in a statement. "This film is not an independent exposé — it is a carefully controlled narrative that serves the interests of the Russian state." In the most prominent case, the Toronto International Film Festival decided to from the schedule, citing security concerns, but later decided to for the film after the end of the festival in September, drawing widespread criticism. Controversy further spread as it was revealed the Russians at War film received 340,000 Canadian dollars from the Canada Media Fund. On Oct. 7, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) began investigating Trofimova on the charges of justifying and recognizing the legitimacy of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and illegally crossing Ukraine's internationally recognized borders when filming in the Russian-occupied territories. Read also: Is 'Russians at War' propaganda? We asked 7 people in film who saw it We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
