Juno News - September 19, 2024


‘Russians at War’ movie screening protest gets HEATED in Toronto

Topics
propaganda protest
Mentioned
Anastasia Trofimova Urdua Lightbox Theatre Harrison Faulkner Rosie DeMano James Bazan Dostoyevsky Trudeau Putin
ANOTHER assassination attempt + Trump does it AGAIN A carbon tax REVOLT？

Episode Stats


Length

17 minutes

Words per minute

151.91

Word count

2,709

Sentence count

172

Harmful content

Misogyny

2

sentences flagged

Toxicity

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

6

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

The TFF has cancelled the North American premiere of the highly controversial film Russians at War, a Canadian documentary directed by Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova. But, as they say in show business, the show must go on - and that's what we're here to report on.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Shame on TIFF! Shame on TIFF! Shame on TIFF! Shame on TIFF! Shame on TIFF! 0.99
00:00:07.000 Urdua! Urdua! Urdua!
00:00:17.000 We are here outside the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre for the North American premiere of the highly controversial film
00:00:22.000 Russians at War, a Canadian documentary directed by Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova.
00:00:29.000 We were supposed to see this film, which has been given a 4 out of 4 star review by the Toronto Star,
00:00:34.000 praised in the Globe and Mail and in the National Post.
00:00:36.000 However, last week TIFF cancelled the screening of the film due to what they said were threats against moviegoers.
00:00:43.000 This followed days of protest against the film by members of the Ukrainian community in Canada,
00:00:48.000 the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress, diplomats from Ukraine and Canadian politicians as well.
00:00:53.000 But, as they say in show business, the show must go on and that is what we're here today to report on.
00:00:59.000 As the name suggests, this film is a glimpse into the daily life struggles and difficulty of a Russian military unit,
00:01:07.000 recorded with them and from the ground in occupied Ukraine.
00:01:12.000 Reviewers of this film tell us that this documentary portrays the slow but steady coming to grips with the reality of the lies
00:01:19.000 that members of the Russian military have been told by the Putin regime.
00:01:24.000 The filmmakers insist that this film is in no way glorifying or supporting the Russian war effort.
00:01:30.000 In fact, Trofimova made clear in a statement that she unequivocally condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine
00:01:35.000 and supports the legitimacy of the ICC's investigation into war crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine.
00:01:41.000 So why is this such a big deal?
00:01:43.000 Well, as you can see behind me, members of the Ukrainian community here in Canada are protesting this film once again.
00:01:49.000 They were protesting it last week, they got TIFF to cancel the screening,
00:01:53.000 and now they are back once again for a protest of the screening today.
00:01:56.000 They are particularly aggrieved about this film because this Canada-France co-production received taxpayer funds,
00:02:04.000 specifically $340,000 from the Canadian media fund, as well as sponsorship from TVO, the provincial broadcaster.
00:02:12.000 Last week, Chrystia Freeland condemned the film at a press conference.
00:02:16.000 Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian Canadian community have expressed really grave concerns.
00:02:25.000 I have no concerns about that film, and I do want to say I share those concerns.
00:02:31.000 This is a war where Russia is breaking international law and committing war crimes. 0.68
00:02:37.000 There is very clearly good and evil in this war.
00:02:43.000 Ukrainians are fighting for their sovereignty and for democracy around the world.
00:02:49.000 Furthermore, Conservative Defence Shadow Minister James Bazan said on social media about the screening of this film at TIFF and at other film festivals across the country,
00:02:58.000 it is disgusting that this production was funded by the Trudeau government and allowed to be filmed on occupied Ukrainian territory, directly undermining Ukraine's war effort.
00:03:07.000 Furthermore, Ukrainian diplomats and the Ukrainian foreign ministry have also condemned the screening of this film at TIFF.
00:03:13.000 Now, for what it's worth, the director of this film, Anastasia Trofimova, a Russian-Canadian, previously worked in the documentary department for RT, the Russian state-backed propaganda channel.
00:03:23.000 She also, however, did work for CBC Radio Canada at the Moscow Bureau.
00:03:29.000 This film, despite the outrage from the Ukrainian-Canadian community, politicians and the Ukrainian government, has actually been well received by film critics in the city and by columnists at some of Toronto's largest newspapers.
00:03:41.000 I want to read one quote to you from Rosie Dimano, a left-wing Toronto Star columnist.
00:03:47.000 She wrote a few days ago,
00:03:49.000 Russians at war is far from propaganda, for which it stands accused as any of the journalistic reportage and drone footage that has come out of the Ukrainian battlefield.
00:03:57.000 Well, we don't want to take their word for it.
00:03:59.000 After all, taking the Toronto Star's word for anything is quite dangerous these days.
00:04:03.000 That's why we're here to see the film for ourselves.
00:04:05.000 We want to ask the protesters why they feel particularly aggrieved about this film.
00:04:09.000 We want to ask attendees of the film what they thought.
00:04:11.000 And we want to see it for ourselves, to give you our perspective on this film.
00:04:15.000 What compelled you to come out to protest the screening of the film today?
00:04:19.000 So, I came here to protest against showing of this Russian propaganda
00:04:27.000 because my family is in Ukraine.
00:04:33.000 My nephew was killed by Russians. 1.00
00:04:37.000 He defended Ukraine.
00:04:39.000 He was a soldier in Ukrainian army.
00:04:42.000 And he was killed by Russians. 0.99
00:04:45.000 So, if Trofimova wants us to believe that she is the new Dostoyevsky, she's not.
00:04:52.000 Because we don't need to understand the killers' feelings.
00:04:59.000 We don't need to see this movie to know it is propaganda.
00:05:04.000 They kill our people, civilians, soldiers. 0.80
00:05:09.000 They kill kids. 1.00
00:05:11.000 They rape. 1.00
00:05:12.000 They torture. 1.00
00:05:14.000 They kidnap.
00:05:16.000 And I have to understand their feelings?
00:05:19.000 No way.
00:05:20.000 I don't want Canadians to be misled on the nature of this war
00:05:25.000 and on the nature of the people who are participating in this war on the Russian side.
00:05:29.000 Do you intend to see this film at any point?
00:05:32.000 I don't need to see this film to understand that how Russians are portrayed in there is a lie.
00:05:41.000 It could be true that they go to the war because they are poor.
00:05:45.000 And the problem is that the film plays on the emotions of the viewer.
00:05:51.000 So that after coming out of the movie you feel sorry for these guys.
00:05:55.000 But you shouldn't be feeling sorry for them because they have an option.
00:05:59.000 Because the movie says that they are poor and they go to the war because they want to feed their families.
00:06:04.000 But they have an option.
00:06:05.000 You don't need to go to another country to kill people for money.
00:06:10.000 This is something that's been billed as a documentary.
00:06:14.000 But the film maker has worked for Russian propaganda for years.
00:06:19.000 That's where she made her name. 1.00
00:06:22.000 And there's every reason to believe that she continues to be well integrated with Kremlin propaganda circles.
00:06:28.000 Just recently a Russian man was sentenced to six years for speaking to somebody who wasn't involved with Kremlin media publicly.
00:06:40.000 People do not speak in Russia where media is very tightly controlled with just anybody.
00:06:46.000 The idea that she was integrated in occupied Ukraine where things are extremely tightly controlled.
00:06:52.000 And this was without Kremlin authorization is hard to believe.
00:06:57.000 Many Russian journalists have said it's impossible for them to believe that this is true.
00:07:02.000 So she's misrepresented herself and she's billed as some kind of brave filmmaker who risked her life.
00:07:08.000 But it's pretty amazing the kind of criticism that's been, the kind of support that it has received.
00:07:14.000 That nobody talks to people who understand Russia.
00:07:20.000 Even some Russian journalists who understand how Russian media works today
00:07:26.000 will tell you that what the filmmaker claims to represent is highly unlikely.
00:07:32.000 But Canadian commentators think that just by watching the film you can understand what's going on, which is weird.
00:07:42.000 Everyone should be very careful about how the media is being infiltrated, how our film festivals are being infiltrated.
00:07:51.000 Canadians should be very concerned about this.
00:07:54.000 What do you make of the fact that $300,000, $340,000 of taxpayer money was given to the film to fund the project?
00:08:02.000 That was one of the first things that really outraged me.
00:08:05.000 So I wrote to the Minister of Heritage and TVO and the Canadian Film Centre to object to that.
00:08:13.000 Because we should be using that money to help Ukrainians or help Canadians, 0.99
00:08:18.000 not to be assisting in the distribution of Russian propaganda.
00:08:24.000 What did you make of it?
00:08:36.000 I thought it's a very interesting film.
00:08:38.000 I think what is more upsetting to me is that we have Canadians advocating censorship.
00:08:45.000 And the problem is if we can't talk civilly and have a conversation, things are going to get worse in this country.
00:08:53.000 And I find that very upsetting.
00:08:55.000 Did you feel like the film was propaganda as many of the protesters?
00:08:58.000 No way was the propaganda.
00:08:59.000 And I find it also very disturbing that people are willing to protest when they are doing it from a perspective of ignorance
00:09:08.000 because they haven't seen the film.
00:09:09.000 And I think we need to be able to have an open conversation about things and share ideas.
00:09:14.000 It's not a good movie from the artistic stance.
00:09:18.000 And it still translates the propaganda messages that we thought that it would.
00:09:25.000 And the question that we asked the director what she thinks about the cause of the war, she couldn't answer the question.
00:09:31.000 She's still in the fog herself.
00:09:33.000 What do you make of the decision from TVO to pull their support of the movie?
00:09:38.000 I mean, there should be an investigation from the CMF and from TVO.
00:09:46.000 Firstly, how the funds were distributed.
00:09:49.000 That's the first point.
00:09:51.000 Like they should investigate how in the first place she got someone with the background in RT media, got the chance.
00:09:58.000 Of course, she's a Canadian.
00:09:59.000 Yeah.
00:10:00.000 Of course, she has a backup of very famous producers, but it should be investigated.
00:10:05.000 I can say that there's nothing controversial about this documentary.
00:10:08.000 And there's a lot of talk about Russian propaganda.
00:10:13.000 And what I was thinking when I heard all these talks and saw all these protests, if something as non-controversial as this documentary causes this kind of reaction and screams of Russian propaganda, then what does it say about the state of society in the West at the moment and in Canada in particular?
00:10:36.000 The largest criticism that has been raised about the protests is the fact that people have not seen the film and are protesting.
00:10:45.000 I'd like to say I have seen the film and I 100% support the protesters and what they're saying.
00:10:53.000 She makes no mention whatsoever of the fact that there have been over 130 documented war crimes that have been carried out against women, children, schools, hospitals, just name it, horrific war crimes.
00:11:09.000 You need context when you're talking about a war and she doesn't provide any of that.
00:11:15.000 People need to see this kind of perspective as well because it is also important just to understand it.
00:11:21.000 And it may be a Russian propaganda, but I think it's important that like people understand that it also exists.
00:11:28.000 Like I mean soldiers are also people. Yes, they're bad people. Yeah, they kill people, but it's like not necessarily they did want that.
00:11:37.000 As a Russian, I think that it's kind of propaganda and it does make the Russian soldiers look good. 0.93
00:11:47.000 Basically in the movie they just say that they don't know what they are fighting for, but that's it.
00:11:57.000 The film was a beautiful example of propaganda killing people.
00:12:03.000 And my fear is as a Ukrainian and as a Canadian is that this film will cause even more deaths in Ukraine.
00:12:10.000 While now the filmmaker is saying that this is an anti-war film, my position is that this is the wrong audience for it.
00:12:19.000 This film will do great in the theaters of Russia where people should see how army is disillusioned and how their loved ones are dying.
00:12:30.000 However, for Canadians right now, this is not the right time to pity and grieve people who chose to go to war and kill and commit war crimes against Ukrainians against a free nation of Ukraine.
00:12:46.000 So it is an important film to look back at in 10 years or any time the war is over.
00:12:54.000 We can look back and see what propaganda did to these people.
00:12:58.000 But right now to give platform to Russians at war to war criminals is just unacceptable.
00:13:06.000 Alright, so that wraps up the film and I have to say I'm glad that I was able to actually see it for myself.
00:13:11.000 So that if I were to make any assumptions about the film I could see it and then I could say that I actually did take the time to see it.
00:13:17.000 Now, there are aspects of the film which I do feel as though they shine a very positive light on the Russian war effort.
00:13:26.000 Anastasia Trofamova, the director of the film spoke to the audience after the screening and addressed the accusations about this film being Russian propaganda.
00:13:35.000 These were her words to the audience after the screening.
00:13:38.000 Anastasia Trofamova, the first and the most obvious thing is just come see the film and then if you can poke holes in it and tell me where the propaganda is, we'll have a discussion.
00:13:48.000 At the same time, I understand that people are grieving and that people have maybe lost someone in this war, which should never have happened.
00:14:06.000 And their reaction, I guess, to statements made by irresponsible politicians or to people who have made claims that this is propaganda, which have been refuted.
00:14:24.000 Maybe it is also in a way understandable, but it's just important to recognize that perhaps grieving and sadness, which is completely understandable, is misguided by people who are trying to set some sort of agenda.
00:14:42.000 I also want to highlight the words from the CEO of TIF who explained why they went ahead with the screening of this film after the protests and after the outcry really from politicians in Canada.
00:14:55.000 In emails and phone calls, TIF staff received hundreds of instances of verbal abuse.
00:15:00.000 Our staff also received threats of violence, including threats of sexual violence.
00:15:05.000 We were horrified and our staff members were understandably frightened.
00:15:10.000 We also learned of plans to disrupt or stop the screenings.
00:15:14.000 Because last week's screenings were scheduled at a 14 screen multiplex on some of the festival's busiest days, we determined that it would be safer not to go ahead with those plans.
00:15:25.000 Today, we can screen the film in a more secure environment.
00:15:29.000 But why screen the film at all?
00:15:32.000 First, because it went through a rigorous selection process, as does every film we invite.
00:15:37.000 It was invited on its artistic merits and on its relevance to the horrific ongoing war prompted by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
00:15:46.000 Do I feel like this film is journalism?
00:15:48.000 Well, it depends.
00:15:49.000 Because if what Anastasia Trofimova, the director of the film, said is true, then yes, I do believe there are journalistic elements to this story.
00:15:56.000 You get to see things which you never get to see from our media perspective.
00:16:00.000 You get to understand the intricate worlds of these individual soldiers.
00:16:05.000 And yes, you do feel bad for them.
00:16:07.000 You do feel sympathy for them when they see their fellow soldiers dying.
00:16:12.000 The question is, is humanizing the Russian soldiers, in and of itself, propaganda?
00:16:18.000 Or is there a message behind it, which is these soldiers don't even really support the war, but they're being forced into it?
00:16:25.000 That part isn't really made clear.
00:16:27.000 And that's the difficult aspect of the story.
00:16:30.000 Having seen it, my final thoughts are this.
00:16:33.000 Trying to censor the film is not the correct approach.
00:16:38.000 Trying to have this film silenced and censored and pulled and protested actually draws more people to the film.
00:16:46.000 I think it would be important for many of the protesters here to see the film themselves.
00:16:50.000 Having seen the film, they could then have the ability to make arguments by pulling certain aspects of the film
00:16:55.000 and not just taking the words from people who have seen it or words from people who haven't seen it.
00:17:00.000 Ultimately, this is a story about freedom of speech, about journalism, and the rights of Canadians to make journalism the way they feel they should.
00:17:09.000 I'd be curious to know the thoughts of other people in the comments of this video who have seen the film.
00:17:13.000 Let me know what you think of the film having seen it.
00:17:16.000 The people we spoke to after the film, some said that it wasn't Russian propaganda and some said it was Russian propaganda.
00:17:22.000 I think that proves the point that many people can look at this with many different perspectives.
00:17:27.000 Signing out from downtown Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre, Harrison Faulkner for TrueNorth.
00:17:32.000 .
00:17:34.000 This is Victor Marcellus.
00:17:44.000 ? ? ? ?
00:17:48.000 You