Film festival boosted by our tax dollars is pushing Russian propaganda.
The Toronto International Film Festival – heavily boosted by our taxpayer dollars – continues to disgrace itself by pushing ahead with the showing of a Russian propaganda film whitewashing the Putin regime’s evil invasion of Ukraine.
Now, new information reveals the director of the Russian propaganda film features someone who was behind the kidnapping of Ukrainian children – part of Russia’s horrendous campaign to wipe out Ukrainian identity:
This photo is sparking outrage online; it captures Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova filming Elizaveta Glinka, who was behind the initial cases of kidnapping Ukrainian children from Ukrainian territories to Russia in 2014. pic.twitter.com/UiPIBDVxwZ
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) September 9, 2024
https://twitter.com/CanadianKobzar/status/1833169367288127618
As noted by Anton Geraschenko on Twitter, it is important to raise the pressure on the TIFF and make clear that we do not support the showing of the Russian propaganda film:
“Friends, this is important. I ask for shares and spreading information, especially by my followers from Canada. This can set a precedent.
The Russians at War film by Russian director Anastasia Trofimova will be shown in Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The movie romanticizes Russian soldiers, the aggressors who commit acts of violence in Ukraine every single day.
Showing this movie sends a false and morally wrong message that it is the Russian soldiers who should be pitied.
Russians soldiers go to war mostly voluntarily. To them, it is a chance to earn money. Ukrainians go to war because we have no choice, because we are fighting for our very existence. To pretend that experiences of Russian soldiers are on the same scale with Ukrainian suffering is utter cynicism and distortion of reality. It disgustingly diverts attention from the victim to the feelings of an abuser.
If people want to know what Russian soldiers are really like, they can watch Intercepted by Oksana Karpovych or 20 Days in Mariupol by Mstyslav Chernov.
Narratives are important. Ukraine is fighting for her survival and independence. Russia is fighting for Putin’s imperialist ambitions. This is the crucial difference.
Please share this post with whomever it might be useful or write your own, tagging @TIFF_NET. Thank you.”
❗️Friends, this is important. I ask for shares and spreading information, especially by my followers from Canada. This can set a precedent.
The Russians at War film by Russian director Anastasia Trofimova will be shown in Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The… https://t.co/MwouI30ZZO pic.twitter.com/R6AijXkvCp
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 9, 2024
It is disgraceful that our tax dollars have gone towards funding Russian propaganda. The government must take action to ensure this does not happen again, and the Toronto International Film Festival must immediately pull the move and ensure it is not shown.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter
