If TIFF won't screen Russians at War, then who will?

For the final episode of Commotion's TIFF in 12, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks with film critics Teri Hart and Rad Simonpillai about the festival's decision to pause screenings of Russians at War due to "significant threats" to festival operations and public safety.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

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Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud11:59TIFF in 12: The controversy over the Russians at War documentary

Elamin: Teri, I want to talk about how the festivals in general, but maybe in particular TIFF right now, kind of reflect the moment that we're in. What's your takeaway from what we've been seeing unfold this week at the festival?

Teri: I have to say, them making the decision to not screen the film as part of the festival, but still stand by the film being accepted into the festival, concerns me. Anything around censorship concerns me. Obviously, safety has to be the primary concern at any event with any situation. We don't know what the threats were to the festival operations or to the patrons, so it's hard to comment on the decision. We have to trust the festival, that they were doing the right thing. It's worth noting that in this story, TVO was set to also air Russians at War.

Elamin: Yeah, they're one of the participating producers of the documentary, TVO.

Teri: They have made the decision to also not air the documentary. So the Ukrainian community has succeeded in terms of places that were supporting this removing their support. And I also want to mention that the two producers, Cornelia Principi and Sean Farnel, who were producing partners with Anastasia, the director, they are behind a movie called To Kill a Tiger, which went on to be an Oscar-nominated documentary last year. These are people who make movies, historically, that have had a lot of integrity and are about human rights, and are about horrifying things that are happening in the world. And film has an opportunity to open our eyes to that. So, I'm concerned.

Elamin: To me, this story demonstrates this larger tension in how people view film. Some folks really feel like just by featuring a side, by putting a camera on the side, you're endorsing it no matter what. The filmmakers seem to be saying that's actually just not true. That's not at all what this medium is for. I've seen Marsha Lederman write in The Globe and Mail that you have to go see this documentary. I've heard you say, Rad, this documentary is really worth your time. How do you feel about the way that it gets framed because of our relationship to the medium of film to begin with?

Rad: Look, I sympathize with the people in the Ukrainian community feeling very hurt, and the judgment here being clouded. I understand this is a very painful topic. They're seeing local people close to them dying in this unjust war, they've been invaded. I'm Tamil Canadian. If you gave me a documentary sympathizing with the Sri Lankan army, I wouldn't want to have any part in it. I don't want to see that. So I understand that pain.

At the same time, I don't think that anger should be indulged. I think when you look at a movie like this and call it Russia propaganda or whatever, that's a bit like calling Apocalypse Now a celebration of American imperialism.... But it's hard to see that when you are in the fog of war yourself. The censorship of it shouldn't happen. People should be open to seeing this movie and having a conversation, and basically seeing the humanity of the other side. We've had a lot of documentaries presented at TIFF from the Ukrainian side, documentaries like 20 Days in Mariupol. Recently I watched a movie called Rule of Two Walls. Nothing in this documentary negates what's happening in those documentaries. Nothing in this documentary counters the human experience of those documentaries. This documentary is just giving you the humanity on the other side, and it's worth recognizing that humanity.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Danielle Grogan.