TVO was ready to defend controversial Russians at War film before pulling plug, documents show

Days before its board pulled support for a controversial documentary about Russia’s war in Ukraine, TVO was ready to defend the film, documents obtained by CBC Toronto show.

The Ontario public broadcaster went as far as making an online post encouraging the public to “see the documentary for themselves” just four days before its board ditched Russians at War, which was made with considerable public funding. 

Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop called the TVO board’s decision “the right thing to do.” But while she maintained the government didn’t intervene, emails also show Premier Doug Ford’s office was made aware of the situation in the days before the film was set to make its North American debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in mid-September. 

When asked if the Ford government pressured it to drop the film, TVO issued an email statement saying: “No.”

The first-person documentary by Russian Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova was condemned by Ukrainian officials, community groups and a number of politicians — including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. The main criticism of the film, which screened in Venice but hadn’t aired in Canada at the time, was that it amounted to propaganda.

In Russians at War, Trofimova — who also worked at CBC/Radio-Canada’s Moscow bureau for six months until it was forced to close in 2022 — follows soldiers and medics on the front lines of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Trofimova told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning host David Common she filmed a Russian battalion over seven months without Moscow’s permission, work that put her at risk of criminal prosecution in the country.

TIFF suspended screenings due to what it called “significant threats” to public safety and its operations, although the Toronto police said that decision wasn’t based on any recommendation from the service. 

The film’s producers issued a statement saying they were heartbroken the film was pulled and tied TIFF’s move to the “inflammatory” comments made by federal and provincial politicians and community leaders. They called what transpired “shockingly unCanadian.”

The Documentary Organization of Canada also issued a statement at the time saying it was “profoundly alarmed” by TVO’s unilateral decision and suggested it raised serious questions about political interference.

The documents CBC Toronto has reviewed don’t show any direct government interference, but shed new light on TVO’s abrupt change of position on the film.

TVO said ‘factual inaccuracies’ were driving controversy

A series of emails obtained by CBC Toronto through a freedom of information request show some of what TVO — an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Education — told the government ahead of the film festival.

On Sept. 6, TVO’s chief operating officer Jennifer Hinshelwood wrote a positive note to the government about two films the broadcaster has supported — Russians at War and Your Tomorrow (a film about Ontario Place). 

On the same day, TVO posted a statement on its website saying: “This film shows the increasing disillusionment of Russian soldiers as their experience at the front doesn’t jive with the media lies their families are being told at home.”

It noted it will air on TVO after its run at TIFF. 

On Sept. 9, TVO sent the government what it calls an “issue note” on Russians at War. It said there was “considerable debate” about the film driven by “factual inaccuracies that fundamentally portray Russians at War as a pro-Russia documentary, which it is not.”

The note pointed out the film hadn’t aired in Canada, and also contained a “key message” section that counteracts some of the criticism.

“Russians at War is an anti-war documentary made by a filmmaker, Anastasia Trofimova, who unequivocally and publicly opposes what she has called the ‘unjustified and illegal’ Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

The note also provided more information about Trofimova, including information about her work with Russian media. It said she worked at RT Documentary (RTD), a sister channel to RT (formerly Russia Today), but left four years ago.

“She became concerned that the more liberal atmosphere at RTD had started to change,” the note said. “She has not been associated with RTD since.”

RT was in the news at the time. 

On Sept. 13, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the world RT had gone beyond acting as a propagandist media organization to working as an integral piece in Russia’s efforts toward fighting Ukraine. Blinken said RT was “functioning like a de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus,” something the station’s editor rejected.

Trofimova publicly defended her own work throughout the controversy.

“In this war, which is full of this complete fog where both sides don’t see each other, I had the chance to lift the veil a little bit on the reality of one of the sides that no one, especially Canadians, has heard from for the last two-and-a-half years,” she told CBC in September. 

“I would appreciate everyone who is levelling these accusations to first of all see the film because, from what I understand, none of the protesters that we saw has seen the film.”

Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, leaving the two sides locked in all-out war ever since.

The United Nations says the civilian death toll in Ukraine stood at 12,340, as of the end of November. That’s separate from the 27,836 civilians it says are known to have been injured since the start of the war.

Premier’s office told about board’s decision

One day after TVO shared its issues note with the government, TVO’s board of directors pulled its support for the film and vowed it wouldn’t air on the channel.

Mitch Patten, TVO’s vice-president of corporate and community affairs, alerted the government in an email, which copied a staffer with the premier’s office. The same statement was released publicly.

“We have listened to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and their thoughtful and heartfelt input. TVO’s board of directors has decided to respect the feedback we have received,” the board’s chair Chris Day said in the statement. 

“TVO will be reviewing the process by which this project was funded and our brand leveraged,” Day said. 

Russians at War received $340,000 through the Canada Media Fund in association with TVO. 

It would eventually screen in Toronto, on Sept. 17. Pro-Ukrainian protesters staged demonstrations on the sidewalks outside the theatre. 

Education ministry monitored fallout 

In the following days, government emails obtained by CBC show the Education Ministry monitoring media stories about the issue.

One email notes Education Minister Jill Dunlop told The Canadian Press: “The decision made by TVO’s board of directors was the right thing to do.”

It also notes the government relayed “background information” that the ministry “does not play a role in the broadcast arm of TVO due to CRTC licensing requirements.”

Dunlop declined to comment for this story. Her office, instead, sent the same background line mentioned above.