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.

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.