Protestors are photographed outside of the TIFF Lightbox theatre in Toronto during a screening of the documentary film Russians at War on Sept. 17, 2024. The documentary played at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Lightbox on Tuesday, after the festival suspended showings earlier this week due to security concerns. The documentary spurred protests from Ukrainian officials and community groups who say the film amounts to propaganda.

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.