Anastasia Trofimova

Russians at War

In 2024, Trofimova directed and filmed the Canadian-French documentary Russians at War, a film focusing on the perspectives of Russian soldiers during the Russo-Ukrainian war whom she had clandestinely followed for 7 months.^[16]

Russians at War has been said to ignite “one of the biggest controversies ever in Canadian film”. ^[17] The film had been praised for being a “powerful anti-war film” and the documentary equivalent to “All Quiet on the Western Front”^{[18][19][20][21][22]}, a “remarkably courageous feat of documentary filmmaking”, noting the unprecedented access into the perspectives of Russian soldiers.^{[23][24][25][26]}

The film was also denounced as Russian propaganda by Ukrainian government officials, pro-Ukrainian Canadian politicians and Ukrainian-Canadians,^[27] Ukrainian consul-general Oleh Nikolenko accused Trofimova of whitewashing Russian war crimes – then admitting that he had not watched the film.^[28] Many other critics of Russians at War have also not watched the film since the protests against it occurred before its screening.^{[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]} The attacks on Russians at War have been a part of the #nostageforrussia campaign launched by the Ukrainian government ^[39][40][41], which aims to deplatform Russian cultural events and figures.^[42]

The film premiered on September 10, 2024 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, despite over 2,800 threats of violence and sexual assault directed at the festival staff and organizers. ^[43] There were plans by Ukrainian groups to attack Trofimova on her entry into the theater and building and street plans were shared among the protesters.^[44]

Trofimova had also received a number of death threats, with TIFF consequently arranging a security detail to escort her during the premiere^[45][46], to which she responded by saying, “It was shocking. You go to the war, against all odds, you go deeper than others because you’re that much more obsessed with it, and you are getting attacked by people who have not even been close to the war.” ^[47]

Following similar intimidation campaigns from the Ukrainian embassy and groups, the Zurich, Athens and Docville Film Festivals were forced to cancel screenings due to safety concerns. ^[48][49][50]

Russians at War stirred a debate about “humanization” in cinema. Some applauded Trofimova’s empathetic approach, including Canada’s top three leading newspapers, noting the absence of “dehumanization” of her characters and her unprecedented access.^{[51][52][53][54][55]} Others, including a number of leading Ukrainian publications, voiced concerns about the ethics of “humanizing” Russian soldiers, including Ukrainian producer Anna Palenchuk, who stated “you cannot be so tolerant to Russians and their feelings”.^{[56][57][58][59][60]} Trofimova had responded to the debate by saying “is there a list of people who we can and can’t humanize? There were people throughout history with similar lists, and those weren’t humanity’s proudest moments”.^{[61][62][63][64][65]}

She was also criticized by the Ukrainian Embassy in the Netherlands and Ukrainian publications for not attaining Ukrainian permission to enter Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories – to which film critic Dieter Wieczorek responded that to expect a permission from Ukraine would be “nonsense” in territories occupied by Russia.^[66][67]

As a result of directing the film, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications included Trofimova in its list of people posing a threat to the national security of Ukraine, citing “unacceptable neutrality”^[68]. Her name and contact information was added to the Myrotvorets "hit list of Ukrainian enemies", a Ukrainian-government backed website, widely criticized by human rights activists and international bodies for its intimidation campaign against journalists and public figures^{[69][70][71][72]}. Actions against Trofimova and Russians at War have been criticized by members of the film community as attempts at intimidation of filmmakers tackling controversial subjects.^{[73][74][75][76]}

Russians at War is the only feature documentary from the Russian side of the front in the Russian-Ukrainian war^[77]. In spite of the dangers faced by her during production, Trofimova felt that an anti-war film like this was worth the risks and could be her contribution to ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.^{[78][79][80][81]}

Her War: Women vs ISIS

In 2015, Trofimova embedded with a group of recruits to the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in Eastern Syria. Her War: Women vs ISIS follows recruits Chichek, Binefsh, Amara, Golan and their commander, Tolheldan, exploring “a revolution within a revolution” and Kurdish women’s new roles in the war against the “Islamic State”.^[82][83][84]

Trofimova’s was the first international crew granted permission to live on a YPJ base for the duration of training. They lived 3km from the front line with the Islamic State. Two weeks after they left, ISIS broke the line and occupied the base.^[85][86] The film won the “Silver Screen Award” at the US International Film and Video Festival in 2016. ^[87]

Victims of ISIS

In 2015, Trofimova directed and filmed Victims of ISIS, a documentary that follows the suffering of the Yazidi community in Iraq, many of whom were kidnapped and sold in slave markets by Islamic State. The film highlights the stories of Yazidi women who escaped captivity, as well as a smuggler named Abu Shuja, who used his network to rescue captives from the group. After successfully freeing more than 500 people, Abu Shuja himself became a target, with ISIS placing a $500,000 bounty on his head. ^{[88][89][90][91]}

Congo, My Precious

In 2016, Trofimova directed and filmed Congo, My Precious, a documentary profiling Bernard Kalume Buleri – a Congolese musician, fixer, and UN worker. Born in the year of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s independence, Buleri’s life reflects the enduring turmoil shaped by the country’s so-called “resource curse.” Filming took place in the jungle around Bukavu, South Kivu Province. ^{[92][93][94][95]}

The Road to Raqqa

In 2017, Trofimova directed and filmed The Road to Raqqa, set against the backdrop of the Battle of Raqqa (2017). The documentary traces the final approach to the besieged city through three key vantage points: the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), a frontline field hospital, and a base for foreign volunteers.^[96][97][98]

During filming, the crew came under attack twice from Islamic State drones and was also targeted by sniper fire.^[99]

Mosul Between War and Peace

In 2018, Trofimova directed and filmed Mosul Between War and Peace, a documentary exploring the fragile balance between vengeance and reconciliation in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, following its liberation from Islamic State. The film focuses on Iraqi SWAT units conducting searches for suspected militants, Civil Defense teams clearing bodies from the Old City, and families formerly associated with ISIS – some of whom continue to express allegiance to the caliphate. ^[100][101]

Iraqi Safe House

In 2018, Trofimova directed and filmed Iraqi Safe House, profiling Iraq’s first private orphanage, its children and its director, Hicham al-Dhahabi^{[102][103][104]}. Filming took place in Baghdad, at the Iraqi Safe House for Creativity^[105].

Iraqi Safe House was a Finalist for Best Streaming Documentary at the New York Festivals World’s Best TV & Films Festival,^[106]

Sons of the Graveyard

In 2019, Trofimova directed and filmed Sons of the Graveyard, a documentary following hereditary undertakers in Wadi al-Salam – the world’s largest graveyard, loctated in Iraq. The film centers on the undertakers’ personal stories while tracing Iraq’s “history in coffins,” shaped by successive wars, with the undertakers often serving as sources of insight more reliable than official statistics. ^{[107][108][109]}

Rivers of Discord: Iraq’s Water Crisis

In 2019, Trofimova directed and filmed Rivers of Discord: Iraq’s Water Crisis, a documentary examining the worsening ecological conditions in southern Iraq. Conceived as a warning about the consequences of failing to share water resources, the film follows two leading scientists from Nature Iraq – Azzam Alwash and Jassim al-Asadi – as they search for solutions.^{[110][111][112]}

Enslaved

In 2020, Trofimova directed and filmed Enslaved, embedding with “The Alternative”, a Russian NGO battling modern slavery.^[113][114]

International Productions

Trofimova is a recognized Canadian producer and researcher, having been awarded the Canada Screen Award for Best Editorial Research for her work on “Tales from the Organ Trade”.^[115] She was nominated the Canada Screen Award for Best Visual Research for her work on “Ice-Breaker: the ’72 Summit Series”.^[116]

She had also worked as a producer and cinematographer for the Moscow bureaus of The New York Times^{[117][118][119]}, The Washington Post^[120], The Globe and Mail^[121] and The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation^{[122][123][124]}

Trofimova had worked as a Middle East correspondent for RT Documentary, with most of her films focusing on the Islamic State.^[125]