The Toronto International Film Festival has temporarily canceled all screenings of a new documentary chronicling the Russia-Ukraine war, citing "significant threats" to public safety as a reason for halting the its rollout in the Canadian city.

After previously announcing on Wednesday that the festival would proceed with showing director Anastasia Trofimova's Russians at War despite large protests outside festival venues, TIFF released a new statement the following day confirming that it would postpone all presentations.

"Effectively immediately, TIFF is forced to pause the upcoming screenings of Russians at War on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as we have been made aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety. While we stand firm on our statement shared yesterday, this decision has been made in order to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff, and volunteers," the statement read, calling it an "unprecedented move" for the festival.

VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty; Courtesy of TIFF

"As a cultural institution, we support civil discourse about and through films, including differences of opinion, and we fully support peaceful assembly," the statement continued. "However, we have received reports indicating potential activity in the coming days that pose significant risk; given the severity of these concerns, we cannot proceed as planned. This has been an incredibly difficult decision. When we select films, we're guided by TIFF's mission, our values, and our programming principles. We believe this film has earned a place in our festival's lineup, and we are committed to screening it when it is safe to do so."

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to TIFF representatives for more information.

The festival's official description of Russians at War touts the project as going "beyond the headlines to join Russian soldiers in Ukraine placing themselves in a battle for reasons that become only more obscure with each gruelling day," and further describes the conflict as an "unjust war on Ukraine." The conflict has raged for more than two years, with Russian and Ukrainian celebrities like Regina Spektor, Vera Farmiga, and more speaking out on the violence.

In defense of the film, Trofimova told The Hollywood Reporter that "because of the geopolitical climate that exists, these guys [Russian soldiers] just wanted to share with someone. Yes, I went there and no one else has."

Ann Semotiuk, a Ukrainian Canadian Congress board member, told the outlet she thought the film "ignored the fact that Russia was an aggressor that invaded a sovereign, independent, democratic, and peaceful neighbor for no reason other than their own imperialist plan."

Last week, a medical emergency interrupted the festival's world-premiere screening of Ron Howard's historical thriller Eden, starring Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl.

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EW was in the room for the event, where the lights came on and the film was paused while an attendee was carried out of the Roy Thomson Hall venue over a health-related incident.

TIFF continues through Sunday in Toronto.