Anastasia Trofimova

Anastasia Trofimova (, born February 17, 1987) is a Russian-Canadian documentary director, producer and cinematographer, most known for her work in Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with films like Russians at War, Her War: Women vs. ISIS, Victims of ISIS, The Road to Raqqa, Congo, My Precious and others.

Early life Anastasia Trofimova was born in Moscow, Soviet Union and immigrated to Canada at the age of 10. She stated that she was always fascinated with Russia and wanted to leverage her international experience in film to build bridges between people and cultures. She had moved to Russia in 2014.

Education Fluent in English, Russian and intermediate Arabic, Trofimova earned her Bachelor's degree in Communication, Culture and Information Technology from the University of Toronto and her Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam.

Career Trofimova’s work uses a fly-on-the-wall, cinema verité style inspired by Dziga Vertov’s Kino-Pravda. She had made several films in conflict zones, covering Iraq, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, Ukraine. Trofimova’s work was noted for her bravery and ability to get close to the people featured in her films.

Trofimova says she avoids turning her films into “war pornography”, rather focusing on internal paradoxes of people caught up in war.

Russians at War has been said to ignite “one of the biggest controversies ever in Canadian film”. The film had been praised for being a “powerful anti-war film” and the documentary equivalent to “All Quiet on the Western Front”, a “remarkably courageous feat of documentary filmmaking”, noting the unprecedented access into the perspectives of Russian soldiers. Ukrainian consul-general Oleh Nikolenko accused Trofimova of whitewashing Russian war crimes – then admitting that he had not watched the film. Many other critics of Russians at War have also not watched the film since the protests against it occurred before its screening. The attacks on Russians at War have been a part of the #nostageforrussia campaign launched by the Ukrainian government, which aims to deplatform Russian cultural events and figures.

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. 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. 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.”

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. 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”.

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. 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. 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.

Russians at War is the only feature documentary from the Russian side of the front in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

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”.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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. Filming took place in Baghdad, at the Iraqi Safe House for Creativity.

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

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.

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.

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

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”. She was nominated the Canada Screen Award for Best Visual Research for her work on “Ice-Breaker: the ’72 Summit Series”.

She had also worked as a producer and cinematographer for the Moscow bureaus of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail and The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

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

Filmography +Overview of Anastasia Trofimova films Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2015 Victims of ISIS Feature documentary on the Yazidis captured by ISIS and Abu Shuja, a former smuggler, who is using his network to steal them back. Her War: Women Vs. ISIS Feature documentary following new recruits in the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ) who are fighting ISIS in Syria. 2017Congo, My Precious Feature documentary film illustrating how nature's bounty, instead of being a blessing, becomes a deadly curse. The Road to Raqqa Documentary featuring stories from the three last stops on the road to the besieged ISIS capital of Raqqa: the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) compound, the medical point and the foreign volunteers base. 2018 Iraqi Safe House Feature documentary dealing with Iraq's orphan crisis and the trials of Hicham al-Dhahabi, a Baghdad man who founded the "Iraqi Safe House for Creativity", Iraq's first private orphanage. Champions of the Spirit Short documentary profiling the surviving members of the first Soviet Olympic Team (1952), which included Siege of Leningrad survivors, concentration camp prisoners and frontline soldiers. Mosul Between War and Peace Short documentary examining attempts at coexistence and peace-building between people who fought ISIS and those who supported them in Mosul, Iraq. 2019 Rivers of Discord: Iraq's Water Crisis Short documentary about the possible solutions to Iraq's lack of clean water. Sons of the Graveyard Short documentary about the hereditary undertakers of Wadi Al-Salam in Najaf, Iraq, the world's largest cemetery.2020 Enslaved Short documentary about "Alternative", the only NGO in Russia rescuing people from modern slavery. 2024 Russians at War Feature documentary film, with unprecedented access, following a Russian Army battalion in Ukraine.

Awards Nominee, New Directors Competition (Russians at War), São Paulo International Film Festival Nominee, Best Documentary (Russians at War), Athens International Film Festival Nominee, Golden Eye Award (Russians at War), Zurich Film Festival Nominee, WIFF Prize in Canadian Film (Russians at War), Windsor International Film Festival Winner, Main Award (Russians at War), Signos da Noite Winner, Main Award (Russians at War), Zeichen der Nacht Winner, “Silver Screen Award” (Her War: Women vs. ISIS), US International Film and Video Festival