The Toronto Film Festival has backed down from a decision to pull the invite for director Barry Avrich’s Israel October 7 documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue over security and footage clearance concerns.
The Canadian documentary centers on retired Israeli general Noam Tibon rescuing his family, including his son, from Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 when they invaded Kibbutz Nahal Oz. TIFF organizers sparked opposition with an earlier decision to not screen the Canadian documentary at its 2025 edition after issuing an invitation to the filmmaker.
Late Wednesday, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey issued a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter where he offered “my sincere apologies for any pain this situation may have caused. It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone.” Bailey added: “I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.”
Fest organizers earlier raised flags that clearances for footage of terrorist attacks taken by Hamas cameras and included in the documentary had not been obtained. It’s understood security concerns over a possible protest against the Israel Oct. 7 film also were in play.
TIFF’s 2024 edition was overshadowed by protests and a rescheduling of a premiere for filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova’s controversial documentary Russians at War, a first-person account of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, and fest organizers appeared keen to avoid a similar disruption this year.
The cancellation for The Road Between Us also raised concerns in the Toronto Jewish community over the cancellation of a film about Israel, and among The Road Between Us filmmakers. “We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film. Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable,” a statement from the documentary’s filmmakers obtained by THR stated.
“A film festival lays out the feast and the audience decides what they will or won’t see. We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers. We remain defiant, we will release the film, and we invite audiences, broadcasters, and streamers to make up their own mind, once they have seen it,” their statement added.
The Toronto Jewish Filmmakers’ Network in a letter to TIFF and obtained by THR expressed concerns over “viewpoint discrimination” towards films about Israel and Jewish people shown by TIFF programmers. “Removing this film sets a precedent that Jewish and Israeli stories can be silenced whenever political pressure is applied. This undermines TIFF’s stated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” the statement continued.
The ad hoc group of Jewish filmmakers pointed to the “inconsistency” of TIFF screening what it considered “politically charged or anti-Israel films,” including The Bibi Files (2024), Farha (2021), a Jordanian drama showing a Palestinian perspective on Israeli’s 1948 conflict with Palestinians, Incitement (2019) and Covered (2009), a short film by John Greyson critical of TIFF’s Tel Aviv spotlight that year.
“These films — each with contentious, politicized, and in some cases inflammatory portrayals — were allowed to screen without being pulled under the pretext of ‘security concerns’ or ‘footage permissions.’ This double standard strongly suggests that The Road Between Us is being singled out because it centers a Jewish perspective on October 7,” the Toronto Jewish Filmmakers Network argued in their open letter.
The Toronto festival will now hold negotiations with director Avrich, who has had a long association with TIFF and had considered renting a Toronto cinema during the festival’s Sept. 4 to 14 run to premiere his documentary.
Cameron Bailey’s statement follows in full:
Dear Members of the TIFF Community,
I want to take a moment to address recent reports regarding the documentary film The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue. This situation calls for compassion and sensitivity, and I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere apologies for any pain this situation may have caused. It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone. At TIFF, we believe in the transformative power of film to foster understanding and dialogue, especially during challenging times.
My intention was to screen The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, which is why I extended the invitation for the film to participate in this year’s festival. Given the sensitive and significant nature of the film’s subject, I believe that it tells an important story and contributes to the rich tapestry of perspectives in our lineup – stories that resonate both here at home and around the world. I want to be clear: claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false. I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.
The events of October 7, 2023 and the ongoing suffering in Gaza weigh heavily on us, underscoring the urgent need for compassion amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia. While we are not a political organization, TIFF will always strive to present our programming in a safe, inclusive environment. I ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate this complex landscape. Thank you for your continued support. It is my great hope that this year’s Festival will be a celebration of these values, and the power film holds to bring people together.
Sincerely, Cameron Bailey CEO, TIFF
