Award-winning film “The Road Between Us” is screening in Calgary and Edmonton this week

“It should never have been a question whether one of our leading cultural institutions would showcase a story of courage and survival. ..Now, there’s one more thing Canadians must do: go see The Road Between Us. Let’s make it the most-watched film at TIFF and, eventually, on screens across the country. Everyone needs to see the real cost of unchecked extremism – and the bravery of those who stand in defence of human life and our shared values.”

The head of TIFF, Cameron Bailey had said that the controversy was about whether the filmmakers had the right to use footage created by Hamas terrorists as they attacked Israel. However the day after the news emerged that “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” had been removed from the festival lineup, it was reinstated.

“I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond,” Bailey said in a statement, adding, “It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone.”

He said he had asked TIFF’s legal team to work with the filmmakers on “all options available” to allow the documentary at the festival.

Reports over the controversy elicited lacerating criticism  from both Jewish and non-Jewish voices, including members of the Toronto City Council who called the decision to remove the movie “a moral failure.”

The Israeli producer of the movie, Talia Harris Ram, said in a statement that the rights issue the festival raised was the “most absurd, horrific, disconnected claim I have encountered” in years working in international licensing. She said she saw the cancellation as part of a trend against showcasing Israeli stories — even those featuring critics of the Israeli government.

“Worrying signs began to accumulate. Anti-Israel voices, struggling to disconnect the story from politics — despite the Tibon family’s position to return the hostages and end the war — were working both inside and outside the festival to prevent the showing of an Israeli, human story on screen,” she wrote.

Bailey said he believed the story was important to share. “Given the sensitive and significant nature of the film’s subject, I believe 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.”

FILM SYNOPSIS

The extraordinary true story of retired Israeli general Noam Tibon, who on October 7, 2023, received a desperate text from his son: terrorists had stormed his home, and he, his wife, and their two young daughters feared for their lives. With no time to spare, Tibon embarked on a ten-hour mission across a country under siege to save his family.

Relying on instinct and military training, Tibon navigated ambushes, roadblocks, and a collapsing security system in a relentless race against time. Blending intimate firsthand testimony with the raw urgency of a survival thriller, the film retraces every step of that harrowing day.

Set against the backdrop of one of Israel’s darkest days, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue is both a gripping retelling of an extraordinary rescue and an unflinching look at the failures and resilience revealed on October 7. At its heart, it is a profoundly human story about courage, family, and the power of love in the face of unimaginable terror.