Facing backlash, TIFF reinstates screening Oct. 7 documentary

(Toronto) – Today, after uninviting Canadian documentary The Road Between Us, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has reinstated the film to its line up.

In response, Noah Shack, CEO, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs issued the following statement:

“Tens of thousands of Canadians—including civic leaders, elected officials, artists, and people from all backgrounds—spoke out against TIFF’s shameful decision to cave to extremist pressure. Their voices were heard, and TIFF ultimately made the right call.

“It should never have been a question whether one of our leading cultural institutions would showcase a story of courage and survival. There is an urgent need for accountability to ensure this can never happen again – at TIFF or anywhere else.

“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 the Toronto International Film Festival said he is open to screening an Israeli documentary about Oct. 7 that had been yanked over concerns about disruption and, allegedly, about whether the filmmakers had the right to use footage created by Hamas terrorists as they attacked Israel.

Cameron Bailey denied that the film had been rejected over censorship and apologized “for any pain this situation has caused” in a statement issued late Wednesday, a day after the news emerged that “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” had been removed from the festival lineup.

“I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond,” Bailey said in the 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, which tells the story of retired IDF General Noam Tibon’s rescue mission to save his son and his family during Hamas’ attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, at the festival in September.

Reports over the legal snafu that allegedly contributed to the film’s removal elicited lacerating criticism on Wednesday 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 — are 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.”

This article was written using files by JTA reporter Philissa Cramer.