The Toronto Film Festival has backed away from a decision to advance director Barry Avrich's October 7 documentary, The Road Between Us: The Best Rescue, over security concerns and footage clearance.
The Canadian documentary focuses 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. The organizers sparked opposition with an earlier decision not to screen the Canadian documentary in its 2025 edition after issuing an invitation to the filmmaker.
Late Wednesday, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey issued a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter , offering “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 comply with TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to play at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker as we consider all available options.”
Festival organizers raised the flags earlier that authorizations for the footage of the terrorist attacks captured by Hamas cameras and included in the documentary had not been obtained. It is understood that security concerns over a possible protest against the Israeli film on October 7 were also at stake.
The 2024 edition of TIFF was overshadowed by protests and a rescheduled premiere for filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova’s controversial documentary Russians at War, a first-person account from Russian soldiers in Ukraine, and festival organizers seemed keen to avoid a similar disruption this year.
The cancellation of The Road Between Us also raised concerns in Toronto's Jewish community about the cancellation of a film about Israel, and among The Road Between Us filmmakers. "We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival would defy its mission and censor its own programming by rejecting this film. Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates discussion from every perspective that can both entertain and make us uncomfortable," a statement from the documentary's filmmakers, obtained by Thr, stated.
«A film festival sets the stage and the audience decides what they will or won't see.
The Toronto Jewish Filmmakers Network, in a letter to TIFF and obtained by Thr, expressed concerns about "viewpoint discrimination" toward films about Israel and Jews 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 out the “inconsistency” of TIFF’s screening of what it deemed “politically charged or anti-Israel films,” including The Bibi Files (2024), Farha (2021), a Jordanian drama that shows a Palestinian perspective ’s 1948 conflict Incitement (2019), and Covered (2009), a short film by John Greyson that was critical of TIFF’s Tel Aviv Spotlight that year.
“These films, each with contentious, politicized, and in some cases inflammatory depictions, were allowed to be screened without being removed under the guise of ‘safety concerns’ or ‘footage permits.’ 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 its open letter.
The Toronto International Film Festival will now enter into negotiations with director Avrich, who has a long association with TIFF and had considered renting a Toronto theater during the festival's September 4 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 about the documentary film The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue. This situation requires compassion and sensitivity, and I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond. First, I would like to express my sincere apologies for any pain this situation has 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 evaluate The Path Between Us: The Best 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 matter, 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. I want to be clear: the 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 screen at this year's festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker to consider all available options.
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 and 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 of film to bring people together.
Sincerely, CEO Cameron Bailey, TIFF
