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The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has apologized for any “hurt, frustration, or disappointment” caused after the organization dropped a documentary from its upcoming showcase about rescue efforts during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
“I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration, or disappointment that our communication about the film has caused and for any mischaracterizations that have taken root,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said at an Aug. 20 event. “We’re working now, and we will be for a while, to clarify things and to repair relationships.”
“The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, follows the efforts by retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon to rescue his family members in the Nahal Oz kibbutz from Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack.
The documentary was pulled from TIFF’s lineup on Aug. 12 due to requirements the organization said had not been met after the film was initially invited to the festival on July 14, which TIFF said included “legal clearance of all footage.”
The organization also said it wanted to “mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”
TIFF reversed its decision on Aug. 14 following criticism from Jewish groups and others. The festival organization and Avrich confirmed in a joint statement that they had reached a resolution and that the documentary would be screened at this year’s festival.
“The decision to present this film began in a desire to share a painful, but an important, story from a Canadian filmmaker with audiences who choose to witness it,” Bailey said at the Aug. 20 event. “That commitment to challenging relevant screen storytelling remains strong.”
Public Outcry
TIFF’s decision not to screen the film sparked a public outcry, including from some Jewish groups and politicians.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) called the decision “shameful” and called on TIFF to immediately reverse its decision.
“This shameful decision sends an unmistakable message: Toronto’s Jewish community, which has long played an integral role at TIFF, is no longer safe or welcome,” CIJA CEO Noah Shack said in an Aug. 12 statement. “This should concern all Canadians and marks a stain on the festival’s reputation.”
Similarly, Toronto’s Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said in an Aug. 13 release that it was “deeply disturbed” by TIFF’s decision to remove the documentary from its screening lineup and urged the festival to reverse its decision.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman called TIFF’s decision to drop the film a form of censorship, and noted in a social media post that TIFF receives federal funding.
Toronto City Councillors James Pasternak and Brad Bradford issued an Aug. 13 statement asking TIFF to reverse its “rash decision” to drop the film, also calling the move censorship.
A spokesperson for Avrich’s filmmaking team previously told The Epoch Times the team was “shocked and saddened” by the festival’s decision, and noted that the documentary is neither political nor activist in nature.
‘Sincere Apology’
Following the public outcry and media attention that resulted from TIFF’s decision to drop the film, Bailey released an Aug. 13 statement expressing “sincere apologies for any pain” the situation caused.
“It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone,” Bailey said. “At TIFF, we believe in the transformative power of film to foster understanding and dialogue, especially during challenging times.”
While Bailey did not provide specifics about the reasons the documentary was dropped, he said that TIFF wanted to ensure any film is screened in a “safe, inclusive” environment and that there was a need for “compassion amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia.”
The following day, TIFF announced it had reversed the decision.
Meanwhile, the Creative Community for Peace released an Aug. 15 letter signed by more than 1,000 entertainment leaders calling on TIFF to offer a “sincere apology or explanation,” and said the claim that the cancellation was related to rights to footage or security reasons “stains credibility” for the film festival.
“While the film has been reinstated after a significant public backlash, the festival has not offered a sincere apology or explanation for the harm it created for the Jewish community,” the letter reads.
Aside from apologizing at the Aug. 20 event, Bailey confirmed that Avrich’s documentary has been added to TIFF’s lineup this year.
The film is set to play at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall on Sept. 10, the organization says. TIFF has posted a link on social media to purchase tickets for the film, which are set to go on sale on Aug. 21 for TIFF members, and Aug. 25 for the general public.
