Canada’s Top Film Festival Drops Doc About Israeli Family’s Rescue During Hamas Attack

Paul Rowan Brian

8/13/2025|Updated: 8/13/2025

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Canada’s top film festival has dropped a Canadian documentary on rescue efforts following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, but says its legal team is working with the filmmakers to try to reinclude it.

“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 family members from Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack.

In an Aug. 13 statement to The Epoch Times, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) CEO Cameron Bailey declined to get into specifics of why the documentary was dropped but said “the situation calls for compassion and sensitivity” and that “it was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone.”

In an earlier Aug. 12 statement, TIFF said the film was withdrawn from its upcoming fall showcase because “conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage,” adding that 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.”

The subject of the film was first showcased in October 2023 on the U.S. news program 60 Minutes, before being made into a feature-length documentary by Avrich. The film was accepted for showcase at TIFF last month subject to changing its original title and ensuring full legal clearance for all Hamas footage used in the film.

According to Deadline, after TIFF said it did not receive sufficient legal assurances from the filmmakers, the festival contacted the filmmakers and asked that they withdraw it by their own choice, which the filmmakers refused to do, leading to TIFF rescinding the invitation on Aug. 12.

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Avrich’s filmmaking team says they are disappointed by the decision and that their film is not political or activist in nature.

“We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,” Avrich’s filmmaking team told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 13 email.

“Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable. 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.”

For his part, Bailey said the power of film to start important conversations during difficult times was the reason TIFF wanted the film included in this fall’s festival.

“I want to be clear: claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false, ” Bailey said. “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.”

Several Canadian politicians have expressed opposition to TIFF dropping the film, saying the move clamps down on free speech and sends the wrong message.

Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman posted Aug. 13 on X, saying that TIFF dropping the film is a form of censorship, while noting that the film festival receives federal funding.

“Rescuing family members from terror is too controversial for them,” Lantsman said.

Toronto City Councillors James Pasternak and Brad Bradford also issued a statement Aug. 13 asking TIFF to reverse its “rash decision” to drop the film and calling the move censorship.

According to Bailey, TIFF wants to ensure that any film it screens does so in an environment that welcomes everyone.

“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,” Bailey said in his Aug. 13 statement. “While we are not a political organization, TIFF will always strive to present our programming in a safe, inclusive environment.”

The documentary “Russians at War” caused controversy last year after TIFF agreed to screen it, with activists and Ukrainian diplomats labeling it as pro-Russian propaganda. The festival stopped screenings amid the controversy, but then showed it following the end of the festival with a large security presence.

TIFF’s fall festival takes place Sept. 4 to 14 in Toronto.

Avrich’s “The Road Between Us” is slated for distribution in Canada by Cineplex.

“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,” the filmmakers said.

Source: Epoch Times