By: Fern Sidman

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has removed The Road Between Us – The Ultimate Rescue from its 2024 program, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from the film’s subject and its creators. According a report at Israel National News (INN), the documentary, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Barry Avrich, chronicles the rescue mission led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon during the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

TIFF management said on Wednesday that the withdrawal was due to the filmmakers’ failure to provide evidence of usage rights for GoPro footage recorded by Hamas operatives on the day of the attack. Without documented clearances for that material, festival officials stated, the film could not legally be screened under TIFF’s policies.

While festival organizers framed the decision as a legal necessity, the INN report noted that industry sources believe the move also followed pressure from anti-Israel advocacy groups and concerns about potential demonstrations or disruptions during the festival.

Maj. Gen. Tibon issued a forceful statement in response to TIFF’s move, telling INN that the festival had “yielded to pressures and threats” and chosen “to silence and erase the massacre.” He emphasized that the documentary was not political in nature, but rather a deeply personal human story, depicting the events of Israel’s darkest day.

“My message to the festival’s management: the truth cannot be erased,” Tibon said. “The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be erased or denied. The festival management’s claim that the film cannot be screened because ‘usage approvals’ were not obtained for Hamas footage from that terrible day is absurd and bizarre, and constitutes further harm to the victims of that terrible day.”

Tibon further stressed that freedom of expression requires the courage to screen works that may challenge or discomfort certain audiences. He criticized TIFF for showcasing films from a Palestinian perspective in its lineup while removing a work presenting the events of October 7 from an Israeli perspective, calling it “a grave moral test” the festival had failed.

Despite TIFF’s decision, Tibon confirmed that the film will still be shown in Toronto to a general audience, ensuring that the “truth about the massacre” is seen. He thanked director Barry Avrich for his determination to bring the story to the world, pledging to work together to reach “millions of people” globally.

In a statement carried by INN, a TIFF spokesperson explained that the invitation for The Road Between Us was withdrawn because the production did not meet “general requirements for inclusion in the festival” and failed to comply with specific conditions requested when the film was first invited—chiefly, the legal clearance of all footage.

“The purpose of the requested conditions,” the statement said, “was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”

The festival’s remarks highlight the balance it seeks between hosting politically charged works and managing legal and security risks. However, INN reported that critics of the decision argue that the reasoning obscures an act of political self-censorship prompted by external pressure.

The Road Between Us – The Ultimate Rescue documents Tibon’s actions on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its unprecedented cross-border assault on Israeli communities. The film reportedly uses first-hand accounts, survivor testimonies, and on-the-ground footage—including material recorded by the attackers themselves—to reconstruct the events and Tibon’s rescue operations.

According to the information provided in the INN report, the documentary aims to preserve the historical record of the day’s atrocities while honoring the courage of those who risked their lives to save others. Director Barry Avrich, known for his extensive body of work on influential figures and historic moments, reportedly approached the project with an emphasis on human resilience over political messaging.

The INN report noted that the TIFF decision comes amid a growing debate about how cultural institutions handle works dealing with the October 7 attacks and the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. Israeli filmmakers and subjects have increasingly reported difficulty securing screenings and festival slots, particularly in Western cultural spaces where pro-Palestinian advocacy groups have organized boycotts and protests.

The use of Hamas-recorded footage in The Road Between Us also raises complex questions about copyright, evidentiary value, and the ethics of displaying material filmed by perpetrators of atrocities. While such footage has appeared in news reporting and international inquiries, festival organizers may face heightened scrutiny over its inclusion in entertainment or documentary contexts without formal permissions.

The removal of the film from TIFF’s lineup sparked concern among Israeli officials and Jewish advocacy groups, who see the decision as part of a troubling trend of sidelining narratives that depict the October 7 massacre from an Israeli perspective. INN reported that community leaders have warned such actions risk erasing historical memory and minimizing the scope of the atrocities committed.

For survivors and families of victims, the documentary represents an opportunity to bear witness on an international stage. Tibon’s mission, as conveyed in his remarks to INN, is to ensure that the accounts of those hours are not lost to political expedience or discomfort in foreign audiences.

Despite TIFF’s refusal to host the screening, The Road Between Us – The Ultimate Rescue will be shown independently in Toronto, with organizers expecting significant public interest. The INN report indicated that plans are underway to distribute the film to other festivals and platforms worldwide, ensuring it reaches as broad an audience as possible.

For now, the episode underscores the persistent tension between artistic expression, political sensitivity, and institutional risk management in the cultural sector—particularly on topics as charged and as urgent as the events of October 7.

As Tibon told INN, “We will work to bring the film to millions of people around the world. The truth about what happened cannot and will not be hidden.”