UPDATE 8/14: TIFF has now admitted “The Road Between Us” as an official selection after finding a resolution to legal issues to getting the film accepted, and CEO Cameron Bailey in a joint statement with the filmmakers apologized for the communication issues regarding the film’s submission and the withdrawal of its invitation.
The festival will announce its World Premiere date on August 20. Read the new joint statement below.
UPDATE 6 PM 8/13 ET with Statement from Cameron Bailey: The CEO of TIFF clarified in a statement that withdrawing the invitation for “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” was not because of censorship and called the idea “unequivocally false.” He added that he intends to continue working with the filmmakers in order to get the film ready to meet the festival’s requirements.
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Original story below, followed by the full statement from Bailey.
The Toronto International Film Festival has pulled its invite for the documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” which focuses on the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
The festival says the film failed to meet general requirements for inclusion, specifically the legal clearance of all the film’s footage, while the filmmakers say the festival has “censored” its own programming.
“The Road Between Us” was never formally announced as part of the festival lineup, but the festival confirmed in a statement to IndieWire that an invitation for the documentary had been withdrawn.
“The invitation for the Canadian documentary film ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue’ was withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage,” a festival spokesperson said in a statement. “The purpose of the requested conditions 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. As per our terms and conditions for participation in the festival, ‘TIFF may disqualify from participation in the Festival any Film that TIFF determines in its sole and absolute discretion would not be in TIFF’s best interest to include in the Festival.’”
“We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,” the filmmaking team behind “The Road Between Us,” which is directed by Barry Avrich, said in a statement to Deadline, which initially reported the news. “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. 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.”
Deadline said that TIFF requested the filmmakers change the title of the film from “Out of Nowhere: The Ultimate Rescue,” and that the filmmakers complied. The festival also reportedly requested the filmmakers identify the source of violent footage that was live streamed by Hamas and that it requested whether that footage had legal clearance to be included in the film.
TIFF’s above statement alludes to disqualifying anything that could pose “potential threat of significant disruption.” At last year’s festival, TIFF canceled screenings of the documentary “Russians at War,” which generated massive protests when critics attacked the film as Russian propaganda, though TIFF at the time defended the film’s inclusion in the festival.
“The Road Between Us” focuses on retired Israeli general Noam Tibon, who rescued his two granddaughters from the Nova music festival and whose story was widely covered in the aftermath of the attacks.
Deadline first reported the news.
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8/14 Joint Statement
Dear Members of the TIFF Community,
Over the past 24 hours, there has been much discussion about TIFF’s decision to withdraw its invitation to The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue for this year’s festival. Both TIFF and the filmmakers have heard the pain and frustration expressed by the public and we want to address this together.
We have worked together to find a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal, and programming concerns. We are pleased to share that The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue will be an official TIFF selection at the festival this year, where we believe it will contribute to the vital conversations that film is meant to inspire. In this case, TIFF’s communication around its requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry. Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their passion, honesty, and belief in the importance of film. We look forward to announcing more details including the World Premiere date on August 20th.
— Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF & Barry Avrich, Filmmaker, The Road Between Us:
The Ultimate Rescue
8/13 Statement
Dear Members of the TIFF Community,
I want to take a moment to address recent reports regarding the documentary film The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue. This situation calls for compassion and sensitivity, and I recognize the concerns it has raised among members of the Jewish community and beyond.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere apologies for any pain this situation may have 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 screen The Road Between Us: The Ultimate 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, I believe that 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: 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 be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.
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, 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 film holds to bring people together.
Sincerely,
Cameron Bailey
CEO, TIFF
