Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds among stars joining TIFF's speaker series
The lineup also includes filmmakers Park Chan-wook and Nia DaCosta, who will join the others in candid talks about their careers and craft.
The stars of South Korean female thriller 'Project Y' are also taking part in what TIFF is billing as a conversation for audiences under 25 years of age.
Titled 'Close-Up,' the inaugural Gen Z-facing event will feature Han So-hee and Jun Jong-seo, who have also appeared in K-pop music videos.
The schedule for all 291 official selections for the 50th edition of TIFF is now live on the festival's website.
Among films announced Tuesday are the world premieres of Claire Denis' Africa-set drama 'The Fence' and Pablo Trapero's '& Sons,' a family drama based on an adapted screenplay by Sarah Polley.
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TIFF runs from Sept. 4 to 14 and will open with 'John Candy: I Like Me,' a documentary on the late Canadian comic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
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Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
KOREN: TIFF's shameful erasure of the Israeli perspective
This is more than a snub to one filmmaker. It is a test of whether our cultural institutions have the courage to live up to their own values A sign is seen outside the TIFF Lightbox ahead of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 3, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo by Brian de) The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has long prided itself on being one of the world's premier cultural events — an institution that champions artistic integrity, fearless storytelling, and the exchange of ideas. This week, it abandoned all of that. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account TIFF quietly dropped The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue from its lineup. The documentary, by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, tells the harrowing true story of Noam Tibon, who drove from Tel Aviv to Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7 to rescue his son and two young granddaughters trapped in a safe room while Hamas terrorists rampaged through southern Israel — murdering, raping, and kidnapping civilians. These atrocities were proudly recorded by the terrorists themselves, often on GoPros, and broadcast for the world to see. The film is not propaganda. It is not even political. It is a deeply human story about courage, family, and survival in the face of unimaginable evil. By any honest standard, it belongs at TIFF. After public criticism, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey apologized and said he would explore ways to reinstate the film. That's welcome — but it only underscores how quickly the festival's first instinct was to sideline the Israeli perspective, and how reluctant it remains to defend that perspective on principle. The official reason for the removal? Copyright concerns. According to the festival, the filmmakers did not have permission to use some of the October 7 footage. In other words, TIFF is faulting them for not obtaining a release form from Hamas terrorists. This is not just absurd — it is shameful. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The decision is also a betrayal of TIFF's own stated mission: To 'enlighten, enrich understanding, and foster empathy.' How can you foster empathy while erasing an entire perspective from the public square? Let's be clear about what is happening. TIFF is not just avoiding controversy; it is preemptively silencing the Israeli narrative. The festival is operating on the same three principles adopted by Arab leaders at the Khartoum Conference of 1967: No peace, no recognition, no negotiations. The anti-Israel movement in the West has embraced these principles more rigidly than many Arab states themselves. And now, TIFF has chosen to comply — whether out of fear, convenience, or both. This is not an isolated act. Across North America and Europe, the Israeli perspective is being pushed out of cultural spaces. Plays cancelled. Exhibits pulled. Speakers shouted down. Filmmakers told to find another platform. The goal is not debate — it is erasure. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The irony is that Israel's enemies often claim they want dialogue, 'critical conversations,' and 'multiple narratives.' But in practice, their position is simple: The Israeli narrative has no right to exist. It must be excluded, shamed and buried. And the more violent and disruptive the threats, the faster institutions fold. TIFF's decision comes at a perilous time. Canada is moving toward recognizing a Palestinian state, even as Hamas openly calls on supporters to escalate violence worldwide. In recent months, Jewish Canadians have been assaulted in Victoria, Montreal, and Saint John. Synagogues, schools, and businesses have been vandalized. The message from extremists is unmistakable: There is no place for Jews — physically or narratively — in public life. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. By caving to that pressure, TIFF has sent a chilling message to Toronto's Jewish community, which has played an integral role in the festival's history: Your stories are not safe here. This is more than a snub to one filmmaker. It is a test of whether our cultural institutions have the courage to live up to their own values. TIFF's choice makes the answer clear: When forced to choose between artistic integrity and political convenience, it will choose convenience every time. Read More There was a time when film festivals understood their role. They were guardians of expression, even when the stories they screened were uncomfortable or unpopular. They believed audiences were capable of engaging with difficult truths. They knew that empathy cannot be selective — that the whole point of art is to bridge human experience, not narrow it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. By uninviting The Road Between Us, TIFF has failed that role. It has told the world that the Israeli perspective is too dangerous to be shown — not because it is false, but because it might make some people uncomfortable. That is not integrity. It is capitulation. And it will not end here. If the precedent stands, it will be easier to erase the next Israeli story, and the one after that, until an entire people's lived experience is absent from our cultural record. That is how erasure works — not with one grand act of censorship, but with a thousand small acts of cowardice. TIFF now has a second chance. It can follow through on the CEO's apology and reinstate the film, standing by the principle that art is for everyone — not just those with the loudest, angriest voices. To do otherwise is to abandon the very foundation of artistic freedom. There is still time for TIFF to prove it has the courage to live by its mission. But every day it delays, the damage grows — not just to its reputation, but to the cultural fabric of this city. Because if a film about a grandfather rescuing his family from terrorists can't be shown at a festival supposedly dedicated to truth and empathy, then TIFF is no longer a festival. It's a filter. And the stories it filters out are the ones we most need to see. — Daniel Koren is the Founder and Executive Director of Allied Voices for Israel Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls World Relationships
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
WARMINGTON: TIFF film censorship shows Toronto's antisemitism to the world
Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox Cameron Bailey, Toronto International Film Festival CEO, attends the GREAT Tea At TIFF With BAFTA, BFI, BFC, Film4, BBC Film, INK & BGC Toronto at the Bisha Hotel & Residences on September 8, 2024 in Toronto. (Photo byfor BAFTA) There comes a point when Toronto is going to have to decide to not let Hamas run the city anymore. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Perhaps the absurd and insulting censorship of The Road Between Us at the Toronto International Film Festival making the front page of the New York Post and being mocked by other media and organizations around the world will finally be that time? 'Show no evil,' screamed the New York Post's headline of TIFFs decision to pull the Barry Avrich film that depicts a rescue of a Jewish family during the Oct. 7, 2023 slaughter by Hamas in Israel. The subhead read: 'Hamas didn't give permission.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hamas and its behind-the-scenes funding sources have been running things for too long in Toronto. They control the streets and do whatever they want, when they want. Jews in Toronto no longer feel safe in their own city as they endure constant harassment, see their schools shot up, synagogues and shops vandalized, and are even shunned by the mayor who didn't attend the one-year anniversary of the murderous pogrom that saw more than 1,200 Jews and internationals slaughtered and many more taken hostage. Some don't want that story told. But trying to suppress what Hamas and its antisemitic backers did doesn't change the dark reality. But TIFF, as of this filing, we're still digging in. 'Claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,' says TIFF president Cameron Bailey. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While writing he wanted to 'express my sincere apologies for any pain this may have caused' the Jewish community, Bailey is still of the view they 'remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF's screening requirements' for it to be shown at next month's festival. In other words, they have final cut. Many see this as Hamas effectively having final say. Barry Avrich at the Canadian screen Awards held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto on Sunday March 1, 2015. Dave Thomas/Toronto Sun The notion that there needs to be permission to use Hamas footage is nothing more than a smokescreen to try to find a way to shelve this important story showing the barbarism of that day. The rewriting of history has been ongoing. But as long as taxpayers are involved in funding this festival, the party should come to end immediately. The apology from Bailey for any pain this has caused is not an apology. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And the damage is done no matter what happens next. Not just to the festival but to the city. Unless there is a fast reversal and actual apology, private and taxpayer sponsorships will rightfully be at risk. And resignations and or firings should be next. 'This is a terrible situation that should never have happened,' said Paul Godfrey, former Metro Toronto chair and Postmedia founder. 'It has embarrassed Toronto.' Godfrey said the city and his 'close friend' Avrich deserve immediate apologies and the film should be aired as planned. 'It's a terrible slap in the face to Barry, who has brought fame and honour to the Toronto International Film Festival. This is not acceptable,' said Godfrey. 'It's an idiotic move. If this is not reversed, some of the board members should be ashamed of themselves and resign.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, has apologized--and that's because your voices are making a difference. Thousands of you emailed him directly, and he heard you. But an apology is not enough. We need the 'The Road Between Us' reinstated. The Festival's decision not only… — CIJA (@CIJAinfo) August 13, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Now more than ever the Jewish community needs its allies to stand up and voice their concern over the hate and division permeating in our society,' B'nai Brith said in a statement. 'TIFF's decision to rescind its invitation to screen The Road Between Us at its upcoming festival is not just an insult to the Jewish community, it is an affront to Canadian values. The silencing of Jewish voices and marginalization of our narratives jeopardizes the vitality of our entire society.' The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs added, 'We cannot let this stand, demand TIFF reverse this decision now.' Calling it 'shameful censorship,' Meir Weinstein of Israel Now said he expects hundreds to attend a protest outside the TIFF office at King and John Sts. Thursday night at 7. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This is a runway scandal that has badly embarrassed Toronto. It calls for Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney to weigh in. While Bailey has asked for 'compassion' and 'sensitivity' and 'patience,' he really is in no position to be making any more decisions on this matter. He has messed it up beyond repair. With the cancellation of last year's 'Russians at War' film and now this, it's clear TIFF is not a place where free ideas are allowed to be expressed. The world sees the front-page coverage Bailey and TIFF can't control. The signal is clear to the Jewish community and to the world — that the history of Oct 7 can only make its way onto the prestigious film festival schedule as long as Hamas gives permission. Now is the time to show Hamas and to express to the world that the evil terrorists who perpetrated the black sabbath on Oct. 7 are not in charge here. Or are they? jwarmington@ Councillor Pasternak and I are strongly urging TIFF to reverse its rash decision to pull 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' from this year's festival lineup. This important film deserves to be screened as planned. Read our full joint statement here: — Brad Bradford✌️ (@BradMBradford) August 13, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto International Film Festival is now censoring a film about a man rescuing his own family from Hamas terrorists. The Toronto International Film Festival receives millions in funding from the federal government. Rescuing family members from terror is too… — Melissa Lantsman (@MelissaLantsman) August 13, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Please read my statement regarding the Toronto International Film Festival's decision to withdraw 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' from its 2025 schedule. — Stan Cho (@StanChoMPP) August 13, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Columnists World Relationships
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
TIFF backtracks after pulling Oct. 7 documentary, denies censorship
The Toronto International Film Festival has released a statement regarding why the documentary was pulled from the lineup. TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival has changed course after pulling a documentary about the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel from its lineup. In a statement sent Wednesday evening, TIFF chief executive officer Cameron Bailey said the festival would work with filmmaker Barry Avrich to find a way to screen the film. Bailey denied allegations that its previous decision to disinvite the film was a case of censorship. Earlier in the day, TIFF said that the doc titled 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' didn't meet the festival's requirements, including 'legal clearance of all footage.' Some Jewish groups and local politicians decried the decision, while the filmmakers said they felt censored. 'I want to be clear: claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,' Bailey said in his statement. 'I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.' The film follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon's mission to rescue his family during the Hamas attacks, during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages were taken. In an earlier statement, TIFF said that when it invited the film to this year's festival, it made several requirements of the filmmakers that were meant to serve as legal protection and to manage 'anticipated and known risks,' including the potential for 'significant disruption.' But the documentary's team said in a statement they were 'shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming.' They said films should encourage debate 'from every perspective' and programmers should let the audience decide what they will or won't see. A source close to the production said TIFF imposed 'extraordinary conditions' on the documentary, including changing its original title, 'Out of Nowhere: The Ultimate Rescue,' and making 'editorial changes specifically identifying horrific footage that was livestreamed by Hamas on October 7th, 2023.' According to the source, the festival also demanded that the filmmakers secure errors and omissions insurance naming TIFF as an insured party. In addition, the team was required to provide a letter of indemnification, a legal reporting letter and arrange for added security at the screening. Avrich declined requests for an interview, and TIFF didn't respond to questions about the details. Reports about the film being disinvited stirred a strong outcry from members of the Jewish community. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said an apology was not enough. 'We need 'The Road Between Us' reinstated,' the organization said on social media. 'The festival's decision not only capitulates to extremists but goes against Canadian values.' Ontario's Culture Minister Stan Cho said in a statement posted online that he reached out to TIFF to better understand their decision, and was 'troubled' that it didn't want to discuss the matter beyond sharing a statement. Toronto city councillors James Pasternak and Brad Bradford issued a joint statement urging TIFF to reverse its 'misguided decision,' with Pasternak adding that an investigation should be launched if the festival doesn't comply. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Aid groups say starvation in Gaza is rampant with news outlets including The Associated Press publishing photos of emaciated children in the region. More than 5,000 children were diagnosed with malnutrition this month, though the true number is likely higher, the United Nations says. '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. 'While we are not a political organization, TIFF will always strive to present our programming in a safe, inclusive environment.' The Montreal-born Avrich has had a decades-long career as a documentary filmmaker, often focusing on high-profile personalities, including 2023's 'Oscar Peterson: Black + White,' which won a Canadian Screen Award for best documentary. Several of his films have premiered at TIFF, including 2019's 'David Foster: Off the Record,' offering an intimate look at the Canadian music producer. The team behind 'The Road Between Us' says it will still release the film and that it will be distributed by Cineplex in Canada. 'We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers,' they said. '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.' TIFF runs from Sept. 4 to 14. Last year, the festival faced ongoing protests and security concerns over another documentary, 'Russians at War,' that ultimately led to cancelled screenings. In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, those filmmakers expressed concern at how easily freedom of expression can be suppressed when a film is seen as controversial. By Alex Nino Gheciu With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
