Documentary Film on Oct. 7 Hamas Attack Pulled Toronto Film Festival Because Terrorist Group Didn't Give Footage Permission

International Business Times

14 hours ago

A new documentary on the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel has been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after organizers claimed the filmmakers must obtain permission from the terrorist group to use its graphic massacre footage.
Festival organizers say the film, titled "The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue," failed to meet specific criteria to be shown at the high-profile September event — known for drawing major Hollywood names — including not obtaining the required "legal clearance" to use Hamas' livestream footage depicting the rape, murder, and abduction of Jews. Shocked by the move, several filmmakers, including prominent Canadian director Barry Avrich, slammed the decision to pull the film.
No Show for No Reason
Revelers at the Nova music festival seen running to save their lives as Hamas militants launched an attack on them on October 7, 2023 X
He told Deadline that TIFF had "defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film." Indeed, TIFF's mission mentions on its website, "we will defend artistic excellence and artistic freedom."
Avrich chose not to provide any more comments. "The Road Between Us" follows the story of retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon, who rushed to rescue his family and others during Hamas' deadly assault, which left 1,200 people dead and 251 kidnapped.
The film features widely circulated videos recorded by the terrorists showing the murders of Israelis at the Nova music festival and in surrounding communities.
Although TIFF claimed the filmmakers needed Hamas' approval to use the footage, the documentary's line producer, Talia Harris Ram, told the Times of Israel that such rationale was ridiculous.
"The topic of creators' rights is something I work with regularly," she said. "There's no legal problem with showing these clips, which were already streamed live on October 7. From an intellectual property standpoint, they are clearly in the public domain."
Sources told Deadline that the festival removed the documentary partly out of fear that large anti-Israel protests might erupt in Toronto's busy downtown area.
Avoiding Controversy
Toronto International Film Festival X
The final part of TIFF's statement hints at this reasoning, mentioning the "potential threat of significant disruption" tied to a documentary on a "highly sensitive subject." According to the filmmakers of "The Road Between Us," they made efforts to fulfill TIFF's requirements.
For example, industry reports noted that the festival requested a title change from "Out of Nowhere" to "The Road Between Us," and the filmmakers agreed.
However, their invitation was still withdrawn on Monday.
Sources told The New York Post that, following the backlash over the film's exclusion, TIFF's board of directors scheduled a meeting to address the controversy.
The "Road Between Us" filmmakers stressed that the documentary simply tells one man's story — a man who had also been featured on "60 Minutes."
"We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers," they said in their statement. "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."
According to Deadline, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey requested that the documentary's producers withdraw the film voluntarily, but they declined.
Tibon, the focus of the documentary, condemned its cancellation.