Latest news with #CreativeCommunityForPeace
Vancouver Sun
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Entertainment industry leaders criticize TIFF's handling of October 7 film in open letter
More than 1,000 entertainment leaders have signed an open letter released by the non-profit entertainment industry organization Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) critiquing how the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) handled the film, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue. The letter is a response to TIFF's disinviting the film but then offering to work with the filmmakers, following a public backlash. TIFF later announced it would be an official festival selection . 'This incident is not an anomaly—it is part of a disturbing pattern that has emerged since October 7th, in which Israeli and Jewish creatives in film, television, music, sports, and literature are confronted with barriers no other community is made to face. The deliberate effort to marginalize and silence Jewish voices in the arts worldwide is intolerable, and it cannot be allowed to persist,' says CCFP executive director Ari Ingel. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Some of the letter signatories include: Amy Schumer, actress; Debra Messing, actress; Mayim Bialik, actress; Sherry Lansing, former CEO of Paramount Pictures; Rebecca De Mornay, actress; Jennifer Jason Leigh, actress; Howie Mandel, TV host; Jerry O'Connell, actor; former chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming; Jonathan Baruch. To see the full list of signees, visit: Here is the full text of the letter: 'We, the undersigned members of the entertainment industry, are deeply concerned about the Toronto International Film Festival's (TIFF) initial decision to disinvite the documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, and its subsequent communications. This is the only documentary scheduled for this year's program that puts forward Israel's narrative. 'This follows the 2024 festival, which likewise didn't platform a single Israeli documentary that didn't disparage the country. In contrast, TIFF 2024 featured three anti-Israel documentaries, with four more slated for 2025. 'Last year, Creative Community for Peace and other entertainment industry leaders urged TIFF leadership to provide a platform for Israeli and Israeli-themed projects. TIFF leadership 'assured' us they would do so 'even in difficult times like this.' That assurance was apparently a lie. 'Not only did TIFF omit The Road Between Us from the initial slate announcement, but TIFF pressured its filmmakers to change the film's title—only to then cancel its participation. While the film has been reinstated after a significant public backlash, the festival has not offered a sincere apology or explanation for the harm it created for the Jewish community. 'Furthermore, the initial claim that the project couldn't be screened because the filmmakers didn't have the rights to footage Hamas – a Canadian designated terrorist group, broadcast to the world on October 7, 2023, when they massacred, raped, brutalized, and kidnapped thousands of innocent people from toddlers to Holocaust survivors — strains credibility. 'As did the claim that the cancellation was for security reasons—when anti-Israel productions face no such barrier and instead of ensuring a safe environment, TIFF caved to these violent demands that only increased a sense that the Jews of Canada don't count. 'This incident was clearly a surrender to an antisemitic campaign determined to silence Jewish and Israeli voices, at a time when antisemitism in Canada is surging to historic levels. TIFF's decisions this past week have only deepened and legitimized that hostility. 'Documentaries and Film Festivals have the power to affect lives and effect positive change in the world. 'They can bridge cultural divides and bring people together through a shared love of the arts. 'We call on the Board of Directors to question the leadership of TIFF, to platform Israeli voices moving forward, and to choose dialogue over exclusion and peace over prejudice.' The press release that accompanied the letter stated that the people who signed it did so 'as individuals on their own behalf and not on behalf of their companies or organizations. All organizations and companies listed are for affiliation purposes only.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Amy Schumer, Howie Mandel among 1,000 signees of petition condemning TIFF's handling of Oct. 7 doc
Amy Schumer, Howie Mandel and Debra Messing are among more than 1,000 entertainment figures who have signed an open letter condemning the Toronto International Film Festival for its handling of a film about the Hamas attacks in Israel. The letter comes after TIFF had said it would pull 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' from its lineup, sparking a public outcry over the decision, which the festival subsequently reversed. In a joint statement Thursday, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and director Barry Avrich said they had reached a resolution and that the doc will screen at next month's festival. The petition, released by the L.A.-based Creative Community For Peace, accuses TIFF of 'appeasing anti-Israel and antisemitic activists' intent to silence Jewish voices' by disinviting the film. The letter says that while the film has been reinstated, the festival 'has not offered a sincere apology or explanation for the harm it created for the Jewish community.' TIFF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The petition also calls on TIFF's board of directors to question the organization's leadership, to platform Israeli voices and 'to choose dialogue over exclusion.' The film follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon's mission to rescue his family during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, during which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 hostages were taken. Canadian signees of the petition include filmmaker Caitlin Cronenberg and producer Martin Katz, while U.S. actors on the letter include Jerry O'Connell, Mayim Bialik and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Earlier this week, festival organizers said they had pulled the documentary over unmet requirements related to security concerns and the 'legal clearance of all footage.' The move sparked an international backlash, drawing criticism from some Jewish groups and politicians, while the filmmakers accused the festival of censorship. TIFF backtracked Wednesday, announcing it would work with the documentary team to find a way to screen the film. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. On Thursday, Bailey and Avrich released a joint statement saying they had reached a resolution after hearing 'pain and frustration' from the public. They said they ironed out 'important safety, legal and programming concerns' around the film. 'We have worked together to find a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal, and programming concerns,' the statement said. TIFF runs Sept. 4 to 14. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2025.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Uzo Aduba, Julianna Margulies, Jerry O'Connell Slam ‘Well-Meaning Celebrities' Manipulated by Pro-Palestine Rhetoric in Open Letter
Uzo Aduba, Julianna Margulies, Jerry O'Connell were among the more than 400 Hollywood notables who signed a letter calling for the end of anti-Israel, 'extremist rhetoric and the spread of misinformation' following Capital Jewish Museum shooting. 'Hamas, Iran, and their allies and ideological sympathizers in the West have flooded the world with their hateful lies and antisemitic incitement since October 7 — lies designed to demonize Israel, the Jewish people, and their supporters,' the letter, which was released by nonprofit Creative Community For Peace on Thursday, reads. 'Some well-meaning celebrities and public figures have been manipulated by this constant stream of misinformation, which they have also helped to amplify.' The letter comes as a response to the fatal shooting, which occurred on May and led to the deaths of two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgram. Authorities arrested a 31-year-old suspect named Elias Rodriguez, who is reportedly Chicago resident. Rodriguez has since been charged with first-degree murder and murder of foreign officials, per NPR. When they were arrested Rodriguez said she orchestrated the shooting 'for Palestine.' 'I did it for Gaza,' Rodriguez reportedly said, per an FBI special agent's affidavit. Other figures, including Mayim Bialik, Sharon Osbourne, Patricia Heaton, Sherry Lansing, Haim Saban, Rebecca De Mornay, Ben Silverman, signed the letter. In the letter, Bialik said that the spreading and circulation of misinformation about the Jewish community is history repeating itself. 'Peddling lies about Jews has deadly consequences. For the past two years, public figures and influencers with millions of followers have consistently promoted fallacious and menacing anti-Israel propaganda masquerading as advocacy,' Bialik said in the letter. 'This stream of lies against the Jewish people and the Jewish ancestral homeland has now – unsurprisingly to anyone watching closely – turned deadly in the United States. This moment requires public figures to use their platforms responsibly. We implore these individuals to lend their voices to those of moral clarity, peace and tolerance, instead of division, distortion and delegitimization.' In a joint statement, CCFP Co-Founder and chairman David Renzer, and Executive Director Ari Ingel called the sharing of false and antisemitic information 'a toxic mix of distortion, bigotry and incitement.' 'For the past 600 days, the anti-Israel movement has espoused an unrelenting stream of extremist rhetoric to demonize Israel and anyone who supports the country — it's a toxic mix of distortion, bigotry and incitement,' the pair wrote. 'Given the power of social media, it's incumbent on entertainers and public figures, with their ability to influence millions around the world, to use their platforms responsibly. Without a course correction, we will only see more hate, more violence, and more innocent people targeted simply for being Jewish.' At the end of the letter, the group called on their fellow Hollywood members to push back against 'extremist rhetoric.' 'We call on all our colleagues to reject this extremist rhetoric and the spread of misinformation so that we can all work toward a future in which all Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and dignity,' the CCFP letter post Uzo Aduba, Julianna Margulies, Jerry O'Connell Slam 'Well-Meaning Celebrities' Manipulated by Pro-Palestine Rhetoric in Open Letter appeared first on TheWrap.
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Jerry Seinfeld laughs in anti-Israel heckler's face after Knicks game
Legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld faced anti-Israel hecklers while leaving a Knicks game. Seinfeld, sporting a Knicks hat, took it in stride and laughed in the protester's face as she accused him of supporting "the genocide of babies in Gaza." A video of the incident, posted on the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation's Instagram page, appears to show the comedian heading to his car as someone off-camera begins shouting at him. "F--- you, Jerry Seinfeld! Free Palestine," the off-camera person yelled at Seinfeld. "You support the genocide of babies in Gaza!" The comedian instantly began laughing at the protester and responded by saying, "Only you." However, the protester continued shouting at him over his support for Israel and even called him a "rabid f---ing dog." Seinfeld has been open about his support for Israel for years but became even more vocal after Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. Just days after the brutal attacks, Seinfeld joined a group of over 2,000 leaders in the entertainment industry in signing a letter supporting Israel. "As Israel takes the necessary steps to defend its citizens in the coming days and weeks, social media will be overrun by an orchestrated misinformation campaign spearheaded by Iran. We urge everyone to remember the horrific images that came out of Israel and to not amplify or fall for their propaganda," the letter, initiated by Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), read. At the end of the letter, CCFP also expressed the desire for Israelis and Palestinians to one day "live side-by-side in peace." For over a year and a half, hecklers have yelled at the comedian at shows and in public. This latest incident comes just months after social media influencer Subway DJ tried to ambush him by asking for a selfie with Seinfeld before declaring, "Free Palestine." The influencer then looked to Seinfeld, seemingly trying to get him to agree, but the comedian delivered a one-liner before walking away: "I don't care about Palestine." While he has dealt with hecklers, Seinfeld has also encountered supporters. An avid New York sports fan, Seinfeld was attending a Mets game when a fan asked if he would send a message to his brother, who was "watching from the Gaza border." Seinfeld looked into the fan's camera and said, "Let's go IDF!" Shortly after the war in Gaza began, Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica Sklar, visited Israel in December 2023 and met with survivors of Oct. 7. When discussing the trip in an interview with Bari Weiss, Seinfeld was visibly emotional and even unable to speak for several seconds after calling the visit "the most powerful experience of my life."
