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National Post

Anger after Toronto film festival pulls invite for October 7 documentary, citing legal concerns, other 'known risks'

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has sparked anger from filmmakers and Jewish groups after rescinding an invitation for a documentary about the October 7 attacks by Hamas terrorists, citing legal and safety concerns surrounding the project. Article content The film in question, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, was produced by Melbar Entertainment Group and directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich. It tells the story of retired Israel Defence Forces General Noam Tibon, who raced an hour and a half from Tel Aviv to save his son Amir's family in Kibbutz Nahal Oz near Gaza on October 7. Article content Article content 'This film is not about politics, it's about humanity, family and sacrifice,' Avrich told Deadline magazine last year when the film, then titled To the Last Breath, was in pre-production. 'In one day, one extraordinary man reversed the fate of his family and inspired the world. We look forward to working with Noam and his family to document this jaw-dropping story.' Article content Article content In a recent statement to Deadline and others, TIFF said the filmmakers did not secure 'legal clearance of all footage,' which was among the conditions the festival requested to mitigate 'known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.' Article content The filmmaking team and others are decrying what they see as censorship by the festival, and a possible desire to avoid images of disruptions in and around screenings. 'We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,' Avrich's team said in a statement to National Post. '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.' Article content Article content The team added: '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.' Article content Article content The Times of Israel, citing sources close to the film's production, said the reason for the cancellation was that the filmmakers had not received explicit permission to use videos taken by Hamas terrorists during the attack, and livestreamed at the time. Article content 'The topic of creators' rights is something I work with regularly,' said Talia Harris Ram, a producer on the film, per the Times. '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.' Canada's Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in its own statement: 'It is unconscionable that TIFF is allowing a small mob of extremists — who use intimidation and threats of violence — to dictate what films Canadians can see at the festival.' It added: 'This shameful decision sends an unmistakable message: Toronto's Jewish community, which has long played an integral role at TIFF, is no longer safe or welcome.' Article content In an email sent to tens of thousands of Canadian Jewish community members and allies on Wednesday, the CIJA called on supporters to contact TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and urge him to reverse the decision and include The Road Between Us in the festival program. 'It is a stain on the festival's reputation and a blow to the values Canadians hold dear,' the email said. Article content The group Canadian Women Against Antisemitism has also released a statement on social media, calling on supporters to demand that TIFF reverse its decision, and to 'tell Ontario and Canada: No more funding for cultural capitulation.' (The provincial and federal government are both TIFF sponsors.)