Latest news with #TheRoadBetweenUs
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Entertainment industry leaders criticize TIFF's handling of October 7 film in open letter
Article content '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. Article content '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. Article content '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. Article content Article content '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. Article content 'Documentaries and Film Festivals have the power to affect lives and effect positive change in the world. Article content 'They can bridge cultural divides and bring people together through a shared love of the arts. Article content '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.' Article content 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.'
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
BATRA'S BURNING QUESTIONS: TIFF movie controversy over documentary "The Road Between Us"
WATCH as Sun Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Batra and Postmedia political columnists Brian Lilley and Lorrie Goldstein head to the big screen to talk about the controversial movie at Toronto International Film Festival called The Road Between Us that was nixed by TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. What do YOU think? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below or send us a Letter to the Editor for possible publication to Letters must be 250 words or less and signed. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. 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 Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls World Sunshine Girls Relationships
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TIFF reverses decision, will show Oct. 7 massacre film
Turns out the censored film about the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel will be gracing Toronto International Film Festival screens after all. TIFF officials were expected to issue a news release on Thursday afternoon after a wild 24 hours of uncertainty and international furor. TIFF board member John Ruffolo told the Sun on Thursday afternoon that the issue 'is all resolved' and the film in question 'will be exhibited as planned and even bigger than originally. This was no easy negotiation. There were people calling for resignations and the potential of public and private sponsorships being pulled after TIFF president Cameron Bailey made the call. The film The Road Between Us tells the story about a Jewish grandfather trying to save his granddaughters during the attack that saw more than 1,200 slaughter and hundreds kidnapped. The news of the pulling of acclaimed director Barry Avrich's film went international including being placed on the front page of the New York Post and talked about on Fox News. Canada's Jewish advocacy organizations condemned the initial decision to cancel to showing. But in a TIFF board meeting Thursday, things got heated. In the end, said a source in the meeting, a 'good outcome' was brokered with input from Avrich and Bailey and others. 'Heather Reisman and Henry Wolfond from the Jewish community really helped work with TIFF chair Jeffrey Remedios and John Ruffolo and former mayor John Tory to get this done,' a source said. Some tough negotiations are said to have been employed. 'Wouldn't have happened without all of them,' said the source. As of this filing, a planned protest at the TIFF headquarters downtown had not been postponed. There are still many hard feelings about this — including from federal and provincial elected members. The bottom line is there should be no censorship of directors' works, or rewriting of history. The point of the film festival is to create atmosphere of education and debate. RECOMMENDED VIDEO
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
TIFF reverses decision, will show Oct. 7 massacre film
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey Photo by TIFF Turns out the censored film about the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel will be gracing Toronto International Film Festival screens after all. 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 officials were expected to issue a news release on Thursday afternoon after a wild 24 hours of uncertainty and international furor. TIFF board member John Ruffolo told the Sun on Thursday afternoon that the issue 'is all resolved' and the film in question 'will be exhibited as planned and even bigger than originally. This was no easy negotiation. There were people calling for resignations and the potential of public and private sponsorships being pulled after TIFF president Cameron Bailey made the call. The film The Road Between Us tells the story about a Jewish grandfather trying to save his granddaughters during the attack that saw more than 1,200 slaughter and hundreds kidnapped. The news of the pulling of acclaimed director Barry Avrich's film went international including being placed on the front page of the New York Post and talked about on Fox News. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Canada's Jewish advocacy organizations condemned the initial decision to cancel to showing. But in a TIFF board meeting Thursday, things got heated. In the end, said a source in the meeting, a 'good outcome' was brokered with input from Avrich and Bailey and others. 'Heather Reisman and Henry Wolfond from the Jewish community really helped work with TIFF chair Jeffrey Remedios and John Ruffolo and former mayor John Tory to get this done,' a source said. Some tough negotiations are said to have been employed. 'Wouldn't have happened without all of them,' said the source. As of this filing, a planned protest at the TIFF headquarters downtown had not been postponed. There are still many hard feelings about this — including from federal and provincial elected members. The bottom line is there should be no censorship of directors' works, or rewriting of history. The point of the film festival is to create atmosphere of education and debate. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls World Sunshine Girls Relationships
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Toronto Film Festival Cancels Screenings of Israeli Documentary About Oct. 7 Attack
The organizers of Canada's largest film festival have pulled from the event's lineup an Israeli documentary about the Oct. 7 attacks that included footage of atrocities live streamed by Hamas fighters. The makers of the film, 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,' this week accused The Toronto International Film Festival of censorship, an assertion that the festival organizers denied. Instead, festival organizers said the filmmakers had failed to secure rights to the video. Talia Harris Ram, one of the film's producers, said the filmmakers were notified that the documentary, about a retired general who rescued his family from an attack on their home, would be withdrawn because it did not have the proper 'clearance to use archival footage,' or in other words, she said, the 'footage filmed by Hamas.' 'As someone who has dedicated her life to handling rights and intellectual property, this is the most absurd, horrific, disconnected claim I have encountered so far,' she said in a statement. Clips of the Oct. 7 attack that were recorded by Hamas fighters are included in the documentary, which was poised to screen during the 50th anniversary of the film festival, which runs from Sept. 4 to Sept. 14. Possible legal issues could arise from the screening of that footage, the festival said in a statement. The organizers also suggested that the film's removal from the lineup was intended to prevent disruptions. Barry Avrich, a Canadian filmmaker and a past board member at the festival, and his production team said in statements to the news media that the festival 'defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.' But the festival's chief executive, Cameron Bailey, pushed back against that claim and said it was 'unequivocally false' to suggest that the film was being censored, noting that he had personally invited the filmmakers to participate. '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,' Mr. Bailey said, adding that he has directed the festival's legal team to help the filmmaker to review options and help them make the film compliant. Last year, the festival faced a backlash for screening a documentary about Russian solders in Ukraine. The film was condemned by many in the Ukrainian community and criticized for being Kremlin propaganda. The festival pulled the film.
