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TIFF Pulls Documentary on 2023 Hamas Attack From Festival Lineup, Citing Footage Rights Issue
TIFF withdrew the film due to unclear legal rights for Hamas-filmed footage and concerns over disruptive protests, citing unmet editorial and clearance requirements for sensitive content.
- A TIFF spokesperson told Deadline that on August 13, 2025, the festival withdrew its invitation to Barry Avrich’s documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue for not meeting legal clearance and other conditions.
- Amid potential disruptions, TIFF cited general requirements like legal clearance and asked filmmakers to re-edit and remove Hamas-shot footage of October 7, 2023.
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted events on Oct. 7, and filmmakers said TIFF had “censored its own programming.”
- Supporters announced a public screening in early September in Toronto, organized by the city’s Jewish community, parallel to TIFF’s festival activities.
- Other festivals like Locarno faced Gaza-conflict protests earlier this month, highlighting ongoing tensions over festival censorship and perspectives.
56 Articles
56 Articles
Donors, filmmakers blast Toronto film fest over decision to pull Oct. 7 documentary
Jewish communities are turning up the heat after the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)’s decision to pull a documentary film that includes footage of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The film festival cited concerns about compliance with clearance for that footage and the potential for protests. The annual festival, which is celebrating its 50th year, runs Sept. 4-14. According to a report by the film website Deadline.com late on Aug. 12, The …
According to the Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs, this is a "bad and disgusting" decision.
Canada’s Top Film Festival Drops Doc About Israeli Family’s Rescue During Hamas Attack
Canada’s top film festival has dropped a Canadian documentary on rescue efforts following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, but says its legal team is working with the filmmakers to try to reinclude it. “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, follows the efforts by retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon to rescue family members from Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack. In an Aug. 1…
TIFF CEO Denies Claims of Censorship Over Pulled Oct. 7 Doc, Says He's Working to Get Film Screened
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) CEO Cameron Bailey denied claims of censorship over the festival’s pulling of Oct. 7 documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” saying that he’s working to get the film screened. “I want to be clear: claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,” Bailey wrote in a note. “I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to…
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