Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) brings back Barry Avrich’s documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue About the mission of a retired Israeli general Rescuing his family during the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, Israel.
The film was at the heart of rage this week when Tiff said he pulled it from the lineup as he didn’t meet the “required conditions.”
Festival CEO Cameron Bailey yesterday revealed that TIFF is working with filmmakers to meet screening requirements, and firmly denied the censorship claims.
On Thursday, Bailey and Avrich issued a joint statement saying they had found a “resolution to meet critical safety, legal and programming concerns,” The road between us Festival screening. It is understood that there is a copyright clearance issue, including footage taken by Hamas body cameras during the terrorist attack.
The screening added that “contributes to important conversations that the film is intended to inspire,” and that “in this case, TIFF’s communication regarding that requirement did not clearly articulate the concerns or obstacles that occurred.
The festival issued a statement hours after local reports were posted at Toronto outlets.
Earlier this week, the filmmaker said Tiff “censored its own programming by rejecting the film.” Other groups have denounced the move, including the Auschwitz Jewish Centre Foundation, which called it “morally outrageous.”
Tiff will run from September 4th to 14th. The full joint statement is displayed below.
August 14, 2025
Dear members of the TIFF community,
Over the past 24 hours there has been a lot of debate about Tiff’s decision to withdraw the invitation The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue For this year’s festival. Both Tiff and the filmmakers have heard of the pain and frustration expressed by the public, and we want to deal with this together.
We worked together to find resolutions to meet critical safety, legal, and programming concerns. I’m glad I was able to share it The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue This is the official TIFF selection at this year’s festival. Here we believe that the film contributes to important conversations to inspire.
In this case, communications regarding the TIFF requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns or obstacles that occurred. That’s why I’m sorry.
TIFF and filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and presenting beliefs in the power of storytelling to inducing and understanding dialogue and understanding. We appreciate the passion, integrity and belief in the importance of film, of the audience and community. We look forward to releasing details including the world premiere date on August 20th.
– Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF & BARRY AVRICH, filmmaker, The road between us: The ultimate rescue
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