TIFF’s Film Ban and Backtrack Spark Free Speech Storm
So here’s what went down at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s the kind of thing that makes people shake their heads in disbelief. Canadian director Barry Avrich had a documentary called The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue . It tells the real-life story of retired Israeli major-general Noam Tibon, who, on October 7, 2023, raced to a kibbutz where his son, daughter-in-law, and young granddaughters were hiding in a safe room while Hamas gunmen attacked. Along the way, he didn’t just save his own family—he helped rescue others, too.
But just before the screening, TIFF pulled the film. The official explanation? They said the filmmakers hadn’t gotten “permission from Hamas” to use certain footage. Yes, you heard that right. The reaction was instant and furious—many in the Jewish community, in the arts world, and in the general public thought it was absurd. Noam Tibon himself called the decision “delusional” and accused TIFF of trying to “erase October 7.”
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The real reason, according to multiple accounts, wasn’t about copyright at all. TIFF’s own CEO had apparently mentioned internal dissent and concerns over protests. Another filmmaker, Wendy Sachs, who made a related documentary, said staff members threatened not to work if Tibon’s rescue story was shown. So much for the festival’s mission to “defend artistic freedom” and “foster empathy.”
After the backlash hit—petitions, letters, calls to boycott sponsors like Rogers, RBC, Visa, and even demands from politicians—the festival quickly changed course. TIFF promised to work with Avrich and reinstated the film within a day. But by then, the damage to its image was already done.
It’s not the first time TIFF has faced criticism for caving to pressure. Last year, a similar uproar happened over a Russian war documentary. And it’s part of a wider trend—other arts events, like Vancouver’s PuSh Festival, have canceled works under pressure. This pattern worries artists, funders, and audiences alike, because corporate sponsors may start to see the arts as a risk, not a prestige project.
That’s dangerous for the creative world. Arts organizations depend on donations and sponsorships, but if supporting a film festival means getting dragged into political controversy, brands might pull out entirely. We’ve seen it happen before—Scotiabank withdrew from the Giller Prize after criticism about its investments, leaving the award in financial trouble.
The arts are already struggling, and the world needs them more than ever—to challenge us, to inform us, and to spark courage in the face of hard truths. In this case, TIFF may have rescued the film in the end, but it also sent a chilling message: that even the biggest champions of artistic freedom can be swayed by internal politics and fear of backlash. And that’s a story that won’t be so easily rewritten.
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