UPDATE: Toronto Film Festival reverses course, will now screen doc featuring Oct 7 footage

A powerful new documentary about a grandfather’s fight to save his granddaughters from the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel has been dropped from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) after organizers said the filmmakers need permission from Hamas to use the videos that the group’s terrorists livestreamed of their atrocities.

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, chronicles retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon’s journey to save his family and others during the terrorist onslaught that left 1,200 dead, thousands injured, and 251 kidnapped. The film incorporates widely seen videos recorded and broadcast by Hamas showing murders, kidnappings, and rapes at the Nova music festival and nearby communities.

According to Deadline, TIFF told the production team the film “did not meet certain requirements,” citing a lack of “legal clearance” for the footage. Line producer Talia Harris Ram called the reasoning absurd, noting the clips were livestreamed publicly and are in the public domain. The filmmakers say they also had insurance covering both themselves and the festival against lawsuits.

TIFF was also worried about anti-Israel protests, referencing a “potential threat of significant disruption” in its statement. The decision came despite the filmmakers complying with other festival requests, including changing the title from Out of Nowhere.

Tibon blasted the move as “absurd and bizarre,” saying it compounded harm to victims: “The truth cannot be erased. The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be erased or denied.”

Canadian director Barry Avrich’s team says they will release the film independently: “We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers… We remain defiant… we invite audiences to make up their own mind.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, an advocacy agent of Jewish Federations of Canada-UIA, said in a statement, "Hamas is a listed terrorist group in Canada. They don’t own copyright on footage of their crimes. Every Canadian should be outraged."

The TIFF board is reportedly meeting to address the backlash and released a statement claiming to be working with its legal team and the filmmaker to consider "all options available."