The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival is apologizing for pulling and then reinstating Montreal filmmaker Barry Avrich's documentary about a retired Israeli general's mission to rescue his family during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Cameron Bailey spoke at an event touting the festival's Canadian lineup.
The Canadian Press
The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival kicked off an event that’s meant to celebrate the Canadian titles in this year’s lineup by apologizing for pulling and then reinstating a documentary about a retired Israeli general’s rescue mission during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
“I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration and disappointment that our communication about the film has caused,” Cameron Bailey said in his first public remarks since the controversy unfolded last week.
He added he regretted any “mischaracterizations” of the film and that the organization is working now to “repair relationships” and provide clarity. He did not share any more details, and TIFF execs were not available for interviews on site.
The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue from Montreal native Barry Avrich will screen at the festival on Sept. 10.
The documentary is described on TIFF’s website as a “rescue thriller” in which Avrich combines new interviews with footage from Oct. 7, recounting retired general Noam Tibon’s journey to rescue his son and his family from an attack by Hamas.
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Last week, TIFF confirmed it pulled the film from its lineup, sparking outcry from some politicians and Jewish groups before the decision was reversed.
Bailey and Avrich later said in a joint statement they had reached a resolution and that the films would screen after all.
Bailey said Wednesday that TIFF wanted to present the film out of “a desire to share a painful but important story with audiences who choose to witness it.”
“That commitment to challenging, relevant screen storytelling remains strong,” he said.
Filmmaker Min Sook Lee said that while she hasn’t seen The Road Between Us, the role of a film festival in times of global turmoil should be to invite people to “open dialogue, to discourse and to engage with tough questions.”
“We may be in disagreement, but we need to understand that the substance of our stories have much depth, have much complexity. It cannot be summarized in one news clip,” said Lee, whose documentary There Are No Words will have its world premiere at the festival.
“I think we need the freedom to tell our stories.”
In her film, the Toronto director attempts to make sense of her mother’s suicide when she was a preteen, revisiting the people and places of her childhood in Toronto and Hwasun, South Korea, her place of birth.
Lee said that festivals have a duty to give people an opportunity to converse about tough issues while also balancing “corporate pressures and political pressures.”
“That’s a challenging job to do especially in these very heightened times.”
Director Hubert Davis said that amid globe strife, the role of a festival should still be a straightforward one: to help propel filmmakers’ careers.
“TIFF specifically is so important because it’s a launch point for emerging filmmakers and it’s also a place where established filmmakers can share their work. But it has a cachet and buzz to it that allows their work to be seen,” said Davis, whose film Youngblood will make its global bow at TIFF.
“The key goal of a festival is really how to launch emerging filmmakers into the market and have their voices heard. That’s what keeps it thriving.”
Davis said watching the controversy surrounding The Road Between Us play out made him reflect on filmmaking generally, where “finances and creative vision” can often be in conflict.
“Those two things are always at odds: how do we get finances, who’s putting up the money, what concessions are you making? It’s interesting to see it play out in a festival setting, because they’re also involved in that,” said Davis.
“You can’t please everyone.”
Youngblood is a reimagining of the 1986 hockey classic starring Rob Lowe, co-written by late Toronto filmmaker Charles Officer. This time, the film follows a Black hockey prodigy played by Ashton James.
“It’s about a young guy following his dreams in hockey, but at its core, it’s about a father-son relationship,” Davis said.
Other Canadian features premiering at TIFF include Chandler Levack’s Montreal-set rom-com Mile End Kicks, Sasha Leigh Henry’s fractured-friendship drama Dinner With Friends and Matt Johnson’s time-warping comedy Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.