It’s been a whirlwind of a few days but TIFF has reinstated Barry Avrich’s The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue to its festival lineup. The world premiere date will be announced on August 20. Whether its addition to the schedule will have any impact on the current schedule remains to be seen.

The film tells the story of Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon, a retired Israel Defense Forces officer who rushed to Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the morning of October 7, 2023, to save his family from Hamas terrorists—and in the process, rescued many others from the nearby Nova Music Festival. His bravery has been documented on 60 Minutes, and his son, journalist Amir Tibon, has written a book about it. This is a story that deserves to be seen by the widest audience possible.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue filmmaker Barry Avrich released a joint statement posted on the TIFF social media channels:

Dear Members of the TIFF Community,

Over the past 24 hours, there has been much discussion about TIFF’s decision to withdraw its invitation to The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue for this year’s festival. Both TIFF and the filmmakers have heard the pain and frustration expressed by the public and we want to address this together.

We have worked together to find a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal, and programming concerns. We are pleased to share that The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue will be an official TIFF selection at the festival this year, where we believe it will contribute to the vital conversations that film is meant to inspire.”

In this case, TIFF’s communication around its requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry.

Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their passion, honesty, and belief in the importance of film. We look forward to announcing more details including the World Premiere date on August 20th.

This could have been handled differently. Instead of rescinding the invitation by email earlier this week, TIFF should have been forthright from the start. I don’t believe this was about GoPro footage clearance—footage already used in other documentaries, including Emmy-winner We Will Dance Again. I believe it was about safety concerns amid the surge of antisemitism since October 7. Internal opposition was cited the other day in news reports and I still believe this is part of it.

I didn’t attend TIFF in 2024 due to a family simcha over Labor Day weekend. As it turned out, the festival saw protests at Opening Night for David Gordon Green’s Ben Stiller–starring Nutcrackers. The Bibi Files screenings faced protests from anti-Netanyahu activists—protest Bibi all you want, but he wasn’t involved with the film. Ironically, their footage was leaked to filmmakers. Yet those screenings went forward even though it cannot be screened in Israel due to privacy laws relating to interrogations.

has shared her own experience in Instagram stories about the extra security needed when screening the film at the TIFF Lightbox on April 1 in Toronto. No Other Land didn’t require any extra security or metal detectors. In fact, Sachs shared how CP24 Breakfast co-anchor Nick Dixon was harassed and threatened after he interviewed her on the show. The station received calls and emails asking for him to be fired. In what way is any of this normal? It’s not. Neither Jews nor Israelis should be threatened by merely pointing out the truth behind what happened on October 7. The same goes for the surge in antisemitism. It is real. It is happening.

October 8 director Wendy Sachs shared Instagram stories about the heavy security required for her April 1 screening at TIFF Lightbox. Other screening required metal detectors or entry through the garage. By contrast, No Other Land needed none. CP24 Breakfast anchor Nick Dixon was harassed and threatened after interviewing her on the show. The station received both calls and emails asking to fire him. This isn’t normal. Jews and Israelis should not face threats for presenting the truth of October 7, nor for acknowledging antisemitism. It is real. It is happening.

To understand how real antisemitism is right now, consider this: many Jewish events now withhold locations until 24–48 hours beforehand, especially when security is tight. At last year’s DNC in Chicago, Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), Zioness, and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) all kept event locations under wraps until maybe the day before. Even shuls have security for Shabbos and Yom Tov services. This is the Jewish reality in 2025.

If TIFF’s decision was about safety and not clearance issues, I understand the impulse—but the handling was wrong. Going forward, perhaps the festival should go back to inviting more Israeli filmmakers rather than continuing the troubling trend of silencing Israeli voices unless they conform to certain political viewpoints.

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF 50), presented by Rogers, will take place September 4–14, 2025.

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