Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) CEO Cameron Bailey denied claims of censorship over the festival’s pulling of Oct. 7 documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” saying that he’s working to get the film screened.
“I want to be clear: claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false,” Bailey wrote in a note. “I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.”
Bailey added he believes the film “tells an important story and contributes to the rich tapestry of perspectives in our lineup.”
“The invitation for the Canadian documentary film ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue’ was withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the Festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage,” TIFF said in a Wednesday statement to Screen Daily.
“First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere apologies for any pain this situation may have caused,” Bailey said. “It was never my intention to offend or alienate anyone. At TIFF, we believe in the transformative power of film to foster understanding and dialogue, especially during challenging times. ”
“The Road Between Us” was notably not featured in the initial 2025 documentary line-up for next month’s festival. The film follows retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon as he tries to save his two granddaughters from the 2023 terrorist attacks, helping multiple survivors of the Nova Music Festival massacre and wounded IDF soldiers in the process.
“We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,” the filmmakers told Deadline on Tuesday. “Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable. A film festival lays out the feast and the audience decides what they will or won’t see. We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers. We remain defiant, we will release the film and we invite audiences, broadcasters and streamers to make up their own mind, once they have seen it.”
The 2025 Toronto International Film Festival is set to run Sept. 4-14.
