Director Barry Avrich and retired Israeli general Noam Tibon arrive on the red carpet for The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue at the Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
A documentary about a retired Israeli general’s Oct. 7 rescue mission will hit theatres mere weeks after its Toronto premiere was met with protesters.
Representatives for the film say The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue is set to open Oct. 3 on 125 screens in Canada and the United States, including in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
Directed by Canada’s Barry Avrich, the film chronicles retired Israeli general Noam Tibon’s effort to rescue his family during the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, when 1,200 people were killed and 251 abducted.
The doc premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday when dozens of protesters and counter-protesters clashed outside the theatre.
Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators called the documentary “Israeli propaganda,” though they hadn’t seen it.
The film received multiple standing ovations in the theatre, including one for Tibon during a post-screening Q&A.
TIFF premiere of Oct. 7 documentary The Road Between Us met with protests, standing ovation
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey says reversals around Oct. 7 documentary ‘caused a lot of pain’
Last month, TIFF said it pulled the film from its lineup over security concerns and rights issues, sparking criticism from politicians, Jewish organizations, and figures in the entertainment industry.
The festival reinstated the film days later, with CEO Cameron Bailey apologizing for “any hurt, frustration and disappointment” caused and promising clearer communication on programming decisions.
Since the Oct. 7 massacre, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local health officials reported last week.
The ministry doesn’t say how many were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half of the dead.
With files from The Associated Press
