Protesters gather in front of the TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto on Thursday to voice their disapproval over the festival organizers’ initial decision to pull a documentary about the Oct. 7 attacks from this year’s lineup.EDUARDO LIMA/The Globe and Mail
Days after the Toronto International Film Festival pulled a Canadian documentary about Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, the organization and the filmmaking team say that they resolved issues surrounding the project to confirm its world premiere at the festival next month.
In a joint statement released late Thursday, TIFF chief executive Cameron Bailey and director Barry Avrich say that they 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 the statement, Mr. Bailey also noted that TIFF’s “communication around its requirements” for festival inclusion “did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry.”
While noting the “pain and frustration expressed by the public” over the issue, Mr. Bailey and Mr. Avrich added that more details about the film’s TIFF premiere, including the date, will be announced Aug. 20.
The news arrives after TIFF earned a torrent of international headlines and scorn from politicians both at home and abroad for its back-and-forth decision-making regarding Mr. Avrich’s film.
With files from Josh O’Kane
