TIFF CEO apologizes to Jewish community at premiere of October 7 documentary while protesters gather outside

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The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival apologized to the Jewish community at the world premiere of a documentary about the October 7 massacre, as anti-Israel protesters gathered outside to demonstrate against the film.

The screening of The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a film about a man’s efforts to save his family during the deadly Hamas attack, was cancelled last month and then rescheduled following an international outcry. The only one showtime during the film festival quickly sold out after tickets were released in late August, but some complained about the limited seating and lack of additional screening times. The theatre was packed on Wednesday afternoon.

Before the film played at Roy Thompson Hall, director Barry Avrich spoke briefly about the importance of the film and received a standing ovation.

The audience reacted positively and strongly when TIFF chief executive Cameron Bailey expressed regret for earlier missteps he had made.

“I want to thank you, here today, to watch the powerful story that unfolds,” Bailey said to applause before the screening. “I want to apologize, especially to the Jewish community, for mistakes I made in the lead-up to this day. In an environment of rising, dangerous antisemitism, I want to apologize.”

There was a heavy law enforcement presence outside the venue, mostly along Simcoe Street, where a couple dozen anti-Israel demonstrators gathered with banners and loudspeakers.

At one point, a middle-aged white man jumped the barricades separating anti-Israel protesters from a pro-Israel contingent outside Roy Thompson Hall. Police quickly intervened and escorted him out of the area.

Anti-Israel speakers chanted over the din of the crowd as TIFF volunteers ensured attendees in a long line had a ticket.

“ How many of you have parents and grandparents who were victims of the Holocaust?” one male protester said. “How tragic, children, grandchildren of both victims of the Nazi Holocaust, are here to support a Holocaust in the 21st century?”

He condemned those attending the documentary, calling them “ fake Jews, the people that pretend to speak on behalf of Judaism, but you’re eating a pork sandwich on a Saturday afternoon, you have nothing to do with Judaism.”

The documentary follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon as he races through Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to save his family living on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, one of the hardest hit communities near the Gaza border. His son, Amir Tibon, is a prominent Israeli journalist and is featured heavily in the film.

In August, American entertainment outlet Deadline reported that TIFF leaders had pulled the documentary, citing its failure to meet “legal clearance for all footage.” The film’s director, Barry Avrich, a Canadian Jew from Montreal, expressed hope that the documentary could be shown but said TIFF’s decision left him “shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.”

The decision was quickly condemned by Toronto politicians and prominent Hollywood celebrities. A public letter signed by more than 1,000 people in the entertainment industry — including Amy Schumer, Howie Mandel, Debra Messing and Mayim Bialik – demanded that TIFF reverse course.

“This incident is not an anomaly — it is part of a disturbing pattern that has emerged since October 7th, in which Israeli and Jewish creatives in film, television, music, sports, and literature are confronted with barriers no other community is made to face. The deliberate effort to marginalize and silence Jewish voices in the arts worldwide is intolerable, and it cannot be allowed to persist,” the letter read.

TIFF soon after reinstated the film and festival chief executive Cameron Bailey apologized for the incident.

“First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere apologies for any pain this situation may have caused,” Bailey wrote following the backlash. The next day, Bailey and Avrich released a joint statement acknowledging that “a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal and programming concerns” had been overcome.

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