Toronto Film Fest Outrageously Cuts Oct. 7 Doc Because Hamas Didn’t Give Footage Permission: ‘Absurd And Bizarre’

A new documentary about the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel has been dropped from the Toronto International Film Festival, with organizers claiming the filmmakers needed authorization from the terror group to use its own gruesome footage of the attack.

Festival officials said “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” failed to meet the event’s screening requirements, including obtaining what they called “legal clearance” to show Hamas’ live-streamed videos depicting the rape, murder, and abduction of Jews.

The decision stunned the production team, which includes Canadian director Barry Avrich. Speaking to Deadline, they condemned the move, saying TIFF had “defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.”

TIFF’s own mission statement, displayed on its website, declares, “we will defend artistic excellence and artistic freedom.”

Avrich did not provide any additional remarks beyond the group’s statement.

The film follows retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon, who set out to save his family and others amid the Hamas rampage that left 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage.

It incorporates footage recorded by the terrorists themselves, showing the murders committed at the Nova music festival and in nearby communities.

While TIFF claims the filmmakers needed permission from Hamas to use those clips, line producer Talia Harris Ram told the Times of Israel that the explanation made no sense.

“The topic of creators’ rights is something I work with regularly,” she said. “There’s no legal problem with showing these clips, which were already streamed live on October 7. From an intellectual property standpoint, they are clearly in the public domain.”

According to The Post, the project was also covered by insurance designed to protect both the filmmakers and the festival from any legal action.

Some insiders told Deadline the real concern may have been that the film would spark anti-Israel demonstrations in Toronto’s crowded downtown during the festival.

A line at the end of TIFF’s statement appeared to support that idea, referring to the “potential threat of significant disruption” tied to a documentary addressing “highly sensitive subject matter.”

The filmmakers said they had attempted to satisfy TIFF’s requirements, including agreeing to change the original title, “Out of Nowhere,” to “The Road Between Us.”

Nevertheless, their invitation to screen was rescinded on Monday.

Sources told The NY Post that the festival’s board of directors convened to discuss the backlash after the film’s removal.

The production team emphasized that their intent was simply to tell one man’s story — a man also featured on “60 Minutes.”

“We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers,” they said in their statement. “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.”

According to Deadline, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey asked the producers to voluntarily pull the movie, but they refused.

Tibon, the subject of the documentary, condemned the decision.

“The festival management’s claim that the film cannot be screened because ‘permissions to use’ the footage of the Nukhba terrorists were not obtained is absurd and bizarre, and constitutes further harm to the victims,” he told the Times of Israel.

“My message to the festival management: The truth cannot be erased. The atrocities committed by Hamas cannot be erased or denied.”

{Matzav.com}