TIFF confirms it has reinstated film on October 7

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Thursday night officially announced that it had reversed its controversial decision to pull a film depicting the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

In an official statement, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey and filmmaker Barry Avrich said, “Over the past 24 hours, there has been much discussion about TIFF's decision to withdraw its invitation to The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue for this year's festival. Both TIFF and the filmmakers have heard the pain and frustration expressed by the public and we want to address this together.”

“We 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 this case, TIFF's communication around its requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry.”

“Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their passion, honesty, and belief in the importance of film. We look forward to announcing more details including the World Premiere date on August 20th,” concluded the statement.