In a stunning reversal, the Toronto International Film Festival will “ensure” the screening of a documentary about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel after initially booting the film because the terror group hadn’t given permission to use its footage.
TIFF’s turnaround comes only as the festival faced outrage over reports that “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” wouldn’t be screened, because the filmmakers used footage filmed by Hamas but didn’t obtain the rights for the clips.
Festival CEO Cameron Bailey defended the earlier decision to bump the documentary, insisting in a Wednesday statement that “censorship” had nothing to do with its original stance.
“I want to be clear: Claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false. I remain committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available,” Bailey wrote on social media.
