Barry Avrich’s latest doc, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue (pictured), has been definitively added to the lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), days after its invite had been rescinded by the festival team.

In a joint statement issued Thursday evening (Aug. 14) by the TIFF office, festival CEO Cameron Bailey and Avrich said: “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.”

The film tells the story of Noam Tibon, a retired Israeli Defense Forces general who endeavours to rescue his son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. It is written and directed by Avrich, who produced with Mark Selby under their shared Toronto-based banner Melbar Entertainment Group.

On Tuesday, news broke that the invitation for the film to be part of the 50th anniversary edition of TIFF had been rescinded. The festival issued a statement to various news outlets saying that the invitation for screening was “withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage,” adding, “the purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”

An international outcry ensued, with the controversy making the front page of the New York Post among other high-profile media outlets. Politicians and myriad organizations in Canada and abroad also weighed in with criticism of the decision, with some alleging censorship.

On Wednesday, Bailey issued a statement which countered that allegation, and added: “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.”

Thursday’s statement addressed the back-and-forth by saying: “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.”

As for the concerns originally stated by TIFF about the legality of using certain footage in the film, no further details were given.

A world premiere date for the film will be announced on Aug. 20, according to the statement, which concluded: “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.”

This story originally appeared in Realscreen

Image courtesy of Melbar Entertainment Group