Claims that the film’s screening was pulled due to censorship are ‘unequivocally false,’ says festival’s chief executive
Canadian director Barry Avrich arrives at the TIFF Tribute Gala in 2019. Avrich and his filmmakers said they were 'shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming' by pulling the screening of Avrich's Oct.
7 documentary.After the Toronto International Film Festival told director Barry Avrich this week that it would pull his latest documentary from its 2025 lineup, organizers changed course Wednesday – and committed to working with his team to screen the film about a rescue during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel.is about a retired Israel Defense Forces general’s quest to save his family during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023. The Globe and Mail first reported Wednesday that TIFF chief executive Cameron Bailey had e-mailed Avrich earlier this week, withdrawing the film because of “the risk of major, disruptive protest actions around the film’s presence at the Festival, including internal opposition, has become too great.” In TIFF’s initial statement to the trade publication Deadline on Tuesday, the festival said it had pulled its invitation because “general requirements for inclusion in the festival” were not met, including clearing the rights for all footage, which includes scenes from Hamas’s livestream of its attack. It also briefly mentioned the “potential threat of significant disruption.”late Wednesday, Bailey appeared to change tack: “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 also said that “claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false.” But his team did not respond to a request for comment about the contents of the letter he had sent Avrich Monday.“Given the sensitive and significant nature of the film’s subject, I believe that it tells an important story and contributes to the rich tapestry of perspectives in our lineup – stories that resonate both here at home and around the world," Bailey’s late-Wednesday statement said.said they were “shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.” Arguing that art “can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable,” they added: “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.” Avrich is a former TIFF board member and a longtime supporter; he is listed on the festival’s website as having provided a “sustaining gift” in the creation of its flagship Lightbox theatre complex. His films have premiered at the festival before, as well, includingMajor-General Noam Tibon’s story of rescuing his son’s family from Hamas’s attack on the kibbutz where they lived has been recounted in media across the world, including onNetanyahu seeking release of all hostages as part of comprehensive Gaza ceasefire deal, officials sayon Hamas, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants., which had been heavily criticized by members of the Ukrainian community. Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova’s film followed Russian soldiers from their homes to the front lines of occupied Ukraine. TIFF wound up screening the film at its Lightbox theatre in Toronto shortly after the festival’s end.from its lineup after an investigation in Der Spiegel surfaced allegations of misconduct toward child actors during its production in Europe. Director Ulrich Seidl wrote on his website that the German magazine’s “incorrect descriptions, rumors and events on the set of” were “taken out of context” and “have been woven into a distorted picture that in no way corresponds to the facts.”A year after controversial TIFF premiere, Russians at War deserves to be seen
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