Sa’ar slams Toronto festival for cancelling Oct. 7 film: ‘They would have asked Hitler for copyright on Auschwitz footage’

Stav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemns the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on X for canceling the screening of “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” a documentary about the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

“Toronto International Film Festival just cancelled the screening of a film about the October 7 massacre because there was no ‘legal clearance’ from Hamas for their GoPro massacre videos,” Sa’ar writes. “This festival would have asked Hitler or Goebbels for copyright on Auschwitz footage… This vicious and sickening decision must be cancelled immediately!”

The film, directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, tells the story of Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon, who set out to rescue his son, journalist Amir Tibon, and family during the Hamas-led attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which left over a quarter of the southern community’s 400 residents dead or taken hostage. The documentary features footage recorded by Hamas operatives during the attacks.

TIFF cited legal concerns for the cancellation, saying the filmmakers had not obtained “legal clearance” for the footage and requested indemnification to mitigate potential risks.

Additionally, the festival organizers cited a fear of anti-Israel protesters disrupting the festival as part of the reason for the cancellation.

 

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