TIFF CEO apologizes for pulling and reinviting documentary about Oct. 7 to the festival

CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, Cameron Bailey, apologized for any hurt caused by the festival's decision to pull and then reinvite a film about the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

"I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration, or disappointment that our communication about the film has caused, and for any mischaracterizations that have taken root. We're working now — and we will be for a while — to clarify things and to repair relationships," Bailey said, speaking at a pre-festival event.

Bailey had apologized in a previous statement, but this was his first public appearance since the disinvitation made headlines last week.

Organizers initially invited the film — titled The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue by Canadian director Barry Avrich — to the festival in order to showcase a "painful but an important" story, Bailey said. The CEO added that's something TIFF is still committed to.

The film retells the events of Oct. 7 in Israel through the perspective of a retired army general, Noam Tibon, as he tried to save his son and his family from Hamas' attack.

Festival organizers first pulled the film last week. Deadline, first to report the news, said the decision was made due to security concerns and issues with the "legal clearance of all footage."

The decision quickly drew criticism from a number of groups and officials, including the Creative Community for Peace, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa'ar, and a number of entertainment leaders.

In a statement last Wednesday, Bailey said TIFF was committed to working with the filmmakers to meet the festival's screening requirements, before officially announcing the documentary's reinvitation the next day in a joint statement from the festival and filmmakers.

Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said Bailey's apology and the fact that film is back on are steps in the right direction. But he said he still wants to see "accountability," and measures taken to ensure that situations like this don't happen again.

"This goes far beyond just a communications failure on the part of TIFF. There are serious issues that need to be addressed in order for us to have confidence in things going forward," Shack said.

Shack said the initial removal of the film went against the festival's "core values of inclusivity and integrity." He said that the next steps that would prevent similar situations in the future should be up to TIFF's leadership to determine.

He also encouraged people to go see the film when it does come to the festival this fall.

"There's been a lot of talk about the film and I suspect that most people talking about it have not seen it, don't really know the story, and it's an incredible story," Shack said. "So I really encourage people to go and watch it, and take part in the festival through engaging with this important piece of art."

The Road Between Us will premiere at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on Sept. 10 as part of the festival, and tickets will be available to the public starting Aug. 25.