The Toronto International Film Festival on 13 August withdrew its invitation to screen “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” a Canadian documentary chronicling retired Israeli general Noam Tibon’s rescue of his family during Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Organisers said the filmmakers had not provided “legal clearance of all footage,” including Hamas body-cam video, and cited the need to mitigate the risk of protest-related disruption at the 50th edition of the festival, which opens on 4 September. The decision drew immediate condemnation from director Barry Avrich, Jewish community organisations and several politicians. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, likened TIFF’s demand for Hamas clearance to seeking Adolf Hitler’s permission for Auschwitz footage, while Canadian copyright experts argued that the material would fall under fair-dealing rules. Ontario culture minister Stan Cho and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs urged the publicly funded festival to reverse what they called censorship. Facing the backlash, TIFF chief executive Cameron Bailey issued an apology on 14 August, insisting “claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are unequivocally false” and pledging to work with the producers to meet screening requirements. Later the same day, local media including the Toronto Sun reported that an agreement had been reached and the documentary would be shown as originally planned, pending final legal documentation and security arrangements.