OP-ED: Toronto film festival censors Israeli hero’s story

Sue-Ann Levy writes, "Over the past few weeks and months, it has become abundantly clear to me that we are living in a country where decisions are made based on fear and cowardice."

Source: Destination Toronto

By Sue-Ann Levy

Over the past few weeks and months, it has become abundantly clear to me that we are living in a country where decisions are made based on fear and cowardice instead of a moral compass or a desire to do what’s right.

The decision by Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) director Cameron Bailey to remove a film based on the story of an Israeli hero — retired IDF general Noam Tibon — who saved his entire family from Hamas terrorists and rescued survivors of the Nova Music Festival during the horrible massacre of Oct. 7th, ranks up there among the most scandalous and insane.

Ironically, the director is Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, who has a long history with TIFF. Even more ironic is that Tibon’s story was covered by 60 Minutes in October of 2023.

Initially, TIFF officials — who made Avrich change the name of his film to The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue and asked for three screenings before making their decision — claimed they couldn’t accept the film because the director did not clear the rights to use Hamas’s livestream on GoPro. That footage was all over the internet subsequent to the attack, but TIFF was concerned Hamas would sue.

My goodness, have we ever heard something more insane?

Anyone who heard that knew that was the most flimsy, asinine excuse ever.

I suspected it was more about cowardice and bullying by activists within and outside of TIFF.

Sources soon confirmed that members of Bailey’s team were highly resistant to featuring the film in the festival — I suspect because the truth might challenge their narrative that sees Israel as the oppressor and the Palestinians as the oppressed.

It’s a terrible thing, that truth.

When TIFF decided to spotlight Tel Aviv in its 2009 festival and perennial anti-Israel, pro-Palestine types like John Greyson pulled out, then director Piers Handling held firm.

Greyson helped organize Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in Toronto’s Pride parade in 2009.

Handling did not back down despite a protest letter from such “notables” as Danny Glover and Jane Fonda, as well as Naomi Klein, who didn’t want propaganda from an “apartheid regime.”

No one ever said these people were bright.

In any event, Bailey’s complete and shameful capitulation to the terrorists and their sympathizers brought this stern statement from the filmmaking team:

”We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film…A film festival lays out the feast and the audience decide what they will or won’t see. We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers.”

The statement says the filmmakers remain “defiant” that they will release the film and invite a wide range of people to “make up their own minds”, once they have seen it.

Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, also had some sharp words to say at a One Family event on Wednesday about the Jew hatred enabled by this shameful decision. He suggested this merely enables the terrorist sympathizers.

I’m not shocked.

Nothing much has shocked me in the past 22 months.

But I am genuinely saddened, and angry, that we have such cowardly, short-sighted and self-serving decision makers in government, in institutions and in organizations like TIFF.

Besides, what right do they have to decide what the general public sees and doesn’t see?

Their ignorance is astounding, and their moral compass is missing in action.

N.B. In an attempt at damage control, late Wednesday evening, TIFF’s Cameron Bailey issued a milquetoast statement apologizing for the pain the situation may have caused. He said claims that the film was rejected due to censorship are “unequivocally false.”

He added that the events of Oct. 7 and ongoing suffering in Gaza weigh heavily on them and underscore the need for compassion among rising anti-Semitism and — get this — Islamophobia.

No word on whether he intends to reverse his decision.

There are two films about Palestine already scheduled to be seen at TIFF.