Sawt Falasteen - Israel film debuts in Toronto after festival uncertainty

Groups supporting Israel and the Palestinians faced off outside the venue before the screening of "The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue," which charts how retired Israeli general Noam Tibon saved his family and others during the 2023 Hamas attack.

There were no reported incidents of violence during the protests.

The Canadian-produced film drew significant attention ahead of TIFF, after it was briefly withdrawn from the festival.

Organizers cited a lack of "legal clearance" for certain footage used, triggering protests from more than 1,000 entertainment industry figures including Amy Schumer and Debra Messing, who signed a petition accusing TIFF of silencing Jewish voices.

TIFF chief executive Cameron Bailey denied reports that director Barry Avrich was asked to secure rights to use actual Hamas bodycam footage of the attacks.

"At no point did we ask the filmmakers to seek approval or clearance from Hamas, a terrorist organization," Bailey told the Globe and Mail newspaper this week.

"That is, of course, something that we wouldn't do."

Before introducing the film on Friday, Bailey conceded TIFF mishandled the film's submission process.

"I want to apologize, especially to the Jewish community, for mistakes I made in the lead up to this day," he told a packed 2,000-seat venue in downtown Toronto.

- 'Flag of a family' -

The film recounts Tibon's journey from Tel Aviv to Nahal Oz, a kibbutz on the border with Gaza, where his son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters were hiding in a safe room after Hamas fighters entered the community.

Avrich said Friday that he was drawn to the story as a father, and that it does not have a political message.

"This film is wrapped in the flag of a family," he told the premiere audience.

Protesting outside the venue, Palestinian-Canadian Bassem Ramli told AFP he was not objecting to the contents of the film specifically, but opposed TIFF's decision to allow the former Israeli army general on its red carpet.

"This person does not deserve to be celebrated as a hero, let alone at this time," the 39-year-old said.

"Would it be OK to have, say, a senior Russian general being right now celebrated as a hero? I don't think this is something that would be really accepted," he added.

Waving an Israeli flag outside the theatre, Jeffrey Raphael teared up when asked about the anger surrounding the film.

"I understand there is perspective from Palestinians in the film festival, so why can't we hear other perspectives?" the 55-year-old said.

The Hamas attacks resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,656 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.

During the post-premiere Q&A, when the moderator mentioned the Palestinian toll from the Israeli offensive, substantial numbers of the apparently pro-Israeli audience booed and jeered.

H.Darwish--SF-PST