TIFF documentary about October 7 sells out amid calls for additional screenings

Next month’s world premiere of a documentary that follows an Israeli man’s attempt to save his family on October 7 is already sold out after it was pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival and eventually reinstated following an international uproar.

The film, The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, is scheduled to be shown at Roy Thompson Hall in downtown Toronto on Sept. 10. The venue has a capacity of nearly 1,800 seats, according to Ticketmaster.

The Road Between Us follows Noam Tibon, a retired Israel Defense Forces general, racing from Tel Aviv to save his son’s family who were sheltering in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a community near the Gaza border that was besieged by Hamas fighters. Noam’s son, Amir Tibon, is a prominent Israeli journalist who writes for Haaretz.

A member of the Facebook community “Everything Jewish Toronto,” posted a screenshot of his attempt to get tickets after they were released to the general public on Monday, showing a generic message from Ticketmaster noting, “Tickets are sold out now. Check back soon.” National Post saw an identical message when it checked on Tuesday morning.

The announcement triggered a discussion in the Facebook group. One user, claiming to be a TIFF member with early ticket access, said that all the tickets were sold out within hours last Wednesday, during an exclusive early-bird sale. Commenters encouraged one another to contact TIFF and request that another showing of the documentary be scheduled to meet the high demand. Members of a separate Facebook community, “TIFF Tickets,” also bemoaned the sold-out showing.

The Post contacted TIFF for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Earlier in August, an American entertainment magazine reported that TIFF organizers decided to pull the film from the festival’s lineup because some of its footage, which included atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, failed to meet the “legal clearance of all footage.”

The decision caused an uproar among Canadian politicians and prominent members of the entertainment community, including Howie Mandel and Mayim Bialik, to reinstate the film. The backlash prompted TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey to address the controversy.

I have learned that TIFF has reversed its decision and will screen ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue’. This is the right call. But this never should have happened – and it shouldn't have taken a public outcry to reverse this mistake. TIFF owes Barry Avrich a public… pic.twitter.com/dIBd09OW8Z

— Brad Bradford✌️ (@BradMBradford) August 14, 2025

“First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere apologies for any pain this situation may have caused,”   Bailey wrote   in mid-August. The following day, Bailey and the documentary’s director, Barry Avrich,   released a joint statement   acknowledging that “a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal and programming concerns” had been reached.

Last Wednesday, Bailey said in his first public remarks about the incident, the festival remained committed “to challenging relevant screen storytelling,” expressing his desire to “repair relationships.” Bailey also acknowledged he regretted any prior “mischaracterizations” of the film.

• Entertainment industry leaders criticize TIFF’s handling of October 7 film in open letter
• TIFF CEO apologizes for 'hurt, frustration' caused by cancelling October 7 documentary

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