Did you know that Hamas has a copyright claim on the video they livestreamed on October 7th?
Neither did I. Neither, I expect, did Hamas. It probably never occurred to them that they could claim copyright protection over the video, and for that matter, I’m pretty sure they wanted the world to see it.
That’s why they livestreamed it.
BREAKING: The Toronto International Film Festival has pulled an October 7 documentary over alleged “Hamas copyright” claims.
TIFF removed The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, which tells the story of Noam Tibon, who saved his two granddaughters while surrounded by Hamas… pic.twitter.com/Uk2SUKBR2h
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) August 13, 2025
BREAKING: The Toronto International Film Festival has pulled an October 7 documentary over alleged “Hamas copyright” claims.
TIFF removed The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, which tells the story of Noam Tibon, who saved his two granddaughters while surrounded by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival.
The festival claimed the film used Nir Oz massacre footage “owned” by Hamas and that the filmmakers lacked “legal clearance” to use images Hamas itself posted on October 7.
The real reason, however, may not have been legal risk at all, but rather a desire to avoid “Free Palestine” protests.
By granting Hamas legal legitimacy and silencing the truth of October 7, TIFF chose cowardice.
Despicable.
I’m also pretty sure that copyright protection doesn’t apply in such cases. What is Hamas going to do? Sue in Canadian courts? That would be amusing. Canada has recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization, so their rights are pretty limited in Canada, although these days, you never know. Canada has gone all wobbly on Gaza, threatening to recognize Palestine, although one assumes that they would be focused on the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas.
The Toronto International Film Festival @TIFF_NET is blocking a film about October 7 “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” because it includes footage Hamas filmed themselves, proudly livestreaming their own massacre.
The festival demanded the filmmakers get “legal… pic.twitter.com/kHP9r2RC86
— Tamari 🎗️ (@tammydiamonds) August 13, 2025
The Toronto International Film Festival @TIFF_NET is blocking a film about October 7 “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” because it includes footage Hamas filmed themselves, proudly livestreaming their own massacre.
The festival demanded the filmmakers get “legal clearance” from Hamas for that footage before it could be shown.
Yes, you read that right: footage of their own atrocities can’t be shown unless the terrorists give permission.
This is how far gone the West is protecting the “IP rights” of mass murderers while silencing the truth of their crimes and their victims.
Obviously, the Toronto International Film Festival is totally unconcerned with copyright issues and has no legal fears about Hamas waltzing into Canadian courts to sue them into oblivion. It’s absurd on its face. One assumes that most of the perpetrators of the horrors that took place on October 7th are well and truly dead and unable to give permission to have their video used in a documentary, and that is the point, of course.
A TIFF spokesperson tells Deadline on Tuesday, “The invitation for the Canadian documentary filmThe Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescuewas withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage. The purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption.”
“As per our terms and conditions for participation in the festival, ‘TIFF may disqualify from participation in the Festival any Film that TIFF determines in its sole and absolute discretion would not be in TIFF’s best interest to include in the Festival.’”
The filmmaking team behind The Road Between Us tells Deadline: “We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film. Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable. A film festival lays out the feast and the audience decides what they will or won’t see. We are not political filmmakers, nor are we activists; we are storytellers. We remain defiant, we will release the film, and we invite audiences, broadcasters, and streamers to make up their own mind, once they have seen it.”
Sources tell us that TIFF pulled the movie due to potential risks of disruptive protests at this year’s festival, which runs September 4-14. TIFF faced a similar situation last year with the antiwar documentary Russians at War, which stirred Ukrainian diplomats and activists to urge the fest to cancel screenings, claiming it was Russian propaganda. Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was also riled up over the docu. TIFF halted screenings on Russians at War, then showed the docu days following the festival with heavy security at showtimes.
TIFF wants to bury the whole thing, partly because they implicitly approve of Hamas, and partly because they don’t want to deal with the backlash that they would face.
“Independent.” Geez. About as fearlessly independent as a lapdog begging for treats.
It’s a shame because hamas is extremely proud of their handiwork.
Because they’re insane.
Just like braintrusts at @TIFF_NET pic.twitter.com/7QRqMd84Fz
— mark (@rhapsodyboard) August 13, 2025
ROCK BOTTOM IS MUCH DEEPER THAN WE THOUGHT.
Never in my life could I have imagined this level of grotesque.
You thought you could use the October 7th massacre footage to show the world what happened?
Nope. Apparently, Hamas holds copyright over their own slaughter videos.
Yes, the Toronto Film Festival reportedly canceled the documentary because the terrorists who filmed their own genocidal crimes “own” the footage.
By that logic, Holocaust films should be banned because the Nazis “owned” the reels they shot of the genocide.
I can sympathize, up to a point, with TIFF’s concerns about protests, and given their likely audience–cultural leftists, for the most part–they are probably worried that allowing a film that exposes Hamas’ barbarism would be unpopular with their audience.
So they should tell the truth: raping and murdering Jews is OK in their book, and in the eyes of their audience. Hiding behind phony “copyright” claims is adding insult to injury.
On August 6, TIFF’s lawyer informed the producers that they wanted to see evidence of the indemnification, legal letter and insurance certificate, and screen the film for a third time on August 8 to verify that TIFF’s required changes were made. On Monday, TIFF boss Cameron Bailey called the producers of The Road Between Us and asked them to withdraw the film. We’re told by all sources that the filmmakers refused.
Bailey officially uninvited The Road Between Us in an email to producers today.
The documentary is being distributed by Cineplex in Canada.
Adding insult to injury is part of the point as well.
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