By John Corrado
On the morning of October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists broke through the border between Israel and Gaza, and began indiscriminately murdering innocent civilians, including women and children, many of them executed in their homes. It was the worst mass murder of Jewish people since the Holocaust, and nearly two years later, there are still hostages taken on that day being held in Gaza.
Amir Tibon was living with his wife Miri and two young daughters in Nehal Oz, a kibbutz less than a kilometre from the Gaza border. When Amir heard automatic gunfire break out in the village, from terrorists who had broken through the gate, he hid his family in their safe room and called his father; retired IDF general Noam Tibon.
Noam Tibon is the subject of prolific Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich’s powerful and harrowing documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue. The film was already a source of controversy when TIFF initially decided to pull it from the festival, before CEO Cameron Bailey was forced to invite it back amidst outcry.
In exchange, the film was only given one screening today at Roy Thomson Hall. Bailey, to his credit, apologized in his intro speech for the hurt he has caused the Jewish community.
Avrich’s film is about Noam Tibon’s fearless bravery as he rescued his family during the horrors of October 7th. Living in Tel Aviv, Noam had to drive through an active war zone in order to reach his family. But he got in his jeep with his wife, Gali Mir-Tibon, and started making the trek to Nehal Oz. They would drive through an apocalyptic hellscape of dead bodies on the road, encountering survivors of the Nova Festival massacre along the way.
Through interviews, the Tibon family tell the story in their own words. It’s mixed with sickening footage of the massacre, including what Hamas live-streamed themselves while carrying out the slaughter (not getting the right clearances to use this footage is the erroneous excuse TIFF gave for dropping the film).
Avrich’s film gives us a minute-by-minute account of the early hours of October 7th (including a ticking clock onscreen), as terrified residents in the kibbutz wait for the military to come rescue them. The film is impressively edited together by Dave Kennedy, who assembles the interviews and footage into a compelling, thriller-like narrative focused specifically on these few hours.
This isn’t a film about the ensuing and ongoing war in Gaza. In the final moments, one of the subjects even raises questions about the extent of Israel’s response. But it is a film that requires us to bear witness to the events of October 7th. That this film, simply documenting the abject horrors of that day, became so controversial, speaks more to one side not wanting this footage to be seen.
That the screening required such a heavy police and security presence, including extensive bag checks and pat-downs of patrons going in, speaks volumes. The usual protestors waving Palestinian flags gathered outside, shouting on a loud speaker and trying, unsuccessfully, to intimidate the line of ticket holders going in.
But the screening went off without a hitch inside, and received multiple standing ovations, including for Noam and his wife, who joined Avrich and producer Mark Selby for the Q&A. This will go down as one of the most important films to ever screen at TIFF. Kudos to the festival for screening it, after the shameful initial decision to pull it. An essential documentary.
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