EXCLUSIVE: Barry Avrich’s feature documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue about retired Israeli General Noam Tibon’s rescue of his family at a Gaza raided kibbutz, will be released on Oct. 3 in the U.S. and Canada on north of 125 prints in 20 markets.
Forston Consulting is handling distribution in the U.S. with Cineplex Pictures the release in Canada. The Road Between Us will play in New York, LA, Toronto, San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, Montreal and West Palm Beach. The pic’s release coincides with the two-year mark of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Today’s news comes in the wake of the docu’s world premiere at Roy Thomson Hall last night at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, an evening, that we’re told was met with protests outside and a lot of emotion inside the 2,600 sold out venue. Deadline first told you how TIFF initially uninvited the documentary over submission errors, before having a change of heart and granting the pic a big premiere. Read our interview with Avrich here.
The Globe and Mail reports that the police presence outnumbered protesters which were divided with Palestinian demonstrators on the east side of Simcoe Street and those holding Israeli and Canadian flags on the west side. Security, per the Globe and Mail was “atypically rigorous, with the slow pace of inspections ensuring that the film started 15 minutes late.” Deadline experienced the fierce security at Roy Thomson Hall on Sunday night before the Nuremberg world premiere when the venue was rejecting average-sized backpacks from entering the venue unlike previous years.
Also in attendance last night were the docu’s producer Mark Selby, and pic’s subjects Noam Tibon and Gali Mir-Tibon.
Avrich was intrigued to make a movie about General Tibon given his Taken-like story, by which he took matters into his own hands when he learned that his son and daughter-in-law, Amir and Miri, and their two children were hiding in the safe room after Hamas forces attacked kibbutz Nahal Oz near the northern Gaza Strip on the morning of Oct. 7. But Tibon saved more than his family on his journey to Nahal Oz, rescuing and tending to soldiers, some who joined him on his mission, as well as survivors from the music festival massacre.
Avrich says: “When I first heard Noam’s story, I knew it was not just a story of one man’s courage, but of family, resilience, and the choices we make in the face of terror. This film retraces an extraordinary day but also reflects the broader human capacity for bravery and love in the darkest of moments. I am honored to share this story with audiences across North America and grateful to our partners who believed in its importance from the very beginning.”
The theatrical release is also being supported by The Impact Series, a social-issue–focused organization committed to using film as a catalyst for awareness and action.
The trailer for the documentary was dropped today as well: