October 7 documentarian pledges proceeds to help rebuild Israeli kibbutz destroyed by Hamas
Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich has pledged the net profits from his documentary The Road Between Us to help rebuild an Israeli community devastated by the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Avrich’s film follows Noam Tibon, a retired Israeli military general, racing to rescue his family at Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the day of the Hamas invasion. Located alongside the Gaza border, Nahal Oz was infiltrated by about 180 terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Thirteen residents were killed and eight were abducted by Hamas.
“Having gone to that kibbutz, I was extraordinarily overwhelmed with how beautiful it was and how it was once a great source of life and agricultural productivity,” Avrich told National Post on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the atrocities. “I immediately said, ‘What can I do?’”
“I at least wanted to contribute the profits of this film to help rebuild it,” Avrich said. “I do want to dedicate the film to help rebuild that kibbutz and whatever needs to be done to bring new life back there.”
Avrich said that the film’s main character, Tibon, has since moved part-time to live at Nahal Oz “as a symbol to people to come back.” However, he said that many families remain wary of returning. “There’s a lot of horrendous scar tissue and memories. You have people that lost families, or families that were wiped out,” he said.
Still, Avrich sees the continuing story of Nahal Oz as one of resilience and growth.
“When you walk through the streets there, and you look at the empty houses, and you look at the remnants of mortar shells on the streets and houses with bullet holes and smashed in doors and windows, you know, it must be rebuilt,” Avrich said. “It should not be some kind of a monument of what’s happened. It is, in a lot of ways, a place of great courage. But I’m hoping that it is rebuilt, and we’re going to do what we can to help.”
The documentary has gone from strength to strength since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in early September. Four days after its screening, TIFF announced the picture had won the People’s Choice Documentary Award. On Oct. 3, The Road Between Us had its theatrical release in theatres across North America and earned over $50,000 at the Canadian box office in its first weekend.
“I’m very proud of the community that’s come out and supported in a major way,” he said. “I anticipated certain issues that the film would have, as all films of a similar topic have had, but certainly not the incredible global support, which was really a catalyst of the TIFF nightmare.”
Avrich overcame early obstacles when TIFF organizers announced in August that the film was being pulled from the roster due to its failure to meet “legal clearance for all footage.” Canadian politicians and prominent Hollywood celebrities quickly condemned the decision. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey apologized for the incident and appeared at the premiere beside Avrich.
“I want to thank you, here today, to watch the powerful story that unfolds,” Bailey said before the sold-out screening at Roy Thompson Hall in downtown Toronto on Sept. 10. “I want to apologize, especially to the Jewish community, for mistakes I made in the lead-up to this day. In an environment of rising, dangerous antisemitism, I want to apologize.”
Unpublished Newswire
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