Protestors gathered outside of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this past Saturday to demonstrate against a controversial, yet relevant film.
The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue is a film detailing one Israeli grandfather’s (and retired IDF soldier) attempt to rescue his grandchildren after they were kidnapped by Hamas during the infamous Oct. 7th attack. The film had already raised concerns from festival organizers earlier this year. It was initially pulled due to security concerns and legal issues regarding footage taken from Hamas soldiers’ body cams. After backlash, the festival organizers re-instated the screening, and tickets quickly sold out.
Last year, TIFF pulled another film relevant to international global conflicts from its line up titled Russians at War, a documentary that followed Russian soldiers on the front lines of the Ukraine war. The festival published a statement declaring that they were forced to halt screenings due to “threats to festival operations and public safety.”
Documentaries are a form of journalism, and journalism isn’t always safe. The Toronto International Film Fest’s attempts at what could be labelled censorship, say a lot about where our culture is headed: we are grossly risk-averse.
A risk-averse culture is one that is imbued with silence. We cannot say, do, or express certain things for risk of upsetting or offending a particular group of people. Let me be clear — it is not going out of one’s way to intentionally hurt others, or being shocking and offensive for the sake of disruption. It is a cancelling and silencing of voices that are telling truthful stories because we don’t agree or it may cause someone to get upset. The Israeli government is committing genocide, and Hamas killed over one thousand innocent Israeli citizens on Oct.7 — the two are not mutually exclusive. Russia is invading Ukraine, and some Russian soldiers are suffering for it. Truth remains on either side of the coin whether we look or not. To pay attention to one person’s suffering does not negate another’s.
Journalism requires a refusal to ignore facts because they interfere with our politics. This doesn’t mean we can’t have our politics — I greatly encourage you to — it just means that sometimes there are ugly truths that aren’t always nice to look at.
So what’s all this to say, Darien? Well, it’s to encourage you. Come, participate in the discussion, participate in our publication. We want to interact with you, and we (like so few do) want to know your opinion, especially if we don’t like it.
You can communicate with us in the form of letters to the editor, opinion pieces, snapshots, political commentary, or simply give us a pro-tip for surviving on a dry campus (for the love of god bring back the campus pub).
Here at The Cascade, we are open to all opinions, all voices, and all perspectives that are rooted in the truth.
We are journalists.
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.