New Israeli Oct. 7 film about to premiere at TIFF, amid boycott calls

This week, the Toronto International Film Festival will take over the city’s downtown. Among the many films slated for red-carpet premieres is Our Loves, the latest by award-winning Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher, which will receive its worldwide debut on Sept. 13.– the second day of Rosh Hashana. The film follows ordinary people navigating troubled relationships when Hamas’s massacre unfolds on Oct. 7—but the plot stays focused on how it affects their personal lives, rather than digging into the graphic horrors of that day.

Some anti-Israel activists have called for the film to be boycotted from TIFF, and some Israeli media outlets report that there will be protests. Last year’s festival was mired in controversy over Barry Avrich’s The Road Between Us, a Canadian documentary about one Israeli man’s journey to save his son during Oct. 7, which was scheduled for a debut, then cancelled abruptly—and ultimately reinstated, with an apology from TIFF’s CEO.

But Nesher told Ellin Bessner, host of The CJN’s North Star podcast, that he sees his film’s global debut here in Canada as a victory against the growing international boycott of Israeli art and artists. Listen to the full episode to hear why he still believes TIFF is not a political festival, and how he feels about fictionalizing stories surrounding Oct. 7 only three years after the tragedy.

Related links

Learn more about Avi Nesher’s Oct. 7 -themed film Our Loves premiering at TIFF on Sept. 13 at the TIFF Lightbox.

Watch the trailer for the film.

Read more about TIFF CEO’s apology to the Jewish community in 2025 after cancelling, then uncancelling, Barry Avrich’s Oct. 7 film, in The CJN.

Credits

Host and writer: Ellin Bessner ( @ebessner )

Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Izzie Helenchilde (producer and video editor),l Michael Fraiman (executive producer), Alicia Richler (editorial director)

Music: Bret Higgins

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