Barry Avrich’s Oct. 7 doc ‘The Road Between Us’ wins Cinema for Peace award

A documentary about a retired Israeli general’s Oct. 7 rescue mission has won a Cinema For Peace award, marking what director Barry Avrich describes as “an extraordinary year” for a film that sparked debate beyond the theatre.

“The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” received the Dove for Justice from the Berlin-based non-profit that uses film to raise awareness of global social, political and humanitarian issues. 

The organizers said in a letter to the director the film is being recognized for the “profound inspiration” it provides to global audiences. 

Cinema for Peace did not respond to requests for more details about the Justice award or who else was nominated this year.

Other major winners announced Monday include Kaouther Ben Hania‘s Oscar-nominated feature “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which was named most valuable film. The docudrama chronicles the Red Crescent’s efforts to save Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces in 2024 during the invasion of Gaza.

In a statement, the Montreal-born Avrich said he is dedicating the award to what he hopes will be “a peaceful end to a horribly dark and conflicted time.”

“The Road Between Us” documents retired Israeli general Noam Tibon’s effort to rescue his family during the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, when 1,200 people were killed and 251 were abducted.

It was the highest-grossing Canadian documentary at the domestic box office last year, according to Telefilm data, generating $198,214. 

“It has been an extraordinary year for our film, always intended as a story about family that we hoped would resonate internationally and successfully put aside politics in favour of a passionate story of a grandparent, in a desperate search and rescue,” Avrich said in an email. 

Avrich says Tibon also received an honorary award at the gala in Berlin on Monday, which was attended by Hillary Clinton and Kevin Spacey, and hosted by Bob Geldof.

During her acceptance speech for “Hind Rajab,” Ben Hania refused to take her award home with her, arguing true peace cannot exist without accountability and that cinema should avoid “image-laundering” violence.

“What happened to Hind is not an exception. It’s a part of a genocide,” said the Tunisian filmmaker in a speech shared online.

“I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched.”

Avrich’s documentary was at the centre of controversy last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

Organizers initially pulled the film from the lineup, citing security and rights concerns, only to reinstate it days later after criticism from politicians, Jewish organizations and entertainment figures.

The film won the People’s Choice Award for best documentary at the TIFF Awards, days after it drew competing pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests outside its single screening at the festival.

Some protesters condemned the decision to reinstate the film, saying it served as “Israeli propaganda” that might justify the country’s retaliatory offensive.

But Avrich has repeatedly held that his film is not political.

On Oct. 10, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas. However, deadly Israeli strikes have repeatedly disrupted the truce since it took effect. 

Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported that 586 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the ceasefire, bringing its cumulative toll to 72,037 since the start of Israel’s offensive.

Cinema For Peace says on its website it has worked on humanitarian initiatives with stars including Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio. It also helped airlift now late Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny out of Russia to Germany after his poisoning in 2020.

– With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2026.