“I wanted to make a film about family, not flags,” said Barry Avrich, in an interview about his documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, which tells the extraordinary story of how retired IDF Maj.-Gen. Noam Tibon headed south on October 7 to save his son’s family in Kibbutz Nahal Oz.
The Road Between Us opens in theaters throughout the US on October 3 and will be shown twice at the Haifa International Film Festival, which runs from October 5-14, in the presence of Avrich and Tibon. The film will also be shown on Yes Docu on October 16 and will become available on Yes VOD.
It’s no wonder that this rousing, emotional film about the power of a father’s love won the coveted People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, although there was also a great deal of drama on the road to its triumphant screening there.
After being accepted, the movie was disinvited and a ridiculous demand was issued, that Avrich – a distinguished documentary director who has made almost 70 films, including Prosecuting Evil, the story of the last living Nuremberg Trial prosecutor – secure permission from Hamas terrorists to use their bodycam footage. This footage had been broadcast live and used in countless other films, television programs, and newscasts without any such permission being secured. The film was reinstated after an outpouring of support from around the globe.
A story of heroism amid the October 7 massacre
Tibon’s story, one of the few rays of light to come out of the devastation of the Hamas massacre, was widely covered in Israel shortly after the outbreak of the war and was also featured on a segment of the US newsmagazine show, 60 Minutes.
Tibon’s son Amir, a journalist for Haaretz who has since written a book about the attack on Nahal Oz and the events leading up to it, was living with his wife and two young daughters on the kibbutz when Hamas attacked. Hiding in their safe room, Amir texted his father that from about 7:15 a.m., they could hear terrorists shooting and talking just outside their window.
Tibon and his wife, Gali, immediately sprang into action. Tibon took his gun and tried to reach his contacts in the IDF while Gali drove them towards the Gaza Envelope area at breakneck speed.
In the film, Gali explains, “In the family, we call [Tibon] 911 because whatever you need... he will do.” Tibon says that while at first, he felt, “I need to trust that the IDF will do their job. I was there for 35 years,” he had also had “a gut feeling... this is the instinct of a father,” that he needed to take action. “I was willing to do whatever was needed to keep my family alive... Basically, I felt I’m on a mission.”
Along the way, they picked up a couple who had escaped from the Nova music festival and took them to a safe location, then stopped to help soldiers who had been wounded at a roadblock. Eventually, Gali took the soldiers to the hospital, while Tibon joined another former IDF general, Israel Ziv, who took him to Nahal Oz.
Tibon arrived there just as Maglan and Givati forces were entering the kibbutz, and was able to use his knowledge of the area to help direct them. After hours of fierce fighting, he was able to reach his son’s house, where he found the family safe; his granddaughter cried jubilantly, “Grandpa’s here,” when he knocked on their window.
I asked Tibon why he thought his story – out of so many from that day – had captured people’s imaginations.
“I think what’s universal about my story is that it’s about a grandfather, a father, and a mother fighting for their family. That is something everyone can relate to – parents all over the world understand the instinct to protect their children and grandchildren. When people watch the movie, I hope they ask themselves: ‘What would I do if I were in this situation? How would I react to chaos when my family is under threat?’ That’s why I believe the story resonates globally,” he said.
“The film is also about what really happened in Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7. Barry brought footage – much of it taken by the terrorists themselves – that shows the truth. And as an outsider, a Canadian, he could present it in a way Israelis might not.”
AVRICH SAID, “I never set out to make a film about October 7 in general. I wanted to tell the story of this family. When I saw Noam on 60 Minutes – the look in his eyes – I was struck. As a father myself, I asked: What would I do if I got that text message? That’s what drew me in. My filmmaking is not political... And when I reached out, I expected him to say no, but instead, there was an instant chemistry. He trusted me, and that trust was everything.”
Asked if anything surprised him about working on the film, Avrich replied, “Two things. First, retracing the steps with Noam – watching him relive those moments with such raw emotion – was extraordinary. Second, his ethic: Even though he was desperate to reach his son and granddaughters, he stopped to help wounded strangers. I kept asking myself, could I do that? It was humbling.”
Tibon explained, “It was terrifying, but my values guided me: never leave anyone behind. That day, I helped wounded soldiers and civilians even though I didn’t know what was happening with my own family. I could not abandon them.”
Tibon said he was pleasantly surprised by Avrich’s skill: “He was professional, clear in his vision, and he created an atmosphere of trust. Because of that, I opened up to him in ways I normally wouldn’t. When I saw the finished film, I was even more surprised at how powerfully he had told the story.”
Given how compelling the film is, it must have been especially shocking when it was disinvited from TIFF.
Avrich admitted, “It was devastating when it was pulled. I’ve made almost 70 films, but this was personal. The validation came when 1,800 people stood for us before even seeing the film, and later when it won the People’s Choice Award. That told me the people – not a jury or committee – wanted this story told...
“I’ve said to people: in the entire conflict since October 7, in how the world has translated and looked at it – there was a moment, when the film was put back into the festival, when people fought to get it back in. For the first time, I felt a ray of hope.”
Tibon added, “For me, the most important thing was that the Jewish community in Canada, the US, and Israel stood up and said: This movie is not about politics, it’s about family and truth.”
The film begins and ends with a surprising framing device: Clips of a broadcast from the 1950s by Edward R. Murrow, who did a report about Kibbutz Nahal Oz on his nightly news broadcast.
“When we were doing our visual research for the film, we found that Murrow had been there. The same kibbutz... The same command post is still there – now rusty and falling apart, but still there. And I said: What? I can’t believe this. I had to have that footage,” said Avrich.
The end of the film features Murrow noting that there is still “the smell of war out there, and everyone must have on their conscience whether it could have been prevented.”
Avrich said, “And, of course, the question becomes: What has changed? What has changed in 75 years? This is still a kibbutz on the border, still living on a nerve.”
The movie ends on a stirring note, as Tibon and Gali begin to spend about half their time on the kibbutz, helping the kibbutz members to rebuild it.
Asked whether they had any last words about the film and its journey, Tibon said, “The main interest today is to end the war and bring the hostages back home,” and he mentioned Omri Miran, a hostage from Kibbutz Nahal Oz who is still being held. “That will bring hope and courage to the Nahal Oz community, to rebuild themselves. That is Zionism in my eyes: to be there.” He also said, “I want to honor all the heroes who fought with me that day – soldiers and civilians, some of whom lost their lives. And I want people everywhere to ask themselves about their values, and what they would do to protect their families… Right now, two years after October 7, it’s still an open wound. And it’s important for me that people know what really happened that day – especially outside Israel.”
Avrich said, “Go and see this film. With all the horrendous darkness in the world, I hope people will walk out somewhat inspired, somewhat lifted.”