Canadian actress Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers said she is “disgusted and ashamed” by the Toronto Film Critics Association’s (TFCA) decision to remove part of her awards speech, in which she expressed support for Palestine, from Monday’s awards ceremony.
Tailfeathers was honored at the TFCA Awards in Toronto with the award for Best Supporting Performance in a Canadian Film, for her role in the Melanie Oates drama. Sweet angel baby.
Unable to attend the March 2 ceremony in person, she sent a video message that included — in addition to the standard cost of an acceptance speech — the words, “My heart remains with the people of Palestine who are suffering from this ongoing genocide, and thank you to anyone in this industry who was brave enough to say anything.”
This section was cut from the awards ceremony video.
In an angry email sent to TFCA members on Wednesday, Tailfeathers criticized the organization for oversight and vowed to return her trophy. “The choice was made to neutralize and monitor my words with the paternalistic excuse that I needed to be protected from my words,” she wrote.
She continued: “This is deeply troubling. The TFCA Awards are a celebration of cinematic expression and censorship is the enemy of expression. I am deeply disgusted and ashamed by such an act of censorship. Neutrality is a form of violence; choosing not to be apolitical is a political choice. I cannot, in good conscience, accept this award now that it has been tainted by censorship.”
She added that she was not interested in receiving an apology. “I don’t know how to fix this rip,” she wrote. “The moral injury I carry with me cannot be undone.”
In response to her letter, TFCA President Joanna Schneller said Tailfeathers’ letter was only edited to “preserve the timeliness of the awards show” and not for political reasons. However, she said she would resign as president of the organization.
“We are proud to recognize her work, which was both worthy and meaningful,” Schneller said in a statement. “The Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers speech – along with the speeches of the other winners – has been shortened to preserve the timeliness of the awards ceremony. This decision was my decision as President, and in light of this outcome, I will tender my resignation.”
She added that TFCA encourages all winners to share full feedback on their personal platforms. “Film is a powerful space for dialogue, reflection, and human connection,” Schneller said. “Recognizing and celebrating the work of all artists is essential in fostering a cultural landscape that values diverse perspectives, histories, and lived experiences.”
Beyond her work in Sweet angel childwhich premiered at TIFF in 2024, Tailfeathers has been celebrated for her producing and directing work. She is best known for her 2019 movie The body remembers when the world opened upWhich she co-directed with Kathleen Hepburn. This film won the 2020 Canadian Screen Award for Best Director, as well as the TFCA Award for Best Canadian Film.
This controversy is the latest in a long line of incidents involving arts organizations, award speeches, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with tensions always on a knife-edge.
Last month, a German minister withdrew from the Berlinale awards ceremony after Syrian-Palestinian director Abdullah Al-Khatib (Siege records(He called on the German and Israeli governments for “genocide in Gaza,” in a dispute that nearly forced the president of the Berlin Film Festival to resign.
Also in February, the BBC came under fire for its BAFTA awards broadcast of cutting out the phrase “Free Palestine” from British director Akinola Davies Jr’s winning speech, in a scandal overshadowed by the larger fallout from its more modest decision to forcibly retain the racial slurs uttered by one of Tourette’s victims, despite a significant lag time between the live event and the subsequent broadcast.
Below is Tailfeathers’ full letter to the TFCA.
To the members and directors of the Toronto Film Critics Association;
Firstly, I would like to thank TFCA for recognizing my performance in Melanie Oates’ beautiful film, Sweet angel baby. Playing Tony has been one of the highlights of my career, and I’m incredibly proud of this film and everything it has to offer; Especially as a queer Indigenous woman. As a director, I have deep respect for the work of film critics, so I don’t take this appreciation lightly.
Unfortunately, I am writing to inform you that I will be returning the award due to the TFCA leadership choosing to censor my speech regarding Palestine. I wasn’t able to attend the ceremony in Toronto, so I sent my acceptance letter via video. The following phrase has been removed from the video – When we were filming Sweet Angel Baby, October 7th happened and changed everything. I just want to say that my heart is still with the people of Palestine who are suffering from this ongoing genocide and I thank anyone in this industry who was brave enough to say anything.
Instead, the decision was clearly made to neutralize and monitor my words under the paternalistic argument that I needed to be protected from my words. This is very disturbing. I used these words in my video recording specifically because I wouldn’t be in the room saying them with a microphone in my hand. The TFCA Awards are a celebration of cinematic expression and censorship is the enemy of expression. I am extremely disgusted and ashamed by such an act of censorship. Neutrality is a form of violence. The choice to be apolitical is a political choice. I cannot, in good conscience, accept this award now that it has been tainted by censorship. I don’t know how to fix this rupture and I’m not interested in receiving an apology. The moral damage I carry with me cannot be undone.
Two years ago, I quit social media after constant harassment from multiple industry professionals — a producer, a publicist, and a photographer come to mind. I also left social media because I could not make peace while continuing business as usual while the Canadian government – the same government that funds our cultural institutions – continued to arm Israel in its ongoing attack on Palestinian civilians. I am also aware of background conversations by people in positions of authority in the industry regarding my views on Palestine, which will likely have an impact on my career and livelihood. People talk and this industry is small. I refuse to be silenced and I refuse to stand on the wrong side of history in order to appease people who abuse their positions of power.
As Omar Akkad put it, one day, everyone will always be against this. Just as settlers in Canada now acknowledge the stolen lands of indigenous people, as they did at the TFCA ceremony, the descendants of the apolitical will one day claim to care about the plight of Palestinians living under illegal occupation, apartheid and genocide.
As I mentioned in my video, thank you to anyone in this industry who was brave enough to speak up for the people of Palestine. You nourish my soul and give me the courage to speak up. Furthermore, I thank the filmmakers and everyone involved in supporting brave and necessary films that speak to the reality of Palestinians. The Palestinian people deserve dignity, humanity and sovereignty. As I have said many times before, I truly sympathize with those who have been harmed by anti-Semitic violence in the Jewish community. Anti-Semitism is completely unacceptable, and I have witnessed the pain of many of my Jewish friends and colleagues. If we aim to rid our world of anti-Semitism, we must also rid this world of Islamophobia and hatred against Palestinians.
To those in the Jewish community who speak out against the genocide of Palestinians, I recognize the enormous risk you take in criticizing the actions of the State of Israel. You are brave and your actions do not go unnoticed. To my Palestinian family, especially artists and filmmakers, I use the words of Fatima Hassouna and say, “I put my soul in my hands and walk with you.”
