Canadian Actress Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Returns Toronto Film Critics Award in Response to Censorship of Pro-Palestine Speech

TFCA president Johanna Schneller said that Tailfeathers’ speech had been edited “to maintain the timing of the awards show” and not for political reasons, but that she would resign from her role nonetheless. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Shawn Goldberg/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Canadian actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers says she is “disgusted and ashamed” by the Toronto Film Critics Association’s (TFCA) decision to cut a portion of her awards speech, in which she expressed support for Palestine, from Monday’s awards gala.Tailfeathers was being honored at the TFCA Awards Gala in Toronto with the prize for Best Supporting Performance in a Canadian Film, for her role in Melanie Oates’ drama Sweet Angel Baby. Unable to attend the March 2 ceremony in person, she sent a video message which – in addition to the standard acceptance speech fare – included the statement “my heart continues to be with the people of Palestine who are experiencing this ongoing genocide, and thank you to anyone in this industry who’s been brave enough to say anything.” Related Stories TV Guy Ritchie Returns to Sherlock Holmes With 'Young Sherlock' Stars Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Dónal Finn: "He's Spun It on Its Head" TV HBO's 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Casts Three New Actors for Season 2 That section was cut from the awards gala video.In a furious email sent to TFCA members on Wednesday, Tailfeathers slammed the organization for censorship and vowed to return her trophy. “A choice was made to neutralize and censor my words with the paternalistic excuse that I somehow needed protection from my own 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 profoundly disgusted and ashamed by such an act of censorship. Neutrality is a form of violence; the choice to be apolitical is political. 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 do not know how this rupture can be repaired,” she wrote. “The moral injury I carry with me cannot be undone.”In response to her letter, TFCA president Johanna Schneller said that Tailfeathers’ speech had only been edited “to maintain the timing of the awards show” and not for political reasons. Nevertheless, she said she would resign as the organization’s president.“We were proud to recognize her work, which was both deserving and meaningful,” Schneller said in a statement. “Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ speech – along with those of other recipients – was shortened to maintain the timing of the awards show. That decision was mine as president, and in light of this outcome, I will be tendering my resignation.” She added that the TFCA encourages all winners to share full remarks on their personal platforms. “Film is a powerful space for dialog, 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 Baby, which premiered at TIFF in 2024, Tailfeathers has been celebrated for her producing and directing work. She is best known for her 2019 film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which she co-directed with Kathleen Hepburn. That film won the 2020 Canadian Screen Award for Best Director, as well as the top TFCA prize for Best Canadian Film. The controversy is the latest in a now long string of incidents involving arts organizations, awards speeches, and the Israel-Palestine conflict, with tensions perennially on a knife-edge.Last month, a German cabinet minister walked out of the Berlinale’s awards ceremony after Syrian-Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib (Chronicles of a Siege) called out the German and Israeli governments for the “genocide in Gaza,” in a row that nearly forced out the head of the Berlin Film Festival. Also in February, the BBC came under fire for cutting from its BAFTA awards broadcast the phrase “free Palestine,” from British director Akinola Davies Jr.’s winning speech, in a scandal only overshadowed by the greater fallout from its even poorer decision to keep in a Tourette’s sufferer’s involuntarily uttered racial slurs, despite there being a significant delay time between the live event and subsequent broadcast. Tailfeathers’ full letter to the TFCA is below. To the membership and executives of the Toronto Film Critics Association; Firstly, I would like to thank the TFCA for recognizing my performance in Melanie Oates’ beautiful film, Sweet Angel Baby. Playing T