Toronto Film Critics Association aims to bring members back after mass resignations over Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ edited speech

TORONTO — The Toronto Film Critics Association says it will make changes to its awards process in an effort to bring back members who resigned en masse over the editing of a speech by actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers at its gala.

In a statement Monday, acting president Pat Mullen apologized to Tailfeathers after her recorded acceptance speech was edited, which the previous president said was done for length.

The cuts removed remarks in which Tailfeathers expressed support for Palestine, prompting her to return her TFCA Award for best supporting performance in “Sweet Angel Baby” last week, calling the edits “censorship” of her words.

So far, the controversy has led to at least a dozen members of the critics’ group to resign, with several criticizing the organization for what they perceive as an attempt to silence the Canadian actor.

In an email statement, Mullen said members of the association “unanimously embrace freedom of speech” and said from now on winners can review and approve any pre-recorded speeches before they air at the awards gala.

Organizers will also be required to clearly communicate time limits or other concerns during the process, he said.

Mullen said the TFCA has reached out to members who resigned in hopes of discussing the circumstances behind their departures and addressing concerns within the organization, with the goal of creating a more “member-forward” group.

The association would welcome their return and remains open to bringing in new members to “better represent the Toronto film scene,” he added.

“We sincerely apologize to Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers for the fact that her message was not aired in full and that she was neither given an opportunity to review the edits to her acceptance speech, nor were time constraints communicated to her,” Mullen wrote.

He also said the group is apologizing to members who were “personally and professionally offended” by the situation.

“You denounced censorship, as do we,” he wrote.

The TFCA is made up of entertainment writers and hands out the awards annually.

Mullen added that he corresponded with Tailfeathers last week and made it clear that he was not involved in cutting her speech.

“I was not a part of any conversation to edit her speech and, like my colleagues, only learned of it via Elle-Máijá’s email to the group, and greatly admire her voice as an artist and activist,” he wrote.

Last week, the TFCA’s now former president Johanna Schneller resigned in light of the controversy and said the actor’s speech was cut “to maintain the timing of the awards show.”

Among the TFCA members who have stepped down are Toronto International Film Festival programmer Kelly Boutsalis, former TIFF programmer Norm Wilner and several critics, including Radheyan Simonpillai, Sarah-Tai Black, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Adam Nayman and Saffron Maeve.

Simonpillai told The Canadian Press he will not return to the TFCA. He said he rejected the suggestion that time constraints justified editing Tailfeathers’ speech.

“Timing has never been an issue in the past, and it certainly wasn’t when it comes to the other speeches, presentations and the unnecessarily long video montage at the ceremony in question,” he said.

“If timing were an issue, in a ceremony that isn’t even pressured by broadcast standards, then the respectful way to handle that is in communication with the artist, whose speech seemed to be the only one that was visibly edited.”

In her resignation statement, Schneller said other videos were edited for time as well.

Simonpillai added that he feels for Schneller amid the controversy, saying he believes she bore the brunt of the backlash.

“I’m thinking about Johanna in this. She’s a good person and irreplaceable leader despite this error in judgment, which she clearly didn’t make on her own.”

Tailfeathers has not responded to requests for comment.

In her acceptance speech, she said her heart was with “the people of Palestine who are experiencing this ongoing genocide,” and she thanked “anyone in this industry who’s been brave enough to say anything.”

Simonpillai said the edit felt especially jarring given what the speech was acknowledging.

“There’s considerable irony to a critics’ organization cutting out the part in a speech that was thanking critics for being principled and speaking up,” he said.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and saw more than 250 taken hostage. The hostages have been released, mostly as part of ceasefire deals

Israel’s campaign has killed more than 72,000 people, nearly half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-led government, keeps detailed casualty records that U.N. agencies and independent experts generally regard as reliable, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2026.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press