Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, a well-known Canadian actress and director, has given back her Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) award for Best Supporting Performance in Sweet Angel Baby because the organizers cut out her pro-Palestine comments from her acceptance speech. The event has caused critics to quit and brought to light tensions in the film industry over free speech and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Tailfeathers sent in a video speech for the March 2026 gala, which she couldn’t go to. In it, she said, “When we were shooting Sweet Angel Baby, October 7th happened and it changed everything.” I just want to say that my heart is still with the people of Palestine who are going through this genocide, and I want to thank anyone in this industry who has had the courage to speak out. Johanna Schneller, president of TFCA, said she edited the speech and others for time, not politics.
Several TFCA members, including Nayman Saff Maeve, Sarah-Tai Black, and Radheyan Simonpillai, who were against the group, resigned in support. This made the controversy even bigger on social media. Tailfeathers, a member of the Kainai First Nation who co-directed the award-winning film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, also spoke out in support of Jewish voices against the conflict and Palestinian artists. This is similar to what happened recently, like when people walked out of the Berlinale over comments about Gaza and the BBC cut parts of BAFTA speeches.
Her part in Melanie Oates’ Sweet Angel Baby (TIFF 2024 debut) got her the award, adding to her Canadian Screen Awards for directing and acting in movies like Night Raiders and Blood Quantum. Tailfeathers tells stories about Indigenous people, women of color, and new ways of telling stories with mostly First Nations crews.
