From Habima to Hollywood: A new international project to commemorate October 7

Ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, an international memorial project has been announced that will produce films, plays, and exhibitions to commemorate the events. The first project: a play about Aviva and Keith Siegel at the Habima Theater. Additionally, a monodrama about Omer Wenkert and an English-language Hollywood film are planned.

Ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the establishment of 'The October 7 Global Memorial Project' has been announced. The project aims to document the events of Black Saturday and make their stories accessible to audiences in Israel and worldwide through films, plays, books, exhibitions, and other cultural projects. The first project under this initiative will be a play based on the love and captivity story of Aviva and Keith Siegel, set to premiere at the national Habima Theater and later in the United States. Another production planned for 2027 is a monodrama based on the story of former hostage Omer Wenkert. Concurrently, an English-language Hollywood film is in development, in collaboration with Kastina Communications. The project is led by Eitan Schwartz, who headed the international division of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality. Among his previous productions are the documentary 'Screams Before Silence' led by Sheryl Sandberg, which addresses the sexual crimes committed by Hamas terrorists, and the film 'The Children of October 7' acquired for distribution by Paramount+. The project's activities will be accompanied by an advisory council that includes, among others, Anat and Shimon Elkabetz, parents of Sivan Elkabetz who was murdered in Kfar Aza, and Nova massacre survivor Ella Shani from Be'eri. Funding for the productions is expected to come from donations by philanthropists, foundations, and organizations.