“I’m fighting for awareness of what happened in the Holocaust and what happened on Oct. 7. We can’t just ignore it,” Oscar-winning Israeli director Guy Nattiv said.
By Shiryn Ghermezian, Algemeiner
Gal Gadot arrives for the Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, April 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci
Oscar-winning Israeli director Guy Nattiv and Israeli actress Gal Gadot will host a private screening in Los Angeles of uncensored footage provided by Israel documenting the deadly massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorists in the Jewish state on Oct. 7.
Nattiv — who recently directed Golda and the first Israeli-Iranian co-production Tatami — announced the screening on Sunday in an Instagram post. The film will showcase extremely graphic and violent footage, including videos of Hamas terrorists brutally murdering civilians. Prominent Hollywood celebrities and executives are invited to the screening, but exact details regarding the date and guest list have not been announced. No filming or phone use will be permitted during the event.
About 120 people will reportedly attend the initial screening, and if it garners more interest, further screenings may be arranged.
The Israeli government is currently organizing screenings for journalists in several cities to view uncensored footage of the atrocities. The Algemeiner attended a screening in New York on Friday along with other journalists and diplomats.
In 2019, Nattiv became the first Israeli filmmaker to ever win an Oscar for his live action short film Skin. Talking about his decision to host the upcoming screening about the Hamas atrocities, he said, “I’m a humanist, I have Palestinian friends. But when I saw the horrific images from Oct. 7 — it reminded me of my grandfather, who said that during the Holocaust, the world stood by and did nothing when Jews were sent to gas chambers. As a filmmaker, I swore that these scenes from Oct. 7 would not be forgotten, and the world would see them.”
He added, “I’m fighting for awareness of what happened in the Holocaust and what happened on Oct. 7. We can’t just ignore it.”
The screening will also be open to other filmmakers, including directors and producers. “People with a background in filmmaking, so we can show them this brutal movie that resembles films made about the Holocaust,” Nattiv said.
The Israeli government initially screened the same footage for foreign press last month, and a number of audience members broke down in tears, with some leaving mid-way through, after seeing evidence of the rape, torture, burnings, and beheadings carried out by Hamas.
On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists murdered 1,400 people, mostly civilians, after invading the Jewish state and took over 240 hostages back to Gaza. So far, only four hostages have been released, in two separate occasions, while others have been confirmed dead. Last week, a private in the Israel Defense Forces taken captive was rescued by Israeli ground troops in Gaza.
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