The documentary is meant to foster conversations between people who may have differing beliefs about the conflict.
“We have to remember that people are not their governments,” director Nim Shapira said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Friday. “Israelis are not Netanyahu and Gazans are not Hamas. We have to stop dehumanizing the other.”
He said the documentary captures a poster war that divided New York City in response to events that transpired Oct. 7, 2023.
Posters lined the streets of New York, calling for the return of 251 hostages kidnapped in Israel.
The public displays sparked local conflict as people put up the posters while others tore them down.
Shapira said he felt an urgency to document these perspectives to show the shared suffering amid opposing beliefs.
He interviewed 10 New Yorkers including activists, artists, relatives of hostages and people who found themselves in the middle.
As an American-Israeli and Jew, Shapira acknowledged that he may have a bias, and strived to share opinions from both sides.
He said the film is meant to show perspectives rather than tell people what to believe.
“What the film does is mostly ask questions,” he said. “I don’t give easy answers, and I don’t give answers at all. I’m asking questions, and I’m asking people to zoom out from their narrative and look at the other side.”
Shapira said the documentary has been screened almost 100 times across the U.S. including at multiple universities from Harvard to Stanford to NYU.
The film is coming to Park City Aug. 11.
Tickets are $18 and must be purchased in advance. As a safety precaution, the screening location will only be shared with ticketholders after registration.
