Israeli American Liat Beinin Atzili was taken captive during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Over the next two months, her family members, including film director Brandon Kramer, tirelessly advocated for her release, an endeavour now documented in Kramer’s new film, Holding Liat. We speak to Atzili and Kramer about their family’s ordeal and Atzili’s captivity in Gaza, where she was held in isolation alongside another Israeli woman by members of Hamas until November 2023. “They kept telling us that they had no idea what was going on with other hostages, and that it was their job to keep us safe and to keep us healthy until we were released in a hostage deal. And that’s what they did,” she says. Since her release, Atzili has become a fierce advocate for peace and reconciliation. “There aren’t any conflicts that are unsolvable. It’s just a matter of people wanting to speak to each other and wanting to listen and to understand each other’s stories,” she says. “If we don’t do that, we’re just allowing violence to take over.”
Holding Liat premieres Friday, January 9, at Film Forum in New York, where Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman will moderate a Q&A with Liat Atzili and director Brandon Kramer.
