Less than a year after the Oct. 7 attack occurred, the first-ever scripted dramatization of the tragedy got a U.S. preview screening Thursday at the closing night of the second annual Scripted Israel event.
Based on true stories, “First Day in October” is from Fox Entertainment Studios’ production banner Tideline, which is co-producing the four-part event anthology series with yes TV, New York-based production company Sparks Go and Israel’s ZOA Films.
Attendees of the screening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures got to see an episode depicting the harrowing plight of friends Gali Amar and Amit Amar on the grounds of the ill-fated Nova music festival as terrorists massacred hundreds of concert-goers. Featuring actors Swell Ariel Or, star of Netflix’s “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” and Noa Kedar (“The Malevolent Bride”), the entire episode takes place inside a portable toilet where they were forced to hide, fearing for their lives.
“I think it’s super important to tell the story,” said Sparks Go’s Daniel Fineman, who created “October” with Oded Davidoff, who directed the series. “That’s why we decided we’re going to tap into the entertainment space and try to create a scripted version of something which would get them on the edge of the feet.”
The first “October” episode will begin airing on Oct. 7 in Israel on the Yes network. Fox Entertainment will take the program out at MIPCOM to secure additional distribution around the world.
The Israeli-American co-production (shot on location in Israel) was a fitting coda to the four-day event held by Scripted Israel, which aims to forge connections between the Israeli and U.S. TV industry. A delegation of Israeli writers and producers came to town for an extensive series of meetings and panel discussions featuring their U.S. counterparts.
Israeli-born Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz was also on hand to introduce the series and he hailed Scripted Israel for helping creatives from the region progress on the success many Israelis have already achieved in the global TV marketplace. “Israeli creators stand out in a very crowded market,” he said. “Now more than ever, it’s important for the Israeli voice of innovation to be heard in the creative community.”
Led by co-founders Daniel Susz and Tchelet Semel, Scripted Israel is an independent initiative generously supported by The Ruderman Family Foundation, Albi Fund, and Saban Family Foundation while maintaining its ongoing key partnerships with The JSFL Series Lab and The Israeli TV & Film Producers Association. The Scripted Israel inaugural event took place in 2022.
“October” executive producers are Finkelman (“Menasche”), Chaya Amor (“The Performance”), Aviv Ben-Shlush (“Shtisel”), Lee Ben-Shlush Kuperman (“Road 65,” Nafas) and Fox Entertainment Studios head Fernando Szew, who brought the project to Fox.
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