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Director Nim Shapira will appear in person
As a response to the kidnapping of hostages on October 7, posters sprang up around New York City with images of the Israelis being held in Gaza. The “Kidnapped from Israel” poster campaign, featuring pictures of real people enduring unspeakable torture, was designed to elicit sympathy for the innocent victims of the terrorist attack and raise awareness of the plight of the 240 hostages taken by Hamas.
Instead, the posters were quickly torn down by Hamas sympathizers. Today, as those anti-Zionist forces have become increasingly vocal and violent, this hateful response may not seem surprising. But at the time, the emotional backlash was shocking.
“Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on New York City Streets” highlights the confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists who put up and tore down the hostage posters. Sadly, the film is more relevant than ever.
In commemoration of the October 7 massacre, “Torn” will screen at 6 pm on Thursday, October 1 at the Boulder JCC with director Nim Shapira in person.
The powerful documentary traces the intense debates ignited by the grassroots campaign. The clashes ignited by the posters offer a window into the personal and political dimensions of the conflict. Through rare, intimate glimpses into the lives of hostage families, “Torn” also captures the human stories often lost in headlines.
Featuring artists, activists, students, rabbis, and hostage families, “Torn” is an unflinching and deeply human portrait of empathy under siege.
Israeli filmmaker Nim Shapira, who bravely delves into the Israel-Gaza conflict as it unfolded on the streets of New York City, graduated with a BFA in film from Tel Aviv University’s Steve Tisch School. He is a New York-based, award-winning filmmaker whose innovative works have been showcased at TED 2023, Tribeca Film Festival, SIGGRAPH, Slamdance, and Cannes’ Marché du Film.
The Boulder JCC screening is sponsored by Joey and Alaine Lerner, whose cousin Susan Lerner is featured in the film. Susan is an artist, whose TORN Project is made up of hand-cut collages made from torn remnants of hostage posters she encountered across New York in 2024. Lerner created 251 collages, one honoring each hostage, framing the series as a metaphor for Jewish resilience. Thirty-six of these works were acquired by the Skirball Cultural Center in LA.
