Avi Nesher on his film about October 7: "The government will not be happy with it"

After his new film, "Our Loves," which deals with October 7, was accepted to the prestigious Toronto Film Festival starting on September 10, the Israeli director was interviewed by Variety magazine and spoke about the film and the claims against Israel.

Nesher was asked if the film was funded by the government and replied:

"There are two film funds in Israel, and the fund we used receives most of its money from inheritances and things of that nature. I cannot honestly say it receives no money from the government, but I have no idea. I can categorically say the film was not funded by the Israeli government, and I don't think the Israeli government would be particularly happy with this film."

With elections in two months, and the current government being blamed by many Israelis for the failures of October 7, it is possible that politically it would be more convenient for it if this whole story just disappeared. Bringing up this whole matter again right before an election is not exactly a politician's dream.

This is the 21st film by Nesher, who directed "Our Loves" inspired by true events. The film follows the story of seven characters whose lives, unknowingly, become intertwined. Each of the seven characters is trapped in a strange and failing relationship. They share one common denominator: the absolute belief that October 6 is the most terrible day of their lives. The next day, during desperate survival moves forced by the events of October 7, insights about the past and future that were hitherto unknown surface for each of the characters.

In response to a question about whether he fears the reactions at the festival to an Israeli film about October 7, Nesher replied:

"If a person thought all the time about how his films would be received, he would never make films. I have taken big risks with my films since my very first film, which I made when I was 24. I think it's amazing that the film is being screened at the Toronto Film Festival. For me, it is the festival least influenced by politics, and it deals with the art of filmmaking. At other festivals, if you are on the 'right' side, it is considered more acceptable. They saw the film, and probably found value in it in terms of filmmaking and acting; I don't think they were trying to convey any message or political statement."

The film will be released commercially in theaters on October 15 and will be screened earlier as the opening film of the Haifa International Film Festival. Among the many stars participating are: Shalom Michaelshvili, Magi Azarzar, Yaniv Biton, Noa Cohen, Daniel Gimpel, Hadas Yaron, Evelin Hagoel, Lena Fraifeld, Sean Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, Lev Leib Levin, Naomi Aharoni Gal (Nono), Lior Miller, Elad Turgeman, Amir Banai, and more.

Nesher was also asked about the claims that Israel and the IDF committed war crimes and genocide in Gaza:

"I highly doubt that the people saying this were on the ground and saw a genocide. I certainly wasn't there, and neither were you, so none of us can determine unequivocally if it is true or not. It is also impossible to look at videos filmed by one of the sides and determine with certainty if they have been edited or created using artificial intelligence. From my point of view, there is nothing more sacred than human life; and when you choose a side, you simply prolong the suffering, prolong the danger, and cause more people to be killed. The worst thing you can do is choose a side. The only logical thing to do is to say: 'Guys, why don't you sit down and try to solve it between you?'. I am telling you this as a person who has seen some blood in his life and lost many friends, and also a son, the worst thing you can do is be self-righteous and insist that you are right. The best thing you can do is be human, try to find a solution that will bring an end to the war, and reach a compromise."