TORN: A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM

The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets

*** Gripping and moving — Haaretz *** Intriguing, infuriating, and chilling — TIMEOUT Tel Aviv ***
*** Thought-provoking — Yedioth Ahronoth *** A film about love, care, and belonging — PRTFL ***
*** This deeply engaging film kept me on the edge of my seat and broke my heart, frame by frame — KAN tarbut***

Torn delves into the controversy surrounding the 'KIDNAPPED' poster campaign, a grassroots effort to raise awareness about the 250 hostages taken by Hamas.

These posters quickly became polarizing symbols, sparking intense clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activists and turning New York City's streets into battlegrounds of ideology and emotion.

The film explores the motivations behind activists putting up and tearing down the posters, unraveling the complexities of this intense 'paper arm' proxy war, fought thousands of miles from the actual conflict.

Torn is a 75-minute independent documentary, produced and filmed in New York City.

Screenings:

February 2025

March 2025

  • March 1st: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

  • March 16th: Maltz Museum, Beachwood, Ohio

  • March 20th: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Ohio

  • March 23th: Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Ohio

April 2025

Additional 2025 dates will be announced soon.

January 2025

December 2024

November 2024

October 2024

  • October 6th: JCC MetroWest, NJ

  • October 18th & 20th: Chelsea Film Festival, NY

  • October 27th: NYU Screening @ The Bronfman Center, NY

  • October 30th: Yeshiva University @ Belfer Hall, NY

Artistic Statement:

As a filmmaker, I’ve always been drawn to the power of storytelling as a means to bridge divides and provoke conversations. Torn began as an attempt to capture a moment in time when my city—New York—was being pulled apart, not just by global events but by the local reverberations of those events. What started as an artistic intervention by street artists to raise awareness for the 250 kidnapped hostages soon spiraled into a complex narrative that touches on identity, freedom of speech, and symbolism.

I watched as the Israel-Hamas war unfolded thousands of miles away, igniting a cultural 'paper war' right in the heart of my hometown. Through the poster campaign that swept across New York streets—and several other cities around the world—the conflict in the Middle East was no longer distant; it was brought home, raw and unfiltered, to the walls and lampposts of our neighborhoods, and social media feeds of our devices. Torn chronicles how these KIDNAPPED posters became flashpoints of debate, anger, solidarity, and protest, resonating deeply with both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian communities in the city.

In making this film, I wanted to capture more than just the headlines or political talking points. I aimed to reveal the personal stories, the intimate pain, and the ideological divides that arose in the wake of the poster campaign. The film doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths or the gray areas. It presents a mosaic of perspectives, where activists, artists, hostage family members, and ordinary New Yorkers wrestle with questions of representation, justice, and empathy.

By exposing the gaps in human compassion and solidarity, Torn is designed not just to provoke thought but to challenge our perceptions and encourage meaningful, transformative conversations. In a world increasingly divided by ideology, my hope is that this film will act as both a mirror and a catalyst—reflecting the fractures in our society while inspiring a collective desire to bridge them. Torn is a call for deeper empathy and introspection, urging audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and consider how we might begin the process of healing, both individually and as a global community.

Nim Shapira
Director & Producer
www.nimshap.com

Cast & Crew

  • Alana Zeitchik - Hostage Family Member (Interviewee)

    Alana is an Israeli-American advocate, speaker, and writer based in Brooklyn. She serves as the Executive Director of The Narrow Bridge Project, a non-profit organization that brings young Jewish people together for courageous dialogue across differing perspectives.

    On October 7, 2023, seven of her family members were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Two of them, Ariel and David Cunio, remain captive by Hamas.

  • Liam Zeitchik - Hostage Family Member (Interviewee)

    Liam, a New Yorker, is directly connected to the tragic events of October 7, 2023, when seven members of his family were taken hostage to Gaza. Two of them, Ariel and David Cunio, are still held by Hamas.

  • Nitzan Mintz & Dede BandAid - Street Artists (Interviewees)

    Dede Bandaid and Nitzan Mintz are renowned Israeli street artists, now residing and working on their art in New York. As a creative duo, they amplify their narratives by blending imagery and words, engaging audiences in thought-provoking ways. Together, they create a distinctive fusion of visual art and poetry, fostering dialogue on complex social and political issues.

    On October 7, 2023, they, along with Tal Huber, created the KIDNAPPED FROM ISRAEL poster campaign.

  • Julia Simon - College Student (Interviewee)

    Julia is a student at Parson’s School of Design in New York City, studying art history and abstract painting. For the last year and a half, she has used her art to highlight the Jewish and Israeli experience, spark discussions among her classmates, combat antisemitism on campus, and raise awareness for the hostages and their release. 

    Julia’s childhood friend, Omer Neutra, was killed by Hamas on October 7 and his body is held in Gaza.

  • Nina Mogilnik - Activist (Interviewee)

    Nina, a writer based in New York, shifted her focus from a successful career in philanthropy, NYC government, and the nonprofit sector to dedicate more time to her family and personal interests. Her passion for writing now drives her to support Jewish authors by reviewing books for the Jewish Book Council.

  • Elisha Fine - Activist (Interviewee)

    Elisha Fine is a social worker and Jewish activist based in NYC. He is currently writing an oral history of the Sticker Campaign, collecting testimonies from grassroots advocates of the hostage movement worldwide

  • Chen Levy - Activist (Interviewee)

    Chen moved to New York three decades ago to study jewelry design at FIT and later opened her boutique in Midtown Manhattan. She is now the owner and designer of Christi Sothers NYC, a high-end fashion jewelry brand. Chen’s work has garnered a loyal global clientele and media attention, including a recent collection inspired by Jewish pride and resilience.

  • Rabbi Yehuda Sarna (Interviewee)

    Rabbi Sarna serves as the Chief Rabbi of the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is also the Executive Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University (NYU), an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the University Chaplain at NYU.

  • Aaron Terr - FIRE, Public Advocacy Director (Interviewee)

    Aaron is the Director of Public Advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to defending Americans' rights to free speech and free thought. He has been with FIRE since 2021.

  • Nim Shapira - Director, Producer & Writer

    Nim is an award-winning filmmaker, creative director, and multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. His work has been featured at prestigious festivals such as TED, Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes’ Marché du Film, SIGGRAPH and Slamdance. Nim is a graduate of La Biennale di Venezia’s College Cinema and a former research fellow at MIT’s Open Documentary Lab. He’s led award-winning campaigns for brands like Coca-Cola and Nike.

  • Shay Mizrahy - Editor & Writer

    Shay is a renowned editor with a strong background in reality television, having worked on shows like "The Voice," "Survivor," and "Big Brother" for Israeli Television. She recently edited "SILVER'S UPRISING", a feature documentary that has garnered critical acclaim, and was selected to DocAVIV and the Warsaw and Cleveland International Film Festivals.

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