In his documentary Holding Liat, director Brandon Kramer follows Yehuda and Chaya Beinin, an elderly Israeli-American couple, as they fight for the release of their 49-year-old daughter Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband Aviv, who were kidnapped and imprisoned in Gaza after the October 7 attacks.
The film, which won the best nonfiction award at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, follows a kibbutznik couple from New Jersey who bring their daughter and son-in-law home as they grapple with the Israeli government’s handling of the crisis, hopes for peace and a two-state solution, and Yehuda’s criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Bibi understands what every right-wing politician understands: never waste an opportunity to contribute to your agenda,” Yehuda Beinin told her other daughter, Tal, who was with her in Washington, D.C., lobbying Congress and seeking help from then-President Biden. When Beinin arrived in the United States, he could not hide his disgust at the pro-Zionist propaganda spewed out at nationalist rallies.
“This is bullshit,” he raged, storming out of the 2023 MAGA tournament.
Two months after the ordeal, Kramer recorded Atsiri’s release from captivity and her husband’s burial.
Earlier this week, Variety spoke with Kramer and Atsiri, who now lives in Israel with their three children, about the documentary and the recent release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
Liat, how are you feeling since you released the hostages?
Atsiri: It’s amazing to see a living hostage come back. I was very relieved to see that. I have always said that after a war of this magnitude, things cannot go back to the way they were. (Releasing the hostages) is a game-changer, things will change, and I hope it gets better.
So do you believe this war is over?
Atsiri: Most of the time, yes.
In Brandon’s documentary, Liat’s father says unfavorable things about the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Are you worried about his safety?
Kramer: A big part of making this movie was overcoming fear. This movie is not about the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or October 7th, or even about the hostages. This is a movie about a family, and that’s the framework. When we were editing the film, we were afraid to show certain things in the film that people were feeling because it might be too controversial or it might upset this person or this audience. I have these rough cuts and you can see where I edited them out of fear. Part of the year-long editing process for the film was blushing those fears and having the self-control to stay true to the different life experiences the family had.
The document makes clear that Netanyahu is not widely liked in Israel, and that not liking him could be considered anti-Israel in the United States. Why do you think that is?
Kramer: In my opinion, there is a false expectation that you have to choose the empathetic side. If you feel that the devastation taking place in Gaza is truly horrific, then you should recognize that the suffering experienced by Riat and her family is a betrayal of the sympathy you have for Palestinians, and vice versa. If you have lived your life with a deep sense of compassion for Israel’s victims and hostages, acknowledging that tens of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered and children starved to death is a betrayal of that grief. Liat was held captive for 54 days and her husband was murdered. She came out and immediately said: “I don’t want anyone in Gaza to be harmed or killed in retaliation for what happened to my family.” In other words, I think Riat is modeling an inability to choose which side to sympathize with. We can empathize with all those affected by this conflict.
Atsiri: One of our goals was to get the message out that being pro-Israel doesn’t necessarily mean being anti-Palestinian, and vice versa. There is a conflict and people on both sides are badly hurt by it. That’s why we must work together to solve it.
The film has been shown around the world, including Tel Aviv, and recently at the Hampton Film Festival. The conflict is particularly polarizing in the United States. What has been the reaction from viewers?
Kramer: What happens is, at the end of the screening, people are having conversations they’ve never had before. It is breaking the paralysis in dialogue surrounding this conflict. Actually, I think the majority of people just have empathy and don’t want people to suffer. We hope that the distributor understands that and confirms that. We have achieved many successes throughout Europe and around the world.
“Holding Late” follows in the footsteps of “No Other Land,” which won the Berlinale’s best documentary award in 2024, but failed to reach mainstream distribution despite winning an Academy Award earlier this year. Brandon, this movie also won’t be distributed in the United States. what’s the plan?
Kramer: We’re working with The Film Collaborative on the theatrical release. The film will be released at Film Forum in January. We hope that distributors, especially streamers and broadcasters, will share this film.
