Holding Liat

Poised, powerful, and richly nuanced, HOLDING LIAT offers a rare, intimate look at a left-leaning, open-minded American-Jewish family caught up in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Liat Beinin Atzili, a history teacher and mother of three adult children, was taken hostage during the assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her relative, director Brandon Kramer, gained close personal access, and began to document their story just two weeks after the raid. He captures the family’s struggle with raw immediacy, as they navigate grief, fear and the possibility of bringing Liat home. An outspoken leftist and American, her father Yehuda takes action, travelling to Washington with his daughter Tal and Liat’s son Netta, who survived the attack, to push for US intervention. Against all odds, Liat is released two months later. Her return is marked by both relief and heartbreak: her husband Aviv did not survive. Despite all Lita has endured, she refuses to give in to bitterness, choosing instead to hold on to the hope of peace and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. Her voice emerges as a powerful, urgent plea for humanity—a profoundly moving stand against violence. (Maria Giovanna Vagenas)

In the presence of Yoni Brook (producer), Yehuda Beinin and Chaya Beinin (protagonists).

Brandon Kramer: CITY OF TREES (2015), THE MESSY TRUTH (2016), THE FIRST STEP (2021)