A Letter to David
Filmmaker Tom Shoval crafts a personal cinematic letter to David Cunio, who was abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and has been held hostage in Gaza ever since. Ten years ago, David and his twin brother Eitan starred in Shoval’s award-winning debut feature film Youth, which focused on the powerful bond between brothers and, in a tragic and unimaginable twist of fate, revolved around a kidnapping. Through unedited behind-the-scenes footage and audition tapes from Youth, Shoval builds a multi-layered documentary that explores the inexplicable connections between life and cinema, memory and reality, and the catastrophic consequences of war.
WHY WE LIKE THIS FILM: An extraordinary film, unlike anything we’ve seen before. While the impetus for this movie is the events of October 7th, it isn’t really an October 7th film and is about as apolitical as any film even remotely connected with that event can be. Instead, this is a unique visual letter from the filmmaker to his actor, held in captivitiy for more than two years at this stage. Also, as you watch, you’ll see a remarkable coincidence of life imitating art at times.
BONUS PROGRAMMING: AJFF interview with Tom Shoval
Showtimes
In-Person
12:00 PM — Evans Performance Center at Shalom Austin
Note: Virtual showtimes list start and end times between which the film can be viewed.
Unless otherwise noted, virtual films are geoblocked to Texas.
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DETAILS
YEAR: 2025
RUN TIME: 74 Minutes
LANGUAGE(S): Hebrew
SUBTITLES: English subtitles
PREMIERE STATUS: Texas premiere
sections:
genres:
CONTENT RATING: Not rated
CREDITS
DIRECTOR(S):Tom Shoval
CAST:David Cunio, Eitan Cunio
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