Remembering the Horrors of Oct 7th in Yariv Mozer’s New Documentary “We Will Dance Again”

Edited by: Fern Sidman

The haunting memories of the Nova festival massacre continue to resonate long after the screen fades to black in Yariv Mozer’s new documentary, “Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again” which will air on BBC2’s Storyville on September 26. According to a detailed report in The Jewish News of the UK, the film delivers an unflinching portrayal of the unspeakable horror that took place on October 7th during what began as a joyful celebration of life, peace, and music. Mozer’s documentary stands as a tribute to the resilience of survivors, and a chilling reminder of the fragility of innocence in the face of unimaginable terror.

Mozer masterfully interweaves joy and devastation. The opening scenes depict the ecstatic environment of the Nova music festival, where young people, drawn by a shared love of music, dance, and peace, gathered in the desert. The viewer is drawn into the euphoria, as lights pulse to the rhythm of electronic beats. The atmosphere radiates positivity, unity, and hope, themes central to Israel’s young, liberal crowd.

But then, as the sun rises on the morning of October 7, everything changes. The celebrants’ confusion grows as they observe what initially appear to be fireworks in the distance—a sight that might have been welcome at any other festival but quickly reveals its deadly intent, as was described in The Jewish News of the UK. These are not celebratory fireworks, but Hamas rockets, the opening salvo of a brutal and calculated attack. In one swift and horrifying moment, the festival grounds, intended as a sanctuary of peace, become a scene of unspeakable carnage.

Mozer’s 90-minute documentary weaves together footage from an array of sources—CCTV, car dashcams, and even Hamas’s own livestreamed GoPro material—crafting a mosaic of real-time terror, The Jewish News of the UK reported. But what stands out most is the footage captured by the festival-goers themselves. This is a generation for whom social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram serve as the immediate record of life, and it is through their lenses that the viewer experiences the minute-by-minute unfolding of this horrific tragedy. These unfiltered, often shaky recordings convey a rawness and authenticity that amplifies the sense of disorientation and fear.

The testimonies from the survivors, given in both Hebrew and English, speak to the trauma still haunting these individuals. Many of them speak openly about their initial disbelief, a state of confusion compounded by the drugs some had taken to enhance their experience of the festival. The Jewish News of the UK reported that this detail, revealed early in the film, provides a partial explanation for why so many were unable to fully comprehend the terror engulfing them as Hamas militants stormed the site, many on motorbikes, indiscriminately opening fire.

As the viewer processes the visual chaos of the attack, one word emerges repeatedly from the testimonies: “shechita,” Hebrew for slaughter. It is a word that reverberates throughout the film, encapsulating the visceral, methodical violence that unfolded before the eyes of those too stunned to understand the magnitude of the horror until it was too late.

The survivors’ narratives are often interspersed with moments of chilling heartbreak. One of the most poignant revelations in the film is that a significant number of the Nova attendees came from religiously observant backgrounds. These young people, drawn to the festival for its message of peace and joy, had quietly navigated the tension between their attendance and their obligations to Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday coinciding with the festival, as was revealed in The Jewish News of the UK report. Some had partaken in Friday night Shabbat meals before attending Nova, carefully evading questions about their plans for the holiday.

As the massacre unfolded and it became increasingly clear that many were about to lose their lives, we hear the voices of some festival-goers reciting the Shema, one of the most central prayers in Judaism: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.” The prayer is traditionally recited in moments of extreme danger, a final declaration of faith in the face of death. The report suggested that the inclusion of this moment in the film serves as both a testament to the deep cultural and religious underpinnings of the attendees and a gut-wrenching reminder of the humanity of those lost in the attack.

One of the most devastating stories highlighted in the film is that of the late Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was among the six hostages recently executed by Hamas. Indicated in The Jewish News of the UK report was that Hersh, the 23-year-old Israeli-American whose life was irrevocably altered by a grenade attack, along with friends, was hiding in a shelter when the Hamas terrorists launched the deadly assault. As the grenades rained down, Hersh’s arm was blown off in the explosion. Hersh’s ordeal did not end there; he was later kidnapped by the Hamas terrorists.

The emotional testimony from Eitan Halley, a 28-year-old survivor of the attack, sheds light on the events leading up to Hersh’s injury. Eitan recounts seeking refuge in a small roadside bomb shelter, just five feet by eight feet, with 27 others, including Hersh and Aner Shapira, a British-Israeli musician. As Hamas fighters launched grenades into the shelter, Aner heroically threw them back. As was reported by The Jewish News of the UK, Aner successfully threw out eight grenades, but the ninth proved fatal, killing him and severing Hersh’s arm. Eitan then took over, instinctively throwing out grenades despite the terror and chaos.

Reflecting on the experience, Eitan describes the moment when a Hamas fighter entered the shelter. The chilling details of the encounter—the gunman dressed in black, his face partially masked, but smiling as though the attack were a game—underscore the cruelty of the assault, as was described in The Jewish News of the UK report. As the terrorists re-entered the shelter, they opened fire on the civilians hiding inside, leaving carnage in their wake.

The film also portrays other equally harrowing stories of survival. Elinor Gambarian, a single mother, shares her fight to stay alive for her eight-year-old son, who she describes as her reason for living. Elinor spent hours hiding in a refrigerator, terrified but determined to survive for the sake of her child.

Another survivor, Noam, tells the story of how she and her partner David sought refuge in a waste container alongside a dozen others. Despite the overwhelming sense of fear and uncertainty, they hid as the gunfire echoed around them. Tragically, David did not survive the attack, a loss that starkly contrasts the image of Noam’s bright smile at the beginning of the film, as noted in The Jewish News of the UK report.

She recalls the agonizing moments of having to stay silent to survive, even as she realized she had been injured and David had been shot dead beside her. The report in The Jewish News of the UK said that Noam describes the sheer terror when one of the girls hiding in the container with her raised her head and screamed, “They spotted me!” What followed was a burst of gunfire, accompanied by a Hamas fighter shouting, “Allahu Akbar.” The girl was killed instantly, and the reality of death’s proximity became all too clear for those still hiding.

In a heart-wrenching scene, Mozer’s camera later reveals that Noam survived but is now confined to a wheelchair due to her injuries. Her story, like so many others, paints a vivid picture of the horrors of that fateful day.

The overwhelming chaos and carnage captured on screen underscore the magnitude of the tragedy. The film’s relentless portrayal of the devastation serves as a reminder of the human toll of such violence, where joy and freedom were shattered by unthinkable brutality.

Mozer sees his work as a moral imperative, a responsibility to share the testimonies of those who survived and to honor the memory of those who did not. “I see it as my duty as a documentary filmmaker to bring to the world the testimonies and horrific stories of the survivors of this slaughter, those who are no longer with us, and the countless who are still captured hostages in Gaza, with their fate remaining unknown,” Mozer told The Jewish News of the UK. For him, the victims’ only “sin” was their love of music and freedom—values that should never have been met with such viciousness.

Mozer’s ability to juxtapose the moments of joy with the scenes of horror makes “We Will Dance Again” an especially powerful and painful viewing experience. The contrast between the ecstatic dancing of the festival’s early hours and the panicked, disjointed movements of those trying to flee or hide from the Hamas gunmen is stark and harrowing, according to the information contained in The Jewish News of the UK report. For the survivors, and for the viewers of this film, the events of October 7 have etched a permanent scar, the enormity of which can scarcely be grasped.

The documentary is not just a film; it is a crucial historical record. Lucie Kon, the Commissioning Editor of Storyville, who helped bring the project to BBC viewers, emphasized its significance. “I am grateful to the young survivors of the Nova music festival who have trusted us to share their experiences of that terrible day, so that BBC viewers can get a sense of some of what they experienced,” Kon told The Jewish News of the UK report. “This is an important film. Director Yariv Mozer and the team have done an extraordinary job in telling this harrowing story.”

In “We Will Dance Again,” Mozer creates more than just a documentary—he creates a visceral, emotional journey. It is a journey that confronts the viewer with the brutal realities of terrorism and the devastation it leaves in its wake. Through the eyes of the young survivors, we are reminded that while the rockets may have stopped, the trauma persists. And yet, the film’s title offers a glimmer of hope: despite the horror, there remains the possibility of dancing again, of reclaiming the spaces of joy that were so violently torn away.

“Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again” will be aired on BBC2 at 9pm in the Storyville slot on September 26th.