Main content
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

Holding Liat

A Storyville documentary following the family of Liat Beinin Atzili, kidnapped from Israel on 7 October 2023, as they try to secure her release.

On 7 October 2023, Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband Aviv are kidnapped from their kibbutz as part of the Hamas-led attack on Israel. This film begins by following her parents, Yehuda and Chaya, as they attempt to secure the release of their daughter.

Yehuda initially travels to the USA to take part in a campaign for the hostages’ release, as Liat is a dual American-Israeli citizen. Yehuda's desire to advocate for peace and reconciliation quickly puts himself at odds with political forces he encounters. He is accompanied by Liat’s sister Tal, who tries to keep her father calm, and Liat’s son Netta, whose views on the conflict differ from his grandfather’s. On their return, the family try to keep up their hopes amidst conflicting information and press for their daughter to be included in efforts to secure the hostages’ release.

This is the story of a family under duress, desperate for news of their daughter and son-in-law, caught in the global news spotlight, and experiencing their own internal dilemmas about the hostage-taking and subsequent war.

Brandon Kramer’s intimate and unflinching documentary is present at all the key moments of the family’s journey and won the Documentary Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2025. It is presented here as part of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Storyville’s ongoing commitment to authored feature-length documentary from around the world.

Release date:

1 hour, 28 minutes

Broadcast