''Stay Forte'' () is an upcoming Israeli

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Doron Eran. It deals with the

Gaza war hostage crisis In 2023, as part of the October 7th attacks which initiated the Gaza war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and elderly people. Almost half of the hostages ...

and is based on the stories of Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka. The three Israeli men were abducted to the

Gaza strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

amid the

October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

and later killed in

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy or hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while ...

on 16 December 2023. The film stars Shahar Tavoch, Tomer Machloof, Wael Hamdun as well as American actors

Judd Hirsch Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series '' Dear John'' (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS ser ...

and

Selma Blair Selma Blair (born Selma Blair Beitner; June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' Cruel Intentions'', '' Legally Blonde'', '' The Sweetest Thing'', and the ''Hellboy'' franchise. Blair, born in Southfield, Michigan ...

. It is expected to be the first feature film release that deals with events of the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

.(13 December 2024)
The film that will immortalize the story of three hostages
''Mako''. Retrieved on 20 April 2025

Plot summary

On October 7 2023, three men in Southern Israel are among 251 hostages abducted by

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

and other other Palestinian militant groups to the

. The three men; Yotam (Tavoch), Alon (Machloof) and Samer (Hamdun) are desperate to escape the Gaza tunnels. They successfully escape the network but are tragically killed in an incident of

by IDF soldiers.

Cast

* Shahar Tavoch as Yotam Haim * Tomer Machloof as Alon Shamriz *Wael Hamdun as Samer Talalka *

as an American hostage *

as an American hostage, inspired by Amit Soussana(5 February 2025)
A Hollywood Star will play a role film role inspired by Amit Soussana
''Israel HaYom''. Retrieved on 20 April 2025 *

Stelio Savante Stelio Savante is a South African actor that has appeared in 140 films, TV series and video games in the last three decades. He is known for his roles as a South African/Israeli journalist and undercover Mossad agent opposite Jim Caviezel and ...

*Johnny Arbid

Production

Eran chose to make the film based on a meeting he had with Yotam Haim's mother, Iris, where he learned more about the story of the three hostages.(26 March 2025)
Director of hostages film against Mickey Zohar's reform: "We failed to reveal October 7 to the world"
''Israel HaYom''. Retrieved on 20 April 2025 Eran spoke about the film: "War is not just a battle between nations; it is a deep wound that scars humanity. ''Stay Forte'' is a reminder that behind every statistic are real lives forever changed. We must confront the true cost of conflict and strive for a world where understanding and compassion prevail over violence." Elsewhere Eran has said: "To me, the three hostages represent rare courage. The film is intended to immortalize their unimaginable story and no less to tell the world about the challenges and pain that the citizens of the State of Israel have been facing over the past year." Hirsch spoke about his experience and commitment to the project: "I’m honored to be a part of this very important project. It is one of the most moving experiences of my whole life. To participate in sharing this story with the world is something so personally important to me." Hirsch's character is inspired by the stories of two American hostages held in Gaza. Blair also spoke about the film in statement: "This film is not just a narrative; it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the bonds that unite us against unimaginable tragedy, and added “I am honored to be part of this journey, which truly reflects the diverse fabric of Israeli society—people of many religions caught in the crossfire of conflict.” (30 January 2025)
Selma Blair Returns to Acting With Three New Movies, Including Israel-Hamas War Drama ‘Stay Forte’ (EXCLUSIVE)
''Variety''. Retrieved on 19 April 2025

Filming

Filming began in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in late 2024 with US producers, with additional filming taking place in the United States. Extensive filming took place in the tunnels beneath

Georgian Technical University Georgian Technical University (GTU, formerly V.I. Lenin Georgian Polytechnical Institute) is the main and largest technical university of Georgia. It is located in the capital city of Tbilisi. History Georgian Technical University was foun ...

.Wiseman, Andreas (27 March 2025)
‘Stay Forte’: First Footage Revealed Of October 7 Film Starring Judd Hirsch & Selma Blair
''Deadline''. Retrieved on 19 April 2025Brown, Hannah (18 December 2024
Film in production about three hostages killed by the IDF in Gaza
''The Jerusalem Post''. Retrieved on 5 January 2025 The mother of Yotam Haim and the family of Alon Shamriz were on set during filming and were consulted throughout the process. Eran also met with the Talalka family and shared the script.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 35635187 Upcoming films Israeli drama films October 7 attacks 2020s Hebrew-language films Israeli–Palestinian conflict films Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis Films about hostage takings Drama films based on actual events War drama films based on actual events