Community and Education Partner: New Israel Fund UK

The New Israel Fund UK is honoured to be a community and education partner for Holding Liat — a powerful documentary that captures both the pain of loss and the courage to seek peace.

This follows our partnership with the UK Jewish Film Festival to bring Holding Liat to the UK.

Directed by Brandon Kramer, Holding Liat premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival 2025, where it won Best Documentary, and the film is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

About the Film

When Hamas attacked her kibbutz on the morning of 7 October 2023, Israeli-American Liat Atzili and her husband, Aviv, were at home. By nightfall, they were among the 250 people taken hostage into Gaza — 12 of them, like Liat, American citizens.

Caught between diplomacy, war, and unbearable uncertainty, their family’s story unfolds in Holding Liat with intimacy and honesty.

Through the intimate lens of a family’s experience, Holding Liat poses complex questions of identity across generations, as the family is thrust into the epicentre of a global conflict rapidly unfolding in real-time.

Liat’s voice for peace

Since her release, Liat Atzili has become an extraordinary voice for compassion and coexistence. She has spoken powerfully at the joint Israeli–Palestinian Yom HaZikaron memorials in 2024 and 2025 — events supported by NIF and our partners, which bring together thousands each year to remember all lives lost to conflict and to reaffirm a shared hope for peace.

Liat also spoke at the It’s Time conference in July 2024 — a landmark NIF-supported gathering of Israelis and Palestinians committed to building a just, safe and equal future for all. Her words captured the spirit of those working across divides to demand an end to the war and to imagine a better tomorrow.

Her courage continues to inspire NIF partners and activists working daily to turn that vision into reality.

Bring the film to your community

Holding Liat is more than a film — it is an invitation to listen, reflect, and connect. We encourage educators, faith leaders, and community organisers to host screenings and discussions. The film is available in multiple formats for community and educational use.

To arrange a screening or request materials, please contact:
Ella Tirosh, Community Engagement Manager: [email protected]