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BBC documentary about Hamas festival attack to feature survivors’ testimonies

The film is part of a slate of BBC programmes marking the anniversary of the events of October 7 and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

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The BBC is to air a documentary about the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel featuring the testimonies of survivors.

The 90-minute documentary, titled Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again, will provide an account of events which took place at the festival on October 7 2023 through interviews with survivors as well as drawing on CCTV, mobile phone and car dash-cam footage.

The film is part of a slate of BBC programmes to mark the upcoming one-year anniversary of the October attack and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Other programming includes the BBC Storyville documentary, Life And Death In Gaza, produced by BBC Eye, which will be shown on October 15 on BBC Two, and a Panorama special due out on October 7 on BBC One.

The director of Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again, Yariv Mozer, said: “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.

“These are young women and men whose only sin was their desire for music and the passion to celebrate free love, spirit, and freedom.”

He added: “It’s a story that needs to be told to honour the victims’ memory, challenge the darkness with light, and reaffirm our unwavering belief in hope, unity, and the enduring human spirit.”

Commissioning editor for BBC Storyville, Lucie Kon, said: “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.

“This is an important film. Director Yariv Mozer and the team have done an extraordinary job in telling this harrowing story.”

Surviving October 7th: We Will Dance Again has been produced for BBC Storyville and BBC Two, with the programme set to air on the channel and iPlayer on September 26 at 9pm.

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