Stay Forte

Stay Forte (Hebrew: תהיה חזק) is an upcoming Israeli drama film directed by Doron Eran. It deals with the Gaza war hostage crisis and is based on the stories of Alon Shamriz, Yotam Haim, and Samer Talalka. The three Israeli men were abducted to the Gaza strip amid the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and later killed in friendly fire on 16 December 2023.^[1]

Stay Forte
Hebrew	תהיה חזק
Directed by	Doron Eran
Written by	Omri Rose Tomer Almagor
Produced by	Doron Eran Tomer Almagor Ron Zuckerman Gabrielle Almagor
Starring	Shahar Tavoch Tomer Machloof Wael Hamdun Judd Hirsch Selma Blair
Cinematography	Danor Glazer
Edited by	Yuval Orr
Production companies	Urban Tales Productions Cinemajet Sarke Studio
Country	Israel
Languages	Hebrew Arabic English

The film stars Shahar Tavoch, Tomer Machloof, Wael Hamdun as well as American actors Judd Hirsch and Selma Blair. It is expected to be the first feature film release that deals with events of the Gaza war.^[1]

Plot summary

On October 7 2023, three men in Southern Israel are among 251 hostages abducted by Hamas and other other Palestinian militant groups to the Gaza strip.^[2]

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 friendly fire by IDF soldiers.^[2]

Cast

• Shahar Tavoch as Yotam Haim
• Tomer Machloof as Alon Shamriz
• Wael Hamdun as Samer Talalka
• Judd Hirsch as an American hostage
• Selma Blair as an American hostage, inspired by Amit Soussana^[3]
• Stelio Savante
• 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.^[4]

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."^[2] 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."^[1]

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."^[5] Hirsch's character is inspired by the stories of two American hostages held in Gaza.^[3]

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.”^[5]

Filming

Filming began in Tbilisi, Georgia 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.^[2][6][3]

The mother of Yotam Haim and the family of Alon Shamriz were on set during filming and were consulted throughout the process.^[3] Eran also met with the Talalka family and shared the script.^[4]