On October 7, 2023, David Cunio and members of his family were among those abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz. While some from the community have returned and others have perished, David remains a hostage in Gaza. In this powerful, contemplative documentary, Tom Shoval chronicles the Cunio family’s persistence in the face of tragic uncertainty, while employing filmmaking as a way to process his own grief over his friend’s absence. David and his twin brother, Eitan, starred in Shoval’s first feature, Youth, released in 2013. Clips from the film, along with making-of footage and tapes the brothers shot of their daily lives, display David’s talent, personality, and vitality. In the present day, Eitan returns to their now-unlivable homes, recounting in wrenching detail the day everything changed, and Shoval reflects on their first artistic collaboration, appalled by the recklessness he now sees in the choreographed violence of fiction filmmaking. A Letter to David is an intensely personal exploration of the devastating consequences of war and startling reflections between life and art. —Laura Henneman
Tom Shoval is an award-winning Israeli filmmaker and screenwriter known for his bold visual storytelling. His debut feature Youth (2013) premiered at the Berlinale and won Best Film at the Jerusalem Film Festival. In 2021, his second feature, Shake Your Cares Away, produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Bérénice Bejo, won the top prize at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Shoval also created the ten-episode music drama The Echo of Your Voice for Kan 11, which screened in competition at Series Mania and won a Best Acting award. He co-wrote June Zero, directed by Jake Paltrow and releasing in the U.S. in 2024. His latest feature, Life Without Credit, is in post-production.