‘Torn’ documentary on battle over Israeli hostage posters wins New York Emmy award

Israeli filmmaker Nim Shapira on Saturday was awarded with a best documentary award at the New York Emmy Awards for his film “Torn,” which centers on the battle over posters for Israeli hostages on the streets of New York City in the months after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The film, which was initially released in 2024, focuses on “Kidnapped from Israel” posters that rapidly appeared around the city and across the globe in the days and weeks following Hamas’s attack, and how they became flashpoints in the culture war over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The “Kidnapped” posters appeared at innumerable venues across the city — subway stations, restaurants, politicians’ offices and much more. Just as quickly as they appeared, pro-Palestinian activists would tear them down. The 75-minute film heavily features interviews with several New York-based hostage advocates, including the creators of the poster campaign, as well as family members of several of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas and other terror groups on October 7. Unable to secure interviews with pro-Palestinian activists who led the poster-ripping campaign, the documentary instead relies on TV news footage and social media posts to hear from individuals who were opposed to the poster campaign. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms The footage shows individuals ripping down or defacing hostage posters, who are then asked why they are doing it and if they would like to share their name. Responses vary from smiling and laughing to giving the middle finger and showing a variety of expletives. Those who engaged on video provided answers like, “Go colonize somewhere else,” “Your posters are propaganda,” or “Let’s put up the 3,000 kidnapped kids in Gaza.” Creative director and filmmaker Nim Shapira (Courtesy) Its director, Shapira, said in an interview last year that the film asks for empathy from those who tore down the posters, as well as those angered by the pro-Palestinian activists doing so. “I’m asking for the people who pulled down the posters to think about these victims and hostages who did nothing wrong,” he said. “And I’m also asking for understanding from, let’s say, my side, to understand that the number one reason why people tore down the posters is that the death toll in Gaza kept rising throughout this war.” Advertisement Shapira said his film “is not about Israel or Palestine. My film is about New York and America. I’m dying for the day that the film will be irrelevant, but we are more tribal and polarized than ever. We exist in different echo chambers and different silos. The poster war did not just tear down the posters, but also tore down the social fabric of the city.” Shapira wrote an opinion article last week about the reluctance of some viewers to see Israeli victims as worthy of sympathy amid the widespread anger over Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza, which began after the 2023 Hamas-led onslaught. He did not release a statement following his win at the New York Emmy Awards, which are awarded by the city’s chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Teen killed, 24 injured by Hezbollah munition found on hike near Lebanon border 2 Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight denied landing in Israel, forced to turn around, due to Indonesian pilot 3 Inside story One year into ceasefire, vexed Gazans say they’re still living like war never ended 4 Student killed in blast near Lebanon border ID’d as 9th grader Elazar Yair Wilensky 5 How cancer cells survive chemo: Israeli researchers find ‘guardian proteins’ protect tumors 6 Analysis Threats to NYPD’s pro-Israel commissioner are an inflection point for New York Jews 7 Students made tourniquets out of belts, socks after ordnance exploded during hike 8 Security footage shows deadly Houthi missile attack on Riyadh airport over weekend read more: Israel & the Region New York City documentary Hamas hostages 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war Emmy Awards pro-Palestinian activists If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.