TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets
After Hamas’s October 7 attacks and Israel’s war in Gaza, New York erupts into a poster war over the kidnapped. TORN captures the symbolic battle for public space—and how empathy was the first thing to go.
About the Film
After Hamas kidnapped 251 people from Israel on October 7, and as Israel’s war in Gaza unfolded, a conflict thousands of miles away erupted on New York’s walls. TORN captures the emotional fallout of the now-iconic “KIDNAPPED” poster campaign - a grassroots act of solidarity that quickly became a flashpoint, igniting fierce confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian New Yorkers. Through the voices of artists, activists, and hostage families, the film unpacks the motivations behind those putting up and tearing down the posters, exposing a complex proxy war fought in stickers, slogans, and torn paper. By revealing how a distant war fractured daily life in one of the world’s most diverse cities, TORN forces a reckoning with identity, free speech, and empathy in an age of polarization.
Title
TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets
Release
2025
Runtime
75 min
Rating
NR
Genre
Documentary
Directors
Nim Shapira
Origin
United States
Language
English
United States
English
Reviews
Of all the films I saw at the [DocAviv International Documentary Film] festival, Torn stood out as the most urgent and raw in its depiction of the evolving relationship between Israelis, American Jews, and an increasingly diverse urban America-marked by competing moments of solidarity and strain in the global conversation around the Gaza war.
Nim Shapira’s remarkable debut deftly avoids cliché, unraveling how the iconic ‘KIDNAPPED’ posters became a defining symbol of war, a charged act on NYC streets, and a heartfelt dialogue with activists and hostage families living abroad.
Torn powerfully reflects on discourse that often betrays the pain of all sides, venturing beyond Israel-Palestine to probe dialogue in the social media age—while never losing sight of human suffering and the hope of mutual recognition.
Blending social media footage and intimate interviews, Nim Shapira captures grief, anger, and the fight over empathy, identity, and public space in a divided America.
Torn clearly reveals what has been missing for nearly 700 days: empathy. It doesn't set out to solve Middle East peace, but it reminds us of our responsibility to confront indifference and see one another's pain. Grade: 5/5.
Torn is an illuminating, compelling and heartfelt documentary. It serves as a microcosm of systemic issues in the US and around the world: lack of empathy, lack of compassion and lack of safe spaces where people can openly and honestly share their opinions about timely and controversial topics.
Torn is a fascinating film about how images can contain multitudes. It leans toward one side, but not at the expense of the other, and its statement will be divisive - which only proves its success. By challenging viewers to tread the gray areas of complex discourse, the film invites us to see beyond simple narratives.
An essential documentary to watch, Torn begins with Jewish voices in pain after October 7 but ultimately speaks to our fractured inability to have reasonable discussions about difficult subjects. In a world of binary thinking and tribalism, it reminds us that remembering the hostages is about shared humanity, not politics.
TORN is a wrenching, extraordinary, emotional, adrenaline-pumping investigation. Watching it feels like being cinematically kidnapped into the heart of New York's paper war.
A documentary unlike any in recent memory.
Creative Team
Creative Team
Director
Nim Shapira
Writer
Nim Shapira
Writer
Shay Mizrahy
Cast
Alana Zeitchik
Cast
Liam Zeitchik
Cast
Nitzan Mintz
Cast
Dede BandAid
Cast
Julia Simon
Cast
Nina Mogilnik
Cast
Elisha Fine
Cast
Chen Levy
Producer
Nim Shapira
Cinematographer
Eyal Bau Cohen
Composer
Daniel Salomon
Editor
Shay Mizrahy
Subject Matter Expert
Aaron Terr
Subject Matter Expert
Rabbi Yehuda Sarna
Non-Theatrical
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1. Request the Film
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2. Confirm the Film
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Non-Theatrical
Purchase a community screening license to show the film anywhere, anytime -- or use Gathr’s Virtual Event Cinema. Add a charity from our database of all 2 million official US charities to create a fundraiser. Book Talent associated with the movie to program your post screening panel discussion. Search our platform for a venue, or add your own.
Request Screening
1. Request the Film
Provide your screening details on a straightforward request form. Utilize standard ticketing or host an Events on Demand™ film screening. Learn more
2. Confirm the Film
Once your film responds, review the booking terms, then confirm your booking - some films confirm instantly.
3. Screen your Film
Leverage Gathr's complete event management suite to handle ticketing, event reminders, product sales, film playback and more.
Are we able to screen the Film at a non-theatrical Venue such as a community center or church?
Absolutely! We can send you the correct format to screen the Film wherever the Screening happens to be.
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Yes! Please email [email protected] to inquire about special educational licenses and pricing.
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We generally have the films available in DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital format. Please email [email protected] if you have questions about a specific format.
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Some Films are available for a preview before the license is purchased. However it is up to the filmmaker to decide if a preview is available. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in a preview link.
Bring this film to a theatre near you
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Take advantage of Gathr's vast theatrical network and choose your preferred theatre.
2. Request the Film
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3. Tell Your Friends
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1. Find a Theater Near You
Take advantage of Gathr's vast theatrical network and choose your preferred theatre.
2. Request the Film
Create and send your inquiry in minutes.
3. Tell Your Friends
Leverage your community to generate reservations and cover (and exceed) your minimum threshold.
I'd like to Host my Screening at my local cinema, but I'm not seeing it on the Screening request form. Can I still screen there?
We are generally able to screen at most Venues, and add Venues to our network. Please email [email protected] with the info on the cinema, and we will reach out to them.
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We generally are not able to move the expiration date because we need to give the theater time to book the screening, assign an auditorium, receive the content, etc. That being said, we can certainly move out the Event date which will automatically move the expiration date as well.
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