Garden of Life - Telling Israel's story in the wake of Oct 7

We are producing a Feature Documentary film - "Garden of Life”.

24-year-old May Naim and Lotan Abir, were born together, grew up together, and died together on October 7th, brutally murdered at the Super Nova Music festival. Miraculously, their friend Ben, survived the carnage. How do their families friends, the survivors and their community continue from here?

After the largest and most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, rather than empathy and support, what we see is an increase in open antisemitism!

The scale and brutality of October 7th is simply too much for people to take in. They would rather question or even deny it. Because if it didn't happen they don't have to deal with it.

There is a profound lack of understanding of what Israelis truly endured and are going through to this day. For Israelis, every day is October 7th.

A well funded and organised campaign to demonise and delegitimise Israel, has taken hold, where the events of October 7th and the consequent war in Gaza, are being grossly distorted.

Telling our story...

We believe that a smaller intimate, universal, human story with which people can empathize is a far more effective way to engage audiences on an emotional level, humanise Israelis, and tell the story of Israel in the aftermath of October 7th.

With unique access, our film explores the profound impact of the massacre on their families, friends, survivors, and the tight-knit community of their small farming village, Moshav Gan Haim (Garden of Life), both as the events unfolded, and in its aftermath.

The Moshav acts as a microcosm of Israel: small, intimate, where everyone knows everyone, and no one is left untouched by events.

The story of Gan Haim is in essence, the story of Israel itself, where, October 7th, changed everything, for everyone, forever!

An Ambitious Project – Filming for 12 months

We are filming for a whole year, all the way through to the first anniversary in October 2024, to deliver a rare and authentic, in-depth, human portrait of Israeli society at its most vulnerable, and at its most resilient.

Israel is in unknown territory. The collective trauma affecting the whole country is palpable. The war in Gaza is far from over. The hostages remain in captivity, with negotiations seemingly going nowhere. Israel has hundreds of thousands of internal refugees, who cannot return to their homes, due to security concerns. The low-level war in the north is intensifying, where we could see a repeat of Gaza in Southern Lebanon. Iran is getting bolder, now engaging in direct confrontation. Although united on the battlefront, Israeli society is fractured and in pain, with its own internal issues.

As they grieve, May and Lotan’s families, friends, and their community, have no choice but to deal with whatever comes their way. But as they look to emerge form the loss and pain, they are determined to choose life.

Use of Funds

• The production of the film, filmed over an extended 12 months. Filming began just days after the tragic events and is ongoing. We have a dedicated crew who believe deeply in the project and have been working on a deferred basis.

• Submission to international film festivals, distributors, international broadcasters, and online streaming platforms.

• The creation of a strong trailer for submission to festivals, marketing, and promotional purposes – this trailer needs to be created well before filming ends.

• Excess funds raised will be donated to "Live Like Lotan", a charity set up in Lotan's memory, to help young victims of trauma find their path and live their best lives.

Your support is not taken for granted! We really need your help.

Large or small, any amount you can afford to contribute is greatly appreciated and crucial to our success. Your support will help tell Israel’s story to the world more effectively. In the wake of October 7th and the ongoing war in Gaza, it has never been more important.

One more ask...

Please, please share this project with as many people as you can. Tell all your friends. Get them to tell all their friends. Post and repost! We want the support of as many as possible.

Please note that as a matter of record, no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to our GoFundMe campaign.

We are eternally grateful for your support.

Thank you so much

Gary

Gary Cohen - Writer, Producer, Director

This is a deeply personal film for Gary, who lived and raised his children on Gan Haim. Lotan and May were two of his daughter’s best friends. He knew them, their families, and the community intimately.

Gary is an award-winning documentary film maker. His film, Judah & Mohammad, won a Royal Television Society Award, was featured in competition in international film festivals, and distributed worldwide. Back in the day, he cofounded Zig Zag Productions in the UK, with various credits to his name. He is a Partner in "Looi", an animated series for pre-school children. Gary has written for both print and online news publications, and just completed the manuscript of his first book.