Help Us Share the Stories of Oct 7th victims with the World

Hi there,

On October 6th, I landed in Los Angeles with my 6-year-old son Leo. Little did I know that the world would change drastically the very next day. As the news unfolded, a sense of urgency took hold of me—I had to get back to Israel to protect my family from the unimaginable horror that was looming. It took four excruciating days to secure a flight, but every second felt like an eternity. The fear of widespread attacks, the brutality of rape, mutilation, and murder plagued my mind. I couldn’t stand by and let this happen to my loved ones.

Upon returning, I found myself in a country engulfed in mourning, walking through what felt like a massive, unending funeral. I threw myself into various projects, doing everything I could to support the hundreds of thousands of refugees and grieving families. I attended the funerals of young adults from my town, their lives tragically cut short at the Nova Festival—a celebration of peace and love that ended in horror.

During one of these projects, I met Almog, a woman whose courage in the face of unspeakable terror left me in awe. She confided in me her harrowing experience—how she and her children, along with her mother, survived the massacre from the confines of a safe room, while their entire community was being slaughtered, raped, and burned alive just outside their home.

Almog Holot and her two children

The next morning, driven by a burning desire to tell her story, I woke up at 5 AM and committed to making a feature film about Almog’s ordeal. In just three weeks, we assembled a dedicated team, completed the first draft of the script, and garnered interest from several established actors. The only thing standing between us and bringing this powerful story to the screen is the budget.

We need your help to make "MAMAD" a reality. This film is more than just a story; it’s a tribute to resilience and a stark reminder of the horrors that can befall us. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to Almog Holot and her family, offering them some relief amid their immeasurable loss and devastation.

Together, we can ensure that this story is told and that it resonates with audiences around the world. Please consider supporting our film and being a part of something truly impactful.

Thank you for your generosity and please see below for more info and breakdown of our project.

Adam Karst

Executive / Creative Producer

Optimist Pictures LLC

www.Mamadfilm.com

OUR TEAM:

Lead Actress- Rotem Zisman Cohen

Writer / Executive Producer- Yaniv Shalom

Producer Advisor- John Gertz (Zorro)

1st AD/ Producer- Emanuel Schechter

Line Producer- Amit Eran

Executive Producer- Yael Loren

Casting Director: Rutie Blum (Fauda)

FILMING LOCATION

Israel

DISTRIBUTION GOALS

What we will do once the film is made and complete?

1. We will submit it to most of the main film festivals across the globe.

2. Through the festivals and film markets, such as the AFM, we will seek a distribution outlet so the film gets to be seen by as many people as possible

3. We are going to use the film as a pilot for an anthological TV series telling select stories of other survivors and fallen. The goal is to get the TV series made with one of the main streamers (Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, Paramount, etc) and thus more people will see it.

4. We will strive to screen the film in as many schools, universities, special events, etc across the globe.

INCENTIVES

Gofund me does not believe in such... for a personal investment as executive producer or similar please contact us directly- [email redacted]

BUDGET

We have a full breakdown of the film's budget.

All the funds will go into making the film: paying actors, crew, equipment, locations, food, rentals and for post production, dailies, film festival submissions and marketing.

For a full budget report and any other question please feel free to contact us:

(We would do our best to answer all questions but please keep in mind that we have plenty of tasks ahead of us and many emails to attend)

Our email: [email redacted]

IN THEIR MEMORY!

*No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe