When it comes to Israel, many stories are told. Some are true. Many more are false. But one thing is for sure, this land has an incredible story of courage and Jewish pride that needs to be shared with the world. Now we have the chance to share this story through the eyes of an Israeli-American volunteer IDF soldier. Help us produce the world’s first major motion picture of present-day IDF soldiers in combat.
ABOUT THE FILM
The short version: A group of 8 American 20-somethings visit Israel for their first time on a trip called Experience Eretz Zion. One of them decides to make Aliyah and goes to war.
The long version: This 2-hour film, is set in the near future, and follows Sara Cohen, an orphan adopted by Jewish parents, who buys her one-way ticket to Israel at age 21. She discovers an exceptional new homeland and finds her reason to fight. GIVATI is a hero’s journey that combines moving Israeli drama with large-scale military action; like Live and Become (2005) meets Black Hawk Down (2002). The military scenes will be based on recent conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza. The final version of our script is still in development and subject to rewrite. GIVATI will be Rated R for adult content.
‘Givati: An Israeli-American War Story’. Inspired by actual events.
The Givati Brigade is an IDF military unit.
CONCEPT ART
Below is a draft of our proposed movie poster.
Below is the ‘Experience Eretz Zion!’ van, a fictional Israel trip.
OUR INSPIRATION
The “startup nation” is an amazing, successful, productive country with over 4,000 years of history. A record 3.6 million foreign tourists visited Israel in 2017. But achieving this number has been a struggle from day one of Israel’s birth as a Jewish nation.
On Israel’s Independence Day in 1948, the world’s only Jewish-majority country was invaded by hostile armies. Holocaust survivors faced mass-murder for a second time, but they took up arms, and miraculously won the war. Israel has been repeatedly attacked by its neighbors ever since. The Israeli Army (IDF) has had to operate in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan and Uganda. Many of these conflicts continue today.
Now is the time to honor our brave IDF men and women by telling their story. It is a story that is shared not only by those born and raised in the country, but also by those Jewish men and women who decide to make Israel their home and protect its people. There are an estimated 3,000 foreign-born service members currently in the IDF – who have moved to Israel, become new Israeli citizens, and have no family support. They are called the Lone Soldiers. GIVATI is advised and inspired by several Lone Soldiers and IDF combat veterans, including Lone Soldiers.
YOUR IMPACT
While several other directors have filmed in the USA, Europe or South America and pretended that it’s Israel – GIVATI is actually made here! We explore the real Israel. Our movie features real Israeli actors, settings, music, food and culture. Our IDF scenes show real Israeli gear, training, vehicles, aircraft, weapons and tactics. So not only will your generous support help create an incredible film about heroism and the reality of Israel today, but it will also create dozens of jobs for Israelis. The work we do in Israel will support its economy and bring this story to screens across the globe. But this cannot be achieved without your help! You will be the carpenter in shaping a more truthful and positive public opinion about Israel and the IDF.
As soon as it is ready, GIVATI will be available to subscribers for free and/or included via major movie streaming platforms. This is very important to us because a $6 rental fee might dissuade someone from watching our movie. We can share this story with over 140 million people worldwide via Netflix.
THE CREW
Director Justin Brewer is a combat veteran turned filmmaker. Originally from New York, he now lives in Israel. After his 2011 deployment to Afghanistan, Sgt. Brewer decided to end his military career in pursuit of becoming a screenwriter and director. He has now been in the business for 5 years and contributed to multiple film projects, including feature length documentaries with companies such as: National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel, and more.
Executive Producer Ben Sassoon is from Massachusetts where he leads the Boston division of X-Mode Energy Shots On Tap. He is a 2013 GWU graduate who studied military history, literature and film. Ben has also taken acting/drama classes throughout his life and repeatedly played the sci-fi villain Comrad O’Brien on stage in 1984. Ben started writing a novel inspired by his adventures around Israel, then after he connected with Justin and IDF veterans, it developed into an exceptional Israeli-American war story. As the Founder of PilotBooster TV Studios, Ben has co-authored and published several creative new stories in e-book format, each currently in development as a TV show or movie.
Executive Producer Ami Horowitz lives in New York. He is a graduate of The University of Southern California and worked as an investment banker for 13 years. Ami is Israeli-American, fluent in Hebrew, and highly knowledgeable about the Middle East. He launched his new career as a director, producer and author in 2007. Ami has been widely syndicated and interviewed worldwide. He’s an irreverent media personality; Ami’s edgy satirica and politically relevant videos have been seen over 250 million times in nearly every country on Earth and covered by every major international media outlet including: CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, MSNBC, Time Magazine, Fox News, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, BBC, The LA Times, The Today Show, Good Morning America, This Week, Meet the Press, ABC Nightly News, NBC Nightly News, CBS Nightly News, Vanity Fair, The Associated Press, The Howard Stern Show, The Chicago Sun Times, Der Spiegel, Al Jazeera, Sky News, Forbes, the Guardian, Le Monde, ARD (German Public Broadcaster), and many many others.
Producer and Military Adviser, an IDF Captain, ‘DoubleTapper’ (real name kept confidential). He lives in Israel with his family. He joined the Givati Brigade, infantry unit in 1986 and served in combat in Gaza. Now he works in security, marketing and media for several Israeli clients, while also commanding a counter-terrorism unit in the IDF Reserve. His Israeli military blog ‘DoubleTapper’ has millions of fans worldwide.
TIMELINE
In our research for this film, we studied the history of Mandatory Palestine pre-1948. Even though Jewish aliyot legally purchased their land that would become Israel, they were still attacked by terrorists and killed. This is why the first Israeli Army was formed. We end with this quote about the Holocaust survivors who joined their ranks.
“They are the ghetto fighters, those who fought in the forests, those who did not surrender even when they were in hell…If the flag falls into enemy hands, the battalion disbands…Diaspora Jewry has fallen but the flag survived; the flag that the fighters of the Diaspora have brought us. We shall preserve it. In their name, with their help, and together with them, we shall ask every Jew in our country to fulfill his obligation.”
Yitzhak Sadeh, Commander of the Palmach, Haganah.Dictated in 1947.
Quote Documented by Professor Hanna Yablonka, Department of History, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. 2013.
Thank you so much,
—The creators of ‘Givati: An Israeli-American War Story’
