In Avi Nesher’s Our Loves, October 6th, 2023 feels like the world day of their lives for five men and women in Israel, whose resolve is tested as the unthinkable happens and they’re forced to confront impossible situations and fight to hold on to what’s most important to them.
Awards Buzz spoke with Nesher about returning to the Toronto International Film Festival for the sixth time with a film that he’s aware some audiences may have decided they don’t want to see:
“Western Union used to be in the business of sending messages. I make movies about people. I make movies about predicaments. I make movies that ask questions. Hopefully, I make movies that make people think and come up with their own answers. People who know what a movie’s about before seeing it – maybe that’s a problem with the world we live in. People have made up their mind about things without looking at them first. Hopefully a couple of them will see your interview and will rethink their position.”
When asked about whether Israeli audiences are interested in seeing films about a recent and still-raw national tragedy, he stressed:
“The movie really is not about October 7th. One cannot encompass such a catastrophe. Same thing with 9/11. It’s for history books, perhaps, for journalists, for military historians. I find it fascinating to observe people who live a normal life and then come under dire circumstances. In this specific case, I found it really interesting that people who have managed to mess up their love lives and reach a point where they thought that October 6th was the very worst day of their life, it could not possibly get any worse, so October 7th, from that point of view, does not come with any judgment politically. It’s a movie about people.”
Watch the video above to hear about the inspiration for his characters and reflections on the journey from his previous films to this one.
Our Loves makes its world premiere in the Centrepiece section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
