Documentary on Bibas Family's Fate Premieres in Munich

A documentary titled "Bibas. Murdered because they were Jews" premiered in Munich, Germany, at the Israelite Community's Hubert Burda Hall. The film, which uses graphic footage recorded by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, depicts the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, where 380 residents lived. During the attack, Hamas terrorists destroyed a third of the homes, killed approximately 40 residents, and took 40 others hostage. Among the victims were three generations of the Bibas-Silberman family. Grandfather José Luis Silberman and his wife Margit Shneider were killed, while their daughter Shiri, mother of nine-month-old Kfir and four-year-old Ariel, was taken to Gaza with her children and subsequently murdered. The father, Yarden Bibas, survived 484 days of captivity and was released.

The film incorporates material from the terrorists' smartphones and bodycams, as well as footage from the dark web, to reconstruct the events. Director Alfredo Leuco explained that the film also includes on-site investigations and interviews with survivors and family members. Producer Mariana Bellini stated that the difficult work was necessary to counter those who deny the October 7th events. The documentary is divided into chapters such as "Reality," "Hate," "Love," and "Consequences," and features accounts from Argentine actors portraying the events.

The film's sound design includes sounds of jubilation, commands, euphoria, gunshots, and falling shell casings, juxtaposed with the filmmakers' own recordings from the attack sites and interviews. The core of the production features interviews with surviving family members, including Shiri Bibas' sister Dana Silberman-Sitton and cousin Yifat Zailer Paz, who share memories of their loved ones and the aftermath of the massacre. Other interviewees include survivor Ofelia Roitman, Spanish journalist Pilar Rahola, and former Uruguayan President Julio María Sanguinetti, who contextualizes the Hamas attack within international affairs.

Due to its graphic nature, access to the film is restricted to individuals aged 18 and older. The film has not yet secured a theatrical distributor but is being shown in Germany through the efforts of Simone Hofmann, with previous screenings in Frankfurt and Munich. The Munich premiere included a moderated discussion with producers Mariana Bellini and Gabriel Ben-Tasgal, and a talk with psychologist Louis Lewitan, who offered advice on processing trauma and maintaining agency in the face of terror.