No Hollywood screenwriter could invent a story more dramatic than that of retired IDF general Noam Tibon, who grabbed a handgun on the morning of October 7 and headed to Kibbutz Nahal Oz to save his son and his family from the Hamas terrorists who had attacked it.
So it makes sense that Fauda creators Lior Raz, who also starred in the global hit series about counterterrorism, and Avi Issacharoff have chosen Tibon’s story for the subject of their latest project, a full-length film called October 7th.
The movie, which is being produced by Leviathan Productions, tells the story of how Tibon, a grandfather in his 60s, joined the forces fighting to free the kibbutz residents from terrorists on a day when Hamas killed 1200 Israelis and people of other nationalities and took 240 people hostage.
A gripping story of love and heroism
As soon as he heard from his son, Amir Tibon, a journalist for Ha’Aretz, that the kibbutz had been overrun by terrorists, he and his wife got into their jeep and headed south. On the way to Nahal Oz, he got into firefights with terrorists, helped rescue some people who were wounded, and met up with another retired general, Israel Ziv, who brought Tibon to the gates of Nahal Oz, while Ziv continued on to Kibbutz Be’eri, which had also been attacked.
Tibon arrived at his son’s kibbutz in time to help subdue the terrorists, while his son sheltered in his safe room with his wife and daughters. Going house to house with soldiers, Tibon finally reached his son’s home, not knowing if any of them would be left alive, and knocked on the wall of the safe room, saying, “Dad’s here.” He was overjoyed to hear one of his granddaughters call out, “Grandpa has arrived.” The whole family survived the attack, while 13 kibbutz members and two foreign nationals were killed and several were kidnapped.
“When faced with the horrors of that fateful day, Noam Tibon immediately charged into danger to protect his family,” said Raz and Issacharoff in a statement released to Deadline. “His gripping story – which transcends any religion, country, or conflict – beautifully reflects the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love."
"We are proud to help amplify Noam’s bravery and to provide some hope and inspiration during these difficult times.” In addition to Fauda, the duo also created Ghosts of Beirut for Showtime and Hit & Run for Netflix.
Leviathan Productions is an independent production company that focuses on creating movies and television series based on Jewish and Israeli history and literature. It was founded by veteran film producer Ben Cosgrove and bestselling author Josh Foer. Cosgrove will produce the film with Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs and Talia Harris Ram, who will be executive producers. Noam Tibon and Amir Tibon be consultants on the movie.
Recently, the company bought the rights to the French thriller, The Man in the Basement, about a Holocaust denier. It has also announced a feature adaptation of Victoria Saker Woeste’s book, Henry Ford’s War on the Jews and the Legal Battles Against Hate Speech.