Fox Entertainment Studios is developing the first scripted series representation of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, sharing the real-life accounts that emerged from the dark day in the country’s history.
Premiering this October, the four-part anthology series, “One Day in October,” centers on four gritty and unflinching narratives of love, courage, survival and loss. From parental sacrifice and joyful moments turning to torment, to beacons of hope in the heart of chaos, each story reveals profound truths about the senseless carnage of Hamas’ assault, the visceral emotions it released and, as each victim’s world unraveled around them, the perseverance and sheer heroism required to survive.
“’One Day in October’ is among the most powerful projects I’ve seen, let alone been involved with,” head of FOX Entertainment Studios Fernando Szew said in a Monday statement. “Beautifully filmed, yet gut-wrenching, these are stories of people at their best in the midst of unimaginable, horrible circumstances. The survivors portrayed in this series allowed for their horrific experiences to be represented by wonderful talent — both in front of and behind the camera — which will invite the audience to ultimately feel their profound love of, and for, life.”
Created by Daniel Finkelman and director Oded Davidoff, “One Day in October” is currently being shot on location in Israel.
The series stars Swell Ariel Or (“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”), Noa Kedar (“The Malevolent Bride”) Naomi Levov (“Yona,” “On the Spectrum”), Hisham Suliman (“Fauda,” “Munich”), Wael Hamdoun (“Fauda”), Yuval Semo (“Elisha,” “Superdaddy”), Avi Azulay (“Testament: The Story of Moses”), Naveh Tzur (“Valley,” “Noble Savage”) and Yael Abecassis (“Shabatot VeHagim,” “Prisoners of War”).
The four, hour-long episodes are written by Davidoff (“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem,” “The Malevolent Bride”), Liron Ben-Shlush (“Next to Her,” “Working Woman”), Adam G. Simon (“Point Blank, “Man Down”) and Amir Hasfari & Keren Weissman (“Mama’s Angel”).
“Our goal with this series is to capture and convey the picturesque kibbutz and euphoric music celebration that abruptly crumbled into incomprehensible nightmares,” Finkleman said. “Thanks to the unwavering support of Fernando, Hannah and Tideline, I think we’ve achieved that vision and were able to create this four-part series from start to finish within a year, which is almost unheard of for any production. But for us, it was imperative to have these stories out there immediately, so too soon was not soon enough.”
The series is co-produced by Fox’s Tideline production banner alongside Yes TV, New York-based production company Sparks Go and Israel’s ZOA Films. Finkelman (“Menasche,” “The Performance”), Chaya Amor (“The Performance”), Aviv Ben-Shlush (“Matchmaking,” “Shtisel”), and Lee Kuperman Ben-Shlush (“Road 65,” “Nafas”) serve as producers.
Deadline was first to report the news.
