Top Israeli director Talya Lavie (“Zero Motivation,” “Honeymood”) is developing “Seven Eyes,” a feature film based on the gripping story of the female lookout soldiers who were based at the Israel-Gaza border on Oct. 7, when Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians.
Entirely staffed by women, that IDF “lookout” unit is stationed by the Nahal Oz Outpost in Southern Israel, near the village which was decimated by Hamas. In the months preceding the attack, these female soldiers consistently reported suspicious activities, indicating that Hamas terrorists were preparing for an attack, said Lavie, an alumna of the Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Lab.
Of the 24 lookout soldiers who were stationed in Nahal Oz on Oct. 7, 15 were killed during the attack, seven were abducted by Hamas into Gaza and two survived. Lavie said the film will follow fictional characters but will be based on true events.
In “Zero Motivation,” one of Israel’s biggest B.O. hits of all times, the director had also portrayed female Israeli soldiers but through the prism of dark comedy.
Spiro Films, the well-established Israeli banner behind Omri Givon’s “When Heroes Fly,” Yuval Adler’s “The Operative” and Samuel Maoz’s Venice Silver Lion-winning film “Foxtrot,” will produce “Seven Eyes.” The project is currently at the script stage. Lavie is collecting crucial testimonies and footage and compiling all the research material into a filmed archive.
Lavie previously won best director at the Israeli Academy Awards for “Zero Motivation,” a blockbuster which received multiple international awards, including best film at Tribeca and the Nora Ephron Prize. The movie was also adapted to a successful theatrical musical in Israel.
Her previous film, “Honeymood,” also played at Tribeca and the BFI London Film Festival and was nominated for seven Israeli Academy Awards.
Lavie’s TV work includes the series “Screens” and “Sad City Girls,” which played at Canneseries in 2022.