A Letter to David
New York Jewish Film Festival 2026
January 14 - 28
Filmmaker Tom Shoval’s deeply moving documentary essay pays tribute to his friend David Cunio, who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023 while also examining the connection between cinema and memory.
David Cunio was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and taken hostage on October 7, 2023, along with his wife and two baby daughters. Filmmaker Tom Shoval was shocked and horrified to learn of this abduction amidst the fear and terror of that fateful day, as David had played a lead role in Shoval’s 2013 film, Youth. Shoval decided to revisit that film and its behind-the-scenes material to pay tribute to his friend and collaborator. A Letter to David is a unique and deeply moving film that does not use footage from the October 7 attacks but rather weaves together raw footage, audition tapes, and scenes from the making of Youth. This deeply personal documentary essay expands into an examination of how cinema and memory can testify to the unimaginable.
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