Directed by award-winning filmmaker Tal Inbar (The Home Front), Closed Circuit uses riveting raw footage from security cameras to document a terrorist attack as it unfolded, moment by moment, in real time.
The documentary will have its North American premiere in the international competition at DOC NYC 2022.
Two men in suits sit at a popular café in the heart of Tel Aviv. Moments later, they open fire on the shocked diners around them. One customer fights back. Others run to safety. No one escapes unharmed, whether from actual bullets or the traumatic memories of that night. Closed Circuit chronicles the infamous 2016 attack at the Sarona Market, when an ordinary Wednesday turned into an uncontrollable hell.
Closed Circuit uses riveting raw footage from security cameras to document the terrorist attack as it unfolded, moment by moment, in real time. It gives viewers an unvarnished record of chaos and confusion when the shootings began and reveals scenes of heroism and heartbreak in the ensuing minutes. It also shows the most shocking twist of the night – when a well-meaning police officer unknowingly offered refuge to one of the fleeing terrorists only to realize his mistake after leaving the man with his family.
Beyond the events caught on camera, Closed Circuit provides a deep understanding of trauma through interviews with survivors: a father out to break the Ramadan fast with his family, a former medic who pivots from bystander to first responder, a teenager who escapes only to find out that she lost her dad, and young restaurant workers, both Arab and Jewish, whose lives are forever changed by their sudden encounter with death.
Through their candid insights, Closed Circuit takes an unflinching look the complexities of Israeli life today, where the threat of violence is ever-present. And through their courageous struggles, the film reveals how trauma follows survivors long after the cameras go dark and how healing begins not by burying memories and events but by facing them head-on.
Watch the trailer for Closed Circuit.