New Series from Sparks Go and ZOA Films Recounts
Four Artistically Interwoven Stories of Courage and Survival Emerging from
Unthinkable Events that Shocked a Nation, Its People and the World
Revealing 4-Part Drama – The First Real-Time Representation of
Personal Stories from this Dark Day -- to Premiere on Israel’s yes TV with
FOX Entertainment Global Overseeing Worldwide Distribution
Los Angeles, CA, August 19, 2024 -- FOX Entertainment Studios’ production banner Tideline will co-produce the four-part event anthology series One Day in October with yes TV, New York-based production company Sparks Go and Israel’s ZOA Films, it was announced today by Head of FOX Entertainment Studios Fernando Szew.
Currently being filmed on location in Israel, and based on real-life accounts from the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, One Day in October will be the first scripted series representation of the personal stories that emerged from this dark day in Israel’s history. The anthology drama series 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 this 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,” said Szew. “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.”
“Our goal with this series is to capture and convey the picturesque kibbutz and euphoric music celebration that abruptly crumbled into incomprehensible nightmares,” said Daniel Finkelman, CEO of Daniel Finkelman Films. “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.”
“At Tideline, our mission is to tell relevant and impactful stories from differentiated voices and perspectives globally,” said Hannah Pillemer, Executive Vice President and Head of Scripted at FOX Entertainment Studios. “One Day in October is seminal, poignant and beautifully told, making it a fitting and essential addition to Tideline’s growing footprint.”
Created by Oded Davidoff and Daniel Finkelman, One Day in October is being shot on location in Israel. This event anthology series features four hour-long episodes written by Liron Ben-Shlush (Next to Her, Working Woman), Oded Davidoff (The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, The Malevolent Bride), Adam G. Simon (Point Blank, Man Down) and Amir Hasfari & Keren Weissman (Mama’s Angel); directed by Oded Davidoff; and produced by Daniel Finkelman (Menasche, The Performance), Chaya Amor (The Performance), Aviv Ben-Shlush (Matchmaking, Shtisel), Finkelman, Lee Ben-Shlush Kuperman (Road 65, Nafas) and FOX Entertainment Studios’ Fernando Szew. The cast includes Swell Ariel Or (The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem), Noa Kedar (The Malevolent Bride) and 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), Yael Abecassis (Shabatot VeHagim, Prisoners of War).
One Day in October will premiere on yes TV in Israel this October and be distributed worldwide by FOX Entertainment Global.
About Sparks Go
Founded by Daniel Finkelman, Sparks Go is a New York-based production company which received industrywide recognition in the Best First Film category at the Independent Spirit Awards for producing Menashe, which premiered at the Sundance and Berlinale Film Festivals in 2017, and for The Vigil, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019. Slated for release in the fall of 2024, is The Performance, a film based on the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Arthur Miller, which stars Jeremy Piven and Robert Carlyle and premiered at the Rome and Palm Springs International Film Festivals. Other upcoming films include Tin Soldier, a thriller starring Robert De Niro, Jamie Foxx and Scott Eastwood, and Our House Is on Fire, a love story filmed entirely in Ukraine and set against the dramatic backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
About yes TV
yes TV is a multi-channel premium broadcaster based in Israel, offering exceptional content and a proven track record of producing and airing local productions. Through its international distribution arm, yes Studios, yes TV’s internationally acclaimed series are available globally: Fauda and The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem; Shtisel, currently available on Netflix; On the Spectrum, available on Max with its U.S. adaptation As We See It on Amazon Prime; and the award-winning Your Honor, which is one of the best-selling scripted formats in recent years with 10 adaptations available worldwide; among many others. yes TV owns and operates exclusive “yes” branded channels, carries over 160 partner channels and runs an expansive and robust digital on-demand offering.
About ZOA Films
ZOA Films, a Tel Aviv-based film and television production company founded in 2015, is known as a boutique collective of creative minds. Notable works include One Day of October (2024), Matchmaking (2022), Upside Down (2024), Shake Your Cares Away (2021) and Committed (2018).
About Tideline
Launched by FOX Entertainment Studios earlier this year, Tideline’s projects range from features and independent films to limited series, made-for-platform content and other cross-genre formats. Films under the Tideline slate include the recently announced The Dress Up Gang Movie (working title), the acclaimed comedy troupe’s first motion picture; the comedy First Time Female Director (produced with Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions and streaming on Roku), written, directed by and starring Chelsea Peretti; the drama Ponyboi, which was written by and stars River Gallo, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January; the thriller Beacon, starring Academy Award-nominee Demián Bechir and Julia Goldani Telles, which recently premiered at the Tribeca Festival; and upcoming satirical drama feature film Slanted, from writer/director/producer Amy Wang.