'The Killing Roads': Igal Hecht's new documentary on Oct. 7 massacre

Igal Hecht’s latest documentary, The Killing Roads, to be released October 1, “explores the harrowing experiences of victims, survivors, and first responders during the brutal terrorist attacks orchestrated by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023,” the award-winning filmmaker told the Magazine in an interview.

Hecht, 47, is taking what he describes as “an unconventional approach” to the release of the film, which is “set against the backdrop of the main roads where these atrocities occurred and captures the raw emotions and resilience of those affected by the violence.” It will be launched free of charge on all social media platforms and the website www.thekillingroads.com. Of course, some of the scenes are quite graphic.

“This self-funded project aims to expose the truth about the atrocities committed by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7 and address the denial that has been prevalent in Canada, the US, and around the world,” he said. 

In 1999, Hecht founded Chutzpa Productions Inc. He has produced dozens of thought-provoking documentary films and more than 20 television series on a wide range of topics. Several have been screened nationally and internationally on Netflix, Prime, BBC, Documentary Channel, CBC, Yes TV (Canada), and HBO Europe, among others.

Born in Ashkelon, Hecht moved to Canada with his family at the age of 11. Since then, he has traveled to Israel multiple times each year, often for extended visits, “dedicating nearly 25 years to filmmaking and television in the region.”

“While my work covers a range of global topics, my heart remains deeply connected to Israel,” he said. “Over the past quarter century, as a Canadian filmmaker, I have explored every major issue in Israeli society, creating shows on a diverse array of subjects – from the conflict and political issues to Israeli art, music, faith, and archaeology.”

The Killing Roads is Hecht’s 52nd film as a director and his 68th as an editor. He is currently working on a powerful documentary with Israeli filmmaker Dotan Nave, focusing on a group of women survivors from Kibbutz Kfar Aza after documenting their experiences for nearly a year. It will likely be released by next summer.

Hecht isn’t afraid of controversy. He explores each film topic in depth and produces them with no holds barred. 

Below are excerpts from his interview with the Magazine.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you manage to create this self-funded film? Are there any backers?

I’ve been making documentary films and television shows for nearly 30 years, and I approach production differently from many others. Over time, I’ve mastered every role in the production process, allowing me to be cost-effective and hands-on. A lot of the heavy lifting on this film was done by me. Thankfully, I had the support of Lior Cohen, who’s been collaborating with me for the past 20 years. When broadcasters in Canada declined to support the project, citing various unfounded reasons, I made the decision to fund it myself. I reached out to Lior and our production manager, Einat Halevy Levin, and we set off to make this film.

Upon returning to Canada in April, I launched a GoFundMe campaign for the first time in my career. Unfortunately, it didn’t raise as much as I had hoped, but those who contributed did so generously, and we utilized every dollar to cover some of the costs.

I was also fortunate to have Pino Halili from Post City Picture & Sound in Toronto help with some post-production expenses. This project has truly been a collaborative effort, driven by passionate individuals who believe in exposing the truth about the events of Oct. 7.

I had a few people express interest in investing in the film, but once I made it clear that the film would be released for free on all social media platforms and on our dedicated website – thekillingroads.com – potential investors weren’t convinced there was a way to recoup their money. 

For me, though, this project was never about money. I’m not wealthy, but my experience and skills allow me to create a meaningful, impactful film. What’s crucial is ensuring that people grasp the full extent of the barbaric acts committed by Palestinian terrorists on Oct. 7. It’s not just about recounting the events. It’s about confronting the raw, undeniable savagery that took place.

There have been numerous interviews with people who survived the massacre, as well as videos. As you know, hostage families, including the Goldberg-Polins, addressed the Democratic National Convention, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a powerful speech at Congress. Do you think your film can make a stronger impact?

It’s impossible to say whether The Killing Roads will have a greater impact than the speeches, interviews, or films already out there, but I know that every work that exposes the barbarity of Oct. 7 is essential. What sets The Killing Roads apart is its visceral, unflinching portrayal of the day’s events. The entire documentary is filmed along Route 232 [the road connecting the Gaza border kibbutzim] and [Highway] 34 [which runs from Yad Mordechai southward to Netivot via Sderot], and every piece of archival footage ties directly to those roads. We documented the massacre from 6:30 a.m. onward, capturing the devastation, the wreckage, and the sheer horror as it unfolded.

Our interviews are conducted at the very locations where the attacks happened – survivors, victims’ families, and EMTs speak from the exact spots where the atrocities occurred. One of the survivors, Daniella, filmed herself for six agonizing hours while trapped in her car, under fire. Her footage is haunting, pulling viewers into her world, as if you’re there with her – hearing the explosions, seeing only what she sees – absolute terror.

The film also includes never-before-seen footage, such as scenes from the Be’eri bomb shelter and the carnage left on the roads. It doesn’t hold back. We even begin with a 20-second content warning – a deliberate choice to ensure that the film’s impact is unmistakable. In an era of widespread denial about what happened, The Killing Roads is a direct confrontation to those who reject the truth.

My hope is that viewers grasp the core of this story: On Oct. 7, 6,000 Palestinian terrorists, civilians included, woke up in Gaza with one goal – to murder, burn, and rape as many Jews as possible. That’s the central fact. No Israeli was looking to enter Gaza before the 7th. Israel had left Gaza. But thousands of Palestinians crossed into Israel that day with a singular, savage intent: to slaughter civilians simply because they were Jewish.

On Oct. 7, Israel experienced the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Yet, there has been a global rise in antisemitism since. How do you explain that?

It’s something I’ve been grappling with for months, and while it may seem shocking to some, I’m not entirely surprised. For years, I’ve argued that much of the political and activist Left harbors antisemitic tendencies, and recent events have only served as a spark to reveal their true colors.

In Canada, we have a federal government led by a prime minister who publicly condemns Israel, as we saw with the Shifa Hospital incident, in which he was proven wrong [about blaming the IDF for the deaths] but never truly apologized. Meanwhile, our tax dollars are funneled to terrorist organizations like UNRWA, which has been linked to horrific acts of violence against Jews, including rape, murder, and the burning of women and children. It’s sickening to know that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, even after being shown clear intelligence that this funding aids terrorism and incites antisemitism, continues to send millions [of dollars] to these killers. Our government is actively complicit in financing the murder of Jews.

It’s not just federal leaders. The mayor of Toronto [Olivia Chow] recently went on the radio to defend herself against accusations of being weak on antisemitism, claiming her presence at an anti-hate press conference in the rain as proof of solidarity with the Jewish community. Meanwhile, attacks on Jews in Toronto have skyrocketed to levels not seen in decades. Jewish businesses, synagogues, and neighborhoods are being terrorized by extremists who act without fear of consequences. When political leaders vilify Israel with blood libels and lies while ignoring rampant antisemitic violence, the average Jew-hating bigot takes it as a green light: ‘If the politicians are doing it, why shouldn’t I’?

Our political leaders, catering to growing Middle Eastern populations, have remained silent as extremist factions terrorize the Jewish community. These protesters rarely demonstrate outside Israeli consulates – they instead target Jewish neighborhoods and institutions, while the media and progressive politicians provide tacit support. It’s astonishing that racist terrorists have been allowed to prevent Jews from walking freely on campuses, with no action taken against them. Take the encampments at the University of Toronto, for example. If this sets the precedent, anyone could now set up an encampment and physically block students from walking on campus or attending classes.

Imagine if the local KKK branch brought out their racists in hoods, instead of keffiyehs, and blocked minorities from entering classes, claiming it was justified by their political beliefs. The outrage would be immediate; there would be widespread condemnation, and the police would swiftly remove the racists. Yet in Toronto and other places, racist extremists were allowed to physically stop Jews from walking on campus. The media even justified these acts, while the university administration and the police did nothing, effectively allowing it to happen for two months. This made many Jews feel like they were no longer part of the Canadian social fabric.

This is happening because we have cowardly, woke leaders who refuse to confront the Iranian and Qatari-backed propaganda machine that fuels extreme Islamist views and global hatred. If these protesters were truly driven by humanitarian concerns, why is their outrage singularly focused on Israel? Where are the protests against China’s repression, Egypt’s authoritarianism, the enslavement of Africans, or the brutal treatment of women and minorities across half the Arab world? Where are the marches against the actual genocide happening in Sudan at the hands of Muslim extremists? Or the cries for justice for the thousands of missing Yazidis? The silence is deafening.

Israel is defending itself from a genocidal attack launched by terrorists from Gaza – this is the reality of Oct. 7. Yet, union leaders, so-called activists, and progressive politicians twist the narrative, downplaying or outright denying the atrocities committed against Israeli civilians. They conveniently ignore the truth because it shatters their biased agenda: that Palestinians bear no responsibility. This film seeks to tear down that wall of denial. The obsessive focus on Jews, marked by such blatant hatred, reveals this for what it truly is: a repackaged 21st-century blood libel. History repeats itself, and once again, this age-old hatred has resurfaced in full force.

On a personal level, I’ve lost many colleagues and friends because of my strong and unwavering pro-Israel stance. Some of my colleagues won’t even admit that Israeli women were raped. I’ve had friends deny that Hamas committed these atrocities. And when I tell them that I’ve documented the evidence in my film, they dismiss it. When their lies are stripped away, the only explanation left is that they are, and likely always have been, antisemitic. And now that antisemitism is back in fashion, they feel emboldened to express it openly, without fear of any real consequences.

Will you aim for the film to be released in movie theaters?

I’ll certainly try to get The Killing Roads into film festivals and offer it free of charge to institutions, campus groups, synagogues, churches, and others who want to understand what happened on Oct. 7. But the film will also be fully available, free of charge, on social media platforms (unless removed) and on www.thekillingroads.com. I believe the powerful impact of films like Screams Before Silence [former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s documentary that exposes the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7] shows that social media can be a highly effective distribution tool. YouTube is the world’s largest streaming platform, accessible to almost everyone, so while this may be unconventional, it ensures that the film is available to as wide an audience as possible.

View the documentary from October 1 at www.thekillingroads.com