First Look Media’s Topic Acquires U.S. Rights To Doc ‘Death In The Terminal’

First Look Media’s Topic has acquired U.S. rights to Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudry’s documentary Death in the Terminal, exec produced by Zero Dark Thirty’s Megan Ellison and Mark Boal.

The doc, which has won prizes at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and Israel’s Academy Awards, was produced via Boal’s Page 1 film and television company. Bombay Beach filmmaker Alma Har’el, who shepherded the project after discovering it at the Doc Aviv Film Festival, produced in partnership with YesDocu.

On October 18, 2015, a terrorist armed with a gun and a knife entered a bus terminal in the Southern Israeli city of Beersheba. Using surveillance footage and cellphone cameras, the film presents a minute-by-minute account of the series of tragic events that unfolded over the ensuing 18 minutes integrated with eyewitness and participant testimonies.

“This film is a powerful portrayal of how storytelling shifts our perception of people, events and even our own preconceptions,” said Adam Pincus, First Look Media’s Exec VP of Programming and Content. “Death in The Terminal is a perfect example of what we look for – it’s provocative, artful filmmaking that challenges us to re-think how we look at the world.”

Har’el added: “Tali Shemesh and Asaf Sudri masterfully question political and social climates that challenge our humanity and turn us against each other. This film is important to any citizen of the world today.”

Death In The Terminal was recently named one of the “10 Most Anticipated Documentaries of 2017” from nonfics.com and also won the Audience Award and Best Mid-Length Documentary Award at HotDocs in Toronto this past weekend.