The Stronghold (HKJFF2024)

October 5, 1973, the day before war breaks out, hippy-ish Dr. Nahum Werbin (Shtisel's Michael Aloni) arrives at a desolate Sinai outpost to the sound of blaring rock music, wearing white sneakers and pukka shells, expecting nothing more taxing than giving out aspirin and blister cream. As the base comes under siege after a surprise Egyptian attack, the surviving soldiers must choose between following their idealistic commander into a final, and likely hopeless battle, or to go along with the unit's level-headed doctor, whose plan will save their lives - but will betray their values. Based on the memories of the soldiers who were there, the film is both a thrilling, and terrifying, memorial to the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war.