HBO Max Buys World Rights for Israeli TV Series ‘Valley of Tears,’ About Famous Yom Kippur War Battle
by Shiryn Ghermezian
A destroyed Israeli tank is seen during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
HBO Max has acquired world rights to “Valley Of Tears,” an Israeli TV drama about the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Deadline reported on Tuesday.
The London-based sales and production company WestEnd will be producing and co-financing the project, which will be its first TV project through its banner WeSeries.
The ten-part show, inspired by true events, is Israel’s biggest-budget TV series, with each episode costing around $1 million, according to Deadline.
Told through the first-hand accounts of young soldiers in the Yom Kippur War, it will focus on four personal stories of combatants whose plot lines are intertwined. The “Valley of Tears” was the name given to an area in the Golan Heights that was the site of a major battle during the 1973 conflict.
“‘Valley Of Tears’ is a smart and thrilling series that goes way beyond the war drama genre. It will keep viewers on the edge of their seats while they become emotionally invested in the lead characters’ stories. HBO Max is truly the perfect home for the series and we can’t wait to share it with audiences worldwide,” said Maya Amsellem, managing director of WestEnd Films.
“Valley Of Tears” was created and co-written by Israeli-American TV and film writer Ron Leshem (“Euphoria”), Amit Cohen (“False Flag”), Daniel Amsel and Yaron Zilberman (“A Late Quartet”).
Zilberman also directed the entire series.
It is a co-production between WestEnd Films, United King, Israeli Broadcaster KAN 11, Endemol Shine Israel and HBO Max.
The series will be branded as a HBO Max original and its release date has not been announced yet.
The show’s cast includes Lior Ashkenazi (“Our Boys”), Aviv Alush (“Beauty and the Baker”), Lee Biran, Shahar Taboch, Joy Rieger, Ofer Hayoun (“Euphoria”), Maor Schwitzer (“Shtisel”) and Imri Biton.
WestEnd is also producing the Israeli series “Traitor,” which is currently in post-production.
“Valley of Tears” will premiere on Israel’s KAN 11 on October 19, during the month that marks the 47th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.
