Oct 7 / 06:29am The Moment Music Stood Still

It Could Have Been Us

A feature documentary following the Nova Exhibition and the community carrying memory, trauma, and the search for healing around the world.

Witness. Reflect. Heal.

Support The Film
411

Lives lost at Nova
on October 7

+2

Survivors lost
to suicide since

413

And counting —
unless we act

01

About The Film

It began in Tel Aviv. Since then the Nova Music Festival Exhibition has travelled the world — New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., Berlin, and now London — evolving from a memorial into a global movement for testimony, remembrance, and healing.

Through the voices of producers, survivors, and bereaved families, It Could Have Been Us reveals how an exhibition became something far greater than remembrance alone: a space where trauma is shared, grief is witnessed, and healing begins.

The film lives in the present tense — in a country still moving between daily life and war, in survivors and families still carrying unbearable loss, in communities trying to find footing while the ground keeps shifting.

Long after the headlines faded, many are still living with PTSD, survivor's guilt, anxiety, depression, and invisible trauma. This is the story of what happens after survival.

What does healing look like — and what does remembrance demand?
The question at the heart of the film
Watch · 7 Minutes

A first look
at what's coming.

The sizzle isn't the finished film. It's a proof of concept — the tone, the craft, a few of the people, and the intention behind It Could Have Been Us. The rest is what your support helps us finish.

Password protected · Available to donors and prospective supporters

02

Why Now?

The fight didn't end on October 7. It still hasn't.

The headlines faded. The trauma did not. For survivors, bereaved families, and the broader community, nothing is resolved.

Recovery is happening in real time, against a backdrop of continued conflict and a world already moving on to the next crisis. That cycle of triggering and re-triggering makes healing harder — and the window for sustained attention shorter than anyone wants to admit.

This film is a living response: survivors and bereaved families speaking for themselves. A way to keep the story moving, the conversation open, and the work of healing visible.

Survivors are living with panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, intrusive memories, and an ongoing mental health crisis that the rest of the world has largely stopped watching. Many are fighting battles no one can see. Some have lost that fight.

The story can’t wait. Neither can they.

03

The Project Leaders

Karen Barzilay
Karen Barzilay on set
Director & Producer
Karen Barzilay

A Toronto-based partner at Door Knocker Media, Karen is known for emotionally resonant content and purpose-driven storytelling. She has led large-scale creative campaigns for global non-profits and collaborated with artists, activists, and changemakers across sectors.

Most Recently — Matter of Time (featuring Eddie Vedder)
Tribeca 2025 · Multiple Festival Awards · Now on Netflix
Jesse Brown
Jesse Brown filming at the Nova memorial site
Friends of Tribe of Nova
Jesse Brown

Jesse is the Executive Director and Founder of Friends of Tribe of Nova Canada, and the driving force behind bringing the Nova Music Festival Exhibition to Toronto — the exhibition's largest staging to date. Shaped by his family's Holocaust history and moved to action by the events of October 7, Jesse pairs creativity with a passion for advocacy and activations that spark lasting social impact.

Most Recently — Spearheaded Toronto Nova Exhibition
Mobilizing communities. Creating spaces to Witness, Reflect and Heal.

The film features on-camera contributions from founders, survivors, bereaved families, and returned hostages, alongside cultural figures including Scooter Braun — voices that speak louder than any statement.

04

How We Get There

June 2025 → June 2026
All Principal Filming

Across three continents.

July → Sept
Post-Production

Edit, sound, score, colour. Festival and screening strategy in motion.

Oct 7, 2026
Target Release

Marking three years. The story moves into the world.