After Hamas’s October 7 attacks and as Israel’s war in Gaza unfolded, New York City erupted into a poster war over the kidnapped. The acclaimed documentary TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on New York City Streets follows ten New Yorkers—artists, activists, and hostage families—as they clash over the now-iconic “KIDNAPPED” posters, revealing how a distant war fractures daily life, identity, and empathy.

Directed and produced by Nim Shapira (2025, 75 min., Not Rated) 

The screening will be followed by a conversation with documentary director/producer Nim Shapira, moderated by Skirball Curator and Collections Specialist, Alissa Schapiro, PhD.

Joining the discussion is artist Susan Lerner, whose TORN Project—which shares the title TORN, though entirely its own independent project—comprises hand-cut collages made from torn remnants of hostage posters she encountered across New York in 2024. Lerner created 251 collages, one honoring each hostage, framing the series as a metaphor for Jewish resilience. Thirty-six of these works, recently acquired by the Skirball, are on view for a limited time in the Wasserman Gallery.

“Timely, powerful, and thought-provoking.” — Forbes

Nim Shapira is a filmmaker, creative director, and founder of Metallux Studio, a Brooklyn-based concept and production house dedicated to empathy-driven storytelling. An MIT Open Documentary Lab fellow and Venice Biennale College Cinema alumnus, Shapira’s work has appeared at TED, Tribeca, Slamdance, SIGGRAPH, and Cannes. TORN marks his feature debut.

Susan Lerner is a New York City-based, hand-cut collage artist. In her prior profession as a Certified Flavor Chemist, Lerner “collaged” chemicals into unique flavors. Now, as a full-time artist, she creates compositions that provide social commentary on contemporary life using images from old books and magazines. Her collages have been featured in solo exhibitions in New York and Connecticut, in group shows in the US, Germany, Norway, and France, and in periodicals including the 2023 book Collage Care: The Method. Lerner also co-founded the New York Collage Ensemble.