At an emotional screening on Friday at the 76th Berlinale, an updated version of Tom Shoval’s A Letter to David, a documentary about former hostage David Cunio and his family, was shown in the presence of David Cunio and his brother Ariel, who was also held hostage, and the brothers and their family received a lengthy standing ovation from the crowd at the sold-out showing.
What Shoval called an “incomplete version” of the film had its world premiere last year at the Berlinale, while David and Ariel were still being held captive in Gaza.
David and Ariel were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where more than a quarter of the approximately 400 residents were either killed or abducted, and were released in October 2025, after being held for 738 days.
David was taken along with his wife and twin daughters, who were released in the first hostage deal in late 2023. Ariel was abducted with his girlfriend, Arbel Yehoud, who was released in early 2025. The two brothers were held separately and have spoken about suffering beatings, starvation, and psychological torture.
Shoval first met David when he and his twin brother, Eitan, starred in his first full-length film, Youth, which premiered at the Berlinale in 2013 to great acclaim. In a bizarre coincidence that later seemed painful, the Cunios played teen brothers who kidnap a classmate to ransom her and pay off their father’s debts.
Following the screening of the updated version of the film, Shoval told The Jerusalem Post, “Seeing the full house and knowing that David and Ariel Cunio are in the theater watching the film in the same city and festival that I was standing, just a year ago, holding a poster with their faces and only uncertainty to my side, was a rare immense and emotional moment for me. I felt as if I were inside my own dream. The fact that I had the chance to close a circle like that and present the complete version of the film was an unforgettable act of grace.”
David Cuneo: 'A Letter to David is much more than a film'
David, along with his brothers Ariel and Eitan (who was terrorized with his family on October 7 but not kidnapped), and their parents Silvia and Luis, came up on stage at the screening. He said, “A Letter to David is much more than a film for me. It’s a testament to the love and hope of all the people who didn’t give up during the two years of our captivity.”
He thanked all those who worked on the film, saying, “When I didn’t have a voice, the film gave me a voice, when I could not be present, they were all there for me... I am moved and very thankful that I have my brothers by my side, and my parents who are here on this stage at such an emotional moment and such a moving night, and I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, my children, Emma and Yuli, and to my wife and all the family, you are my power, my life and my home.”
Tricia Tuttle, the director of the Berlinale, attended the screening and called David a member of the Berlinale community because he starred in Youth.
“We were horrified, along with the world and all of you, when David Cunio and many members of his family were abducted by Hamas. When David was in captivity, we had the honor of screening Tom Shoval’s beautiful Letter to David as a special presentation at last year’s Berlinale,” she said.
“We rejoiced with everyone when, on October 13 last year, after two agonizing years, David was reunited with his family. Through Tom Shoval, we welcomed him and his family to come back to the Berlinale anytime... It’s so precious that you can see the finished film, that’s finished in the way that Tom only hoped and dreamed and believed that he would be able to finish it.”
A Letter to David – The Complete Version was produced by Green Productions and Nancy Spielberg of Playmount Productions.
“I am so incredibly moved,” said Shoval, noting that every time the film was shown previously, it was unfinished. “This is a precious, precious moment,” he said.