HBO buys the rights to the Israeli series ‘Valley of Tears’
The series, which aired on KAN 11 back in October, stars some of Israel's highest profile actors.
By HANNAH BROWNA scene from the new Israeli TV series ‘Valley of Tears.’(photo credit: COURTESY KAN)
HBO has made a deal for world rights to Valley Of Tears, Israel’s much anticipated Yom Kippur War series, said to have the biggest budget of any Israeli series to date. HBO purchased the rights through the London-based company, WestEnd Films, one of the producers of the series. The website Deadline reported the series will be branded an HBO Max original when it is broadcast on a date yet to be announced.The series starts airing in Israel on KAN 11 on October 19.It stars some of Israel’s highest profile actors, including Lior Ashkenazi (Walk on Water), Aviv Alush (Beauty and the Baker) and Joy Rieger (The Other Story, Virgins). Although the Yom Kippur War had a lasting effect on Israel, stories from this war have rarely been dramatized.Valley of Tears was co-created and written by Ron Leshem (Beaufort, Euphoria), Amit Cohen (False Flag) and Daniel Amsel. It was directed by Yaron Zilberman, who made the acclaimed 2019 film Incitement, about Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin, Yigal Amir. The series was co-produced by Kan 11, United King Films, WestEnd Films and Endemol Shine Israel.The production of Valley of Tears came to fruition when WestEnd Films became involved. WestEnd's chairman Sharon Harel and managing director Maya Amsellem heard about the series, for which the producers had been trying to attract investors for almost a decade, from Leshem. They decided to take on the project knowing that it was going to be the most expensive television production ever done in Israel. Producer Moshe Edery from the United King team came on board and shooting started a little over a year ago. Harel and Amsellem decided they would sell Valley of Tears to HBO and Amsellem negotiated with the network and closed the deal.
