October 7 widow on her film at Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival: art has a way of healing
Shaylee Atary directed Single Light, inspired by a sexual assault she suffered. It is one of 25 films in festival celebrating Jewish culture
It is hard to fathom how much trauma Israeli filmmaker Shaylee Atary has endured.
In 2016, she was in a car accident that required lengthy rehabilitation. “I was in a wheelchair for more than a year,” says Atary, who today walks with the help of a cane.
The story inspired a 2020 short film, Neurim, which Atary wrote, directed and starred in.
In 2023 she released Single Light, a story based on a sexual assault she experienced that emphasises the importance of friendship during dark times.
The perfect thing about art is that it has a way of healing, because you write the story again, and you take control back.
“In this dark moment, all that a person needs is just one light,” says Atary, 35, on a video call from Israel. “Just one person to be there and not be afraid of the situation.”
