Israeli-French Television Series on Mavi Marmara Flotilla Raid Set to Film

Shiryn Ghermezian

Palestinians hold flags as they ride a boat during a rally marking the fifth anniversary of the “Mavi Marmara” Gaza flotilla, at the seaport of Gaza City on May 31, 2015. Photo: Aaed Tayeh/Flash90

An eight-episode television series on the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla raid will start filming in spring 2022 after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.

“Ocean Wind” will be produced by Israeli filmmakers Micky Rabinovitz, Gal Uchovsky and Moshe Edery, in collaboration with the France company Babe Films. The series will be directed by Jonni Zicoltz, who will also write the script with Elad Chen and Dean Miroshnikov.

Now a Ukrainian-born Israeli actor, Miroshnikov was an IDF soldier who was seriously injured in the Mavi Marmara incident and nearly lost an eye in the violence. He will star in the series alongside Israeli, Turkish and French actors.

The Mavi Marmara was a Turkish vessel in a flotilla headed to the Gaza Strip that attempted to run the Israeli blockade of the territory in May 2010. When IDF soldiers boarded the ship and seized control, they were attacked by passengers.

After fighting back for some time, Israel’s soldiers used handguns and killed nine of the attackers. Israel’s actions were initially condemned but in December 2017, the International Criminal Court announced that the case would be closed against the Israeli soldiers and officers, who had been accused of war crimes.