Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Culture editor Jessica Steinberg joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen took to the stage last week to sing nine songs he composed in his head during 498 days of Hamas captivity in Gaza. Steinberg was there and sets the scene ahead of a broader discussion on what other creative efforts are produced by former hostages, now thrust into a strange celebrity status.

Director Avi Nesher’s latest film, “Our Loves,” will be screened at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival, featured in the Centrepiece program that highlights feature films from established directors. This piece of news, once unsurprising, is noteworthy during a de facto boycott of most Israeli artists around the world. Steinberg takes us into how some filmmakers and musicians, including Noga Erez, are handling this boycott.

To close the program, we hear about other new films on the horizon that cover the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on southern Israel -- and its aftermath -- from several different angles.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Former hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen returns home to perform songs he composed in Hamas captivity

Avi Nesher’s Oct. 7 retelling, ‘Our Loves,’ to screen at Toronto Film Festival

Noga Erez and Ori Rousso share intimate details in new documentary ‘Noga’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.