SYNOPSIS
American trauma surgeon Dr. Anna Goldenberg, of Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey, races to fulfill the dying wish of a young Israeli colleague by bringing an elite battlefield trauma surgery training program to Israel.
She has to move mountains to make it happen and in the process she finds new understanding of her identity, values and the meaning of living a life of service. She ends up bringing together Jewish, Muslim, Druze and Christian medical professionals to train together, reflecting the diverse communities they serve in Israel, as well as positively impacting the medical system in the entire region, demonstrating that collaboration and hope are possible.
Credits
Written & Directed by
Ravit Markus
Produced by
Adam Teitelbaum
Ravit Markus
Featuring an exceptional cast of surgeons and healthcare professionals dedicated to making a difference.
We get the worst of the worst. From bullets to car crashes, we’ve got to
be ready for everything.
Interested in hosting a screening?
Ravit Markus
Director
"This is not a typical wartime story. Yet at its heart, it is a story about love: the love between mentors and students, among friends, and for humanity despite its flaws. Trauma surgeons embody that love every day through their actions. Their unwavering commitment to serving others inspired me to tell a story of hope, compassion, and resilience in the midst of war."
About the Director
Ravit Markus is an award-winning filmmaker and two-time Slamdance Film Festival alum. Her documentary American Pot Story: Oaksterdam won the 2023 Slamdance Audience Award, and her 2024 film Nina is an Athlete received critical acclaim. Her films have screen internationally, including the acclaimed Yiddish Theater: A Love Story. She holds dual BFAs in Screenwriting and Directing from Tel Aviv University.
Adam Teitelbaum
Producer
"For years, my work placed me close to moments of crisis. After October 7, like many others, I found myself asking a more personal question: What difference can one person really make?
Then I met Dr. Anna Goldenberg.
She never claimed she could change the course of history. She simply refused to believe she was powerless. One decision led to another, one act of service inspired the next, and before long, an idea became a movement that would help save lives.
That is why I wanted to make this film. Not simply because it is a story about trauma surgery or Israel, but because it reminds us that history is often shaped by ordinary people who choose to act. In moments when darkness feels overwhelming, one person’s actions can inspire another. I hope audiences leave believing that their own sphere of influence may be larger than they imagined."
Dr. Anna Goldenberg
Protagonist
"Becoming a surgeon was never really a choice. It was an identity. It was who I was always meant to be.
We are given the extraordinary privilege of caring for people when they are broken. We meet them at their worst, and in those moments there is only one goal: life. My understanding of what life means was shaped long before I entered an operating room. I was born in Ukraine and came to America as part of the mass Jewish exodus in 1990. As I grew older and learned my family’s history, I realized that my commitment to preserving life did not begin with me. It was inherited through generations of survival, loss, resilience, and hope.
The events of October 7 transformed that inheritance into urgency. As a trauma surgeon, I tell families every day that there is nothing more we can do. I know that behind every life lost are countless moments that will never exist.
At the same time, my former trainee and dear friend, Dr. Shachar Shimonovich, was dying of cancer. His final wish was simple: bring the ASSET trauma surgery course to Israel. In the months before his death, that mission became our shared purpose—to bring world- class trauma training to a region that desperately needed it and to honor the values of service, teaching, and humanity that define our profession.
And so THE ASSET tells our story. A story of service, teaching, friendship, and legacy. A story that allowed us, even briefly, to transform grief into purpose."
