Auschwitz prisoners, both Jewish or non-Jewish, were tattooed with serial numbers, first on their chests and then their left arms. An estimated 400,000 numbers were tattooed in Auschwitz and its sub-camps; only some several thousand survivors are still alive today. NUMBERED is an explosive, highly visual, and emotionally cinematic journey, guided by testimonies and portraits of these survivors. The film documents the dark time and setting during which these tattoos were assigned as well as the meaning they took on in the years following the war. In fact, the film’s protagonist is the number itself, as it evolves and becomes both a personal and collective symbol from 1940 to today. These scars, paradoxically unanimous and anonymous, reveal themselves to be diverse, enlightening, and full of life.
Archives
An Article of Hope
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia descended towards Earth with seven astronauts on board: six Americans and Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut. The film follows Ramon’s story, his promise to a friend, and a Torah scroll saved from the Holocaust that he brought into space. Directed by Daniel Cohen (USA/Israel, 2011, 50 min)
Playing With Words – Natan Shacham
From his Beit Alfa study, writer Natan Shacham tells about his childhood, his family, his adulthood, and the many roles he has played over the years.
A Place of Her Own
This documentary was filmed over the course of four years and follows Reut, a teenager who spent most of her life moving between institutions and living on the street. The film opens when Reut is seventeen and giving birth to her first son, who is immediately taken away by welfare authorities. Reut’s battle with the State for custody of her son leads her to forge a relationship with his foster family – religious Jews who live in a settlement in the Occupied Territories. Meanwhile, Reut meets and marries a Palestinian man, moves to his village and has two more children. Reut is an introverted and intriguing character who longs for stability and a place to call home. Instead, life hands her surprising twists and turns, right up to its tragic end.
Poetry LTD
A movie about a revolution in poetry and five Jerusalem poets for whom poetry is a way of life and a catalyst for social change.
Powder
Against the backdrop of a family dealing with illness and death, the film’s protagonist, a leftist gay activist, is repeatedly called for reserve duty as a tank commander in the Israeli army.
Red Nose
A Tel-Aviv street clown sets out to conquer the sadness in Sderot. The one-time gig turns into a project of over a year, and the clown becomes part of the city’s fabric.
