While looking for backdrops for the bridal photographs from which he makes a living, Jerusalemite photographer and activist Yoram Amir discovers, to his horror, the powerful and accelerated processes of destruction taking place in Jerusalem, in plain daylight. According to him, historical houses are being demolished, with our without demolition orders, to be replaced by huge modern buildings with no connection to the character of the city. Yoram establishes the “Shame Underground,” and, using his camera as his weapon, he attacks the establishment with a barrage of photographed document-ation and daring acts. From the ruins of the houses and from the garbage dumps, he gathers window frames from the old homes, made by master carpenters, and tries, at a heavy personal price, to establish a real museum to house them. A similar pain catalyzes Prof. Saadia Mendel, one of Israel’s leading architects and the first to deal with preservation, taking part in the preservation of Old Jaffa, Yemin Moshe, and Mishkenot Sha’ananim. The stories of the two men are interwoven to tell a story of a struggle for the architectural heritage and spirit of Jerusalem
The story of the 1977 Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball team through meetings almost 40 years later with the main characters in the story of their miracle win, while recounting the history of the country in a watershed of the State of Israel.
From his humble origins in Whitechapel, the eccentric and ambitious 19th century lawyer Herbert Bentwich set out to establish an aristocratic Jewish dynasty. In this brilliantly wry documentary, Bentwich’s great-grandson Gur discovers the truth about his much-maligned and enigmatic family, which, according to its founders, served as God’s gift to Zionism and enlightened Judaism. Along the way, he uncovers a remarkable story, funny, implausible and sometimes tragic, of fervent Zionists, inspired artists, and outrageously determined rebels.
A look back at that old Friday afternoon ritual, when Israeli families of all backgrounds would watch the Arab movie of the week. Arabic Movie takes us back to that fleeting moment when Israelis shared the same cultural heroes as everyone else in the Middle East, even as it raises disturbing questions about the relationship of Israelis with their neighbors across the border.
What makes a hero? What compels someone to maintain their integrity, go against the grain and fight for what is just? Award-winning director Yoav Shamir sets out on an entertaining and insightful international quest, exploring the notion of heroism through a multi-faceted lens. From ordinary heroes to freesom fighters, primates to humans, behavioral scientists to geneticists, even Ayn Rand to Raelians, Shamir leaves no stone unturned, and along the way unveils the fundamental truths of human nature.
An intimate portrait of poet and national myth Mahmoud Darwish, from an unexpected perspective: the women who influenced his work. Intensive research into the poetry of Darwish, archival materials and personal interviews unearth the story behind the man who became the mouthpiece of the Palestinian people.
Yitzhak Averbuch Orpaz, winner of the Israel Prize for Literature, “tore the umbilical cord of his soul with his teeth” and immigrated to Israel. His personal life was full of turmoil and he apologizes to his children for his behavior. From Orpaz’s point of view, if he were not a writer he would not be.
We meet them at school gates, in underground parking lots, at the entrances of shopping malls, and many other places. There are tens of thousands of security guards in Israel, most of them of Russian origin. Although they are everywhere, we do not see them-they are transparent. They immigrated to Israel at an advanced age and found themselves doing security work in order to survive. Many of them used to be well-respected professionals or artists in their pasts. The heroes of our film, former musicians, a writer and a surgeon, insist on remaining creative in spite of it all – an optimistic note in the quasi-tragic destiny of these people.
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