Archives
Unexpected Love
This is the story of a rare, almost impossible romance. Anastasia was 10 when she first met Doron. She was a tall and pretty new immigrant; he was 19 years older than her, but suffering from a birth defect that prevented him from growing. When Anastasia was 12, she accused Doron of molesting her. Because of her testimony, Doron was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. On Yom Kippur two years ago, after his release, Anastasia worked up the courage to call him: “I wanted to apologize for all the lies I told when I was 12.” Doron forgave her, and their relationship grew into a genuine love story. Today they are married and have two children. In this film, they tell their story, motivated by the desire to clear Doron’s name and legitimize their relationship.
There and Here
When Harry Klaussner, a Holocaust survivor who hid his past to become a pilot, went to the flight academy, he befriended navigator Shaia Harsit. The two spent hours up in the air, but only after sixty years did Harry discover that Shaia too survived the Holocaust as a child. They aren’t the only ones: Out of the 330 Israeli pilots in 1956, over 130 were Holocaust survives who hid their true identity. It was their way to survive in Israel too. This is the story of four of them who venture out on a journey throughout their lost childhood, silent youth and glory days as pilots, to tell the story of those who came from there and became the heart of the Israeli dream here.
Through His Eyes – Yoni Hamenahem
The history of Israeli cinema through the eyes of a still-photographer, Yoni Hamenahem, who for the past 40 years has photographed the sets of many of Israel’s classic films. Since beginning his career in 1973 on the set of The House on Chelouche Street, Yoni has photographed 150 television and film productions and become one of the leading still-photographers of the Israeli film industry.
The Word Engraver
The film “The Word Engraver” unfolds the life and work of the author Aharon Megged, winner of the Israel Prize for Literature. Megged takes us to significant places in his life which have formed the base for his creation as a writer.
The Self Deception Artist
A cabaret-documentary following the unique, offbeat Israeli musician Yehou Yaron on his way to his second album. His songs deal with illness, love and birth – everything he wouldn’t talk about in real life. An intimate portrait of an artist whose personal life invades his musical creation process.
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The Last Nazi Hunter
Seventy years after the Holocaust, this film follows Dr. Efraim Zuroff tracking down and bringing to justice the last surviving Nazi war criminals. Will his work contribute to the Holocaust’s remembrance? Zuroff’s mission takes him all over Europe and even South America as he focuses and locates two main criminals: Shandor Kapiro, a Hungarian officer responsible for the murders of thousands of Jews; and Dutch Waffen SS Klass Faber, who oversaw the killings at the Westerbork Camp. THE LAST NAZI HUNTER is a race against the clock, a detective thriller that deals with the continuing obstacles of war criminal extraditions due to lack of support by countries still with Anti-Semitic remnants, as well as the question Zuroff ultimately has to ask himself: will this justice be worth it in the end?
The Last Click
The Clique was an Israeli punk/new wave band in the 1980’s. The songs carried anti-social and political messages and after two albums, masterpieces of Israeli counter-culture, The Clique broke up. Thirty years later, at the age of 57, the musicians reunites for a final journey, determined to achieve one more thing together before it’s too late. Dani Dothan, co-director of the film and lead vocalist of The Clique, wants to return to the stage and the protest he has abandoned in the 80’s. The film follows the rebirth of The Clique while the past keeps pushing in, wreaking havoc and causing despair. The Last Click is a film about friendship, music, aging and the story of those young rebels who have destroyed their world and now hope for a second chance.
The Fading Valley
The film looks at the lives and stories of Palestinian farmers living in the fertile region of the Jordan Valley. Their grazing lands have been declared military firing zones, their water wells have been sealed, and water pumps transferring the water to the Jewish settlers in the Valley have been built in their place. Some farmers have given up their farming efforts and moved to cities in the West Bank, while other have been forced to work as day laborers in the very settlements that have appropriated their lands. Those who refuse to leave their lands have remained with no possible means of survival. In this beautiful film we are exposed to a story previously hidden from the eye.
The Crucial Choices of N. Bezem
Israeli artist and sculptor Naftali Bezem is widely regarded as one of the preeminent Jewish artists of the 20th century. Yet he has long rebuffed both personal and artistic exposure, and has never found it necessary to explain the symbolism in his work. In this film, directorproducer Yehuda Yaniv accompanies Bezem – who is now 87 – over 15 years, both in Israel and around the world. Yaniv offers a glimpse into the artist’s turbulent, sometimes tragic life, and introduces viewers to the art and beliefs of the enigmatic Bezem. This is a story of belonging and alienation; of creation and disappointment; of loss and illness; of uncompromising honesty and defiance against the art establishment; of fears and hopes. As with any encounter with a legendary artist, viewers are likely to walk away from this film with greater insight about themselves as well.
