According to filmmaker Raphael Nadjari, Israeli cinema has gone through two stages. The first, 1933-1978, began with the nature of Zionism and exaltation of the Israeli endeavor in Palestine and ended in a more personal study of the Ashkenazi psyche. The second stage, 1978-2005, was defined by a greater diversity of topics as filmmakers tackled everything from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the contradictions of modern life. A History of Israeli Cinema tells the story of the building of a gaze on a society torn by ethnics, religious, and political conflicts. It attempts to understand, to denounce, and to explore these complex subjects, always searching for the right ethic, the right form. A History of Israeli Cinema is the result of years of research, studies, documentation, screening, and interviews. Actors, thinkers, producers, filmmakers, professors, and critics worked to build a narrative that remains fragile and incomplete. It is the process rather than the result that is shared here.
Watch Part 2 here.