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QADIR - an Afghan Ulysses A film by Anneta Papathanassiou Creative Documentary / Current Affairs. 55 / 79 minutes. Dari, Greek. English / French subtitles. The journey of Qadir, an Afghan refugee, who came to Greece after the Taliban's invasion. He returns home 9 years later, searching for his family, and his emotions are mixed. The country is destroyed. Qadir is torn between two worlds, the East and the West. Winner of the Japan Foundation President's Prize : Japan Prize International Contest for Educational Media - Japan 2009
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SISAI A
film by David Gavro /
Israel / Ethiopia
2005 Society & Ethnology. 56 minutes. Hebrew, Amharic. English translation. 20-year-old Sisai, Ethiopian immigrant in Israel, lives with his adoptive family - the Gavros. Father Gavro returns from Ethiopia with news of Sisai's biological father's whereabouts. Confused by the news and the fresh confrontation with his past, Sisai does not share his family's excitement. He is too busy with his own news; Sivan, his girlfriend, is pregnant. The director, who is also Sisai's brother, joins him and their father on a journey to Ethiopia on their search for identity, blood connection, love and longing. Winner: FIPA D'OR Prize : Best Documentary Award:FIPA Festival Biarritz France 2006Winner: Best Documentary Award : DeREEL Independent Film Festival -Australia 2007 Winner: Lombardia Prize for Best Film : Milan African Film Festival - Italy 2006 Winner: Best Documentary Award : Jerusalem International Film Festival - Israel 2005 Winner: Best First Film Award: Israel Documentary Awards - Israel 2006 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Toronto - Canada 2006 The African Diaspora Film Festival, New York City - USA 2006 Muestra Internacional Documental, Bogota- Colombia 2006 Open Frame International Festival & Forum - India 2006 Mediterranean Documentary Film Festival - Greece 2006 DaKINO Bucharest International Film Festival - Romania 2006 Beeld voor Beeld Film Festival, Amsterdam - The Netherlands 2006 Etats generaux du documentaire de Lussas - France 2006
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DESCRIPTION OF A MEMORY - thirteen memories following Chris Marker's ''Description of a Struggle'' Dan Geva takes us in a cinematic journey to the recesses of the photographed memory in Chris Marker's 1960 impressionist film about Israel, ''Description d'un combat'' (Description of a Struggle), which won the 'Golden Bear' at the 1961 Berlin Festival. Geva creates a poetic and philosophic cinematic dialogue with the original text, using images and words from that film, and then adds his own in a process that reveals that the Israel of today is the country, which the French Master could not even have imagined. Winner: Grand Prize: RIDM International Documentary Film Festival, Montreal - Canada 2007
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ALIMENTATION GÉNÉRALE / THE GENERAL STORE A film by Chantal Briet / France 2005 Society & Ethnology. 84 minutes. French. English subtitles. Elegant vérité-style documentary gracefully explores the quotidian lives in an immigrant-heavy Parisian suburb, Epinay-sur-Seine, taking us into the everyday life of a small grocery store. Customers arrive, one after the other, under the happy gaze of Ali, the charismatic owner. There is the old lady with the dog, the unemployed philosopher, the youngster who dance hip hop and the kids who want candies. The film shows us the importance of the small shop “around the corner”: a space, where you can find human warmth, laughter and conviviality in spite of the difficult conditions. Winner: First Prize: Documenta Madrid – Spain 2006 Web site: www.alimentationgenerale-lefilm.com In the Memory of Ali Zebboudj : French TV (I) French TV (II) French TV (III)
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DRIVING MEN A film by Susan Mogul / USA 2008 Creative Documentary 68 minutes. English. Iconic feminist filmmaker Susan Mogul, a never-married woman, rides shotgun as she films the men in her life - from brothers to ex-lovers to her own father - placing them literally behind the wheel. Mogul does this with insight, humor, and ready to stand naked-literally and metaphorically. The result is a unique and spirited interpretation of the classic American road movie. Susan Mogul had a retrospective of her films at the Visions du Réel International Film Festival, Nyon, Switzerland 2009; Driving Men is considered her most comprehensive autobiographical film. Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) - Japan 2009
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STRETCH MARKS A film by Zohar Wagner / Israel 2009 Creative Documentary / Society. 67 minutes. Hebrew. English subtitles. This highly revealing self documentation follows a pregnant, single woman, provocative performance artist into the club, the living room, the bedroom and even beyond. Director Zohar Wagner (''Zorki'') films herself and talks about how she got pregnant by one man, fell in love with another and celebrates her rising sexuality up until the day she gave birth. But when her baby is born, with the blessing came a curse: the luscious boobs and the man she loved both disappeared. An unusual show-and-tell about pregnancy and its aftermath. RIDM Montréal International Documentary Film Festival - Canada 2009 Watch Video Trailers: Trailer 1 Trailer 2
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FRAGMENTS A film by Jonathan Haimovitch / Israel 2009 Creative Documentary 50 minutes. Russian, Hebrew. English/French/Russian subtitles. A filmed journey through a single street on the outskirts of Jerusalem. An attempt to explore fragments of the filmmaker's childhood and recapture memories of the mother he lost. He returns to the street where his childhood unfolded and meets its elderly residents, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, creating a mosaic of a rapidly vanishing way of life. Hamburg International Film Festival - Germany 2009
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FROM THE HEART OF ODESSA A film by André Schreuders / Ukraine/The Netherlands 2007 Alec Kopyt, a musician from Amsterdam returns to Moldavanka - once the poor Jewish neighbourhood of Odessa - his place of birth and the cradle of old-time Russian Mafia songs (Blatnyak). He is looking for musicians to play together these songs in the restaurant of an old friend. While strolling along the picturesque yards of the ruinous slums, we meet colourful Odesits who resemble the ancient heroes of the street songs we hear. A touching portrait of a neighbourhood, its music and performers. WATCH DOCS. Human Rights in Film IFF - Poland 2009
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SPOKEN WITH LOVE A film by Dan Wolman / Israel 2007 Film director Dan Wolman who's many fictional features have included extreme parent-children relationships, documents his parents daily life and tries to find out what lies at the root of the childhood traumas portrayed in his films. The film holds many surprises like the fact that as a child Dan discovered in his parents bedroom a photograph of a young man dressed in the uniform of the German Army, or the fact that his father was the private Doctor of the Emperor of Ethiopia. Doc Aviv Documentary Film Festival - Israel 2007
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S(ELECTIONS) A film by Ronen Amar / Israel 2006 Filmmaker Ronen Amar (''My Family's Pizza'') documents two protagonists whose only common denominator is the sleepy southern town they come from. Amar follows his cousin Eyal, a successful architect-contractor who decides to run for mayor and kick up dust. He also follows his friend Koko, a stoner on an eternal soul search. With municipal elections raging in the background, Amar's protagonists stand at critical junctures in their lives. How will their s[elections] shape the director's future as well? Winner: Best Film- Audience Choice : DeREEL Independent Film Festival, Melbourne - Australia 2008
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ZORKI – hiding mom's secret A film by Zohar Wagner / Israel 2006 Two years ago, Zohar Wagner, then 34, decided to tear away the cloak of silence that enveloped her bourgeois family. Her mother had a five year affair with a man ten years her junior, and Zohar, at the age of twelve, was an accomplice to the secret. Twenty years after the difficult episode that had torn the family apart, as the Filmmaker's Mother is selling her childhood home, the family gathers and Pandora's Box is opened. The film is called "Zorki," the family nickname for Zohar. Winner: Best Foreign Film- Audience Choice : Delray Beach Film Festival, Florida - USA 2007
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ESHBAL A film by Ziv Even Tsur / Israel 2005/2007 Society & Ethnology. 56 minutes. Hebrew. English/French subtitles. Kibbutz Eshbal in the Galilee, established in 1998 as an educational center, runs a boarding school for adolescents who have been expelled from other educational institutions. At Eshbal, Baruch, Ora, Moshe and Yael, first-generation immigrants from Ethiopia, are counseled by Yoav and Vickie, kibbutz members. The film portrays the first class at Eshbal's boarding school while documenting life on a secluded hill in the Galilee, of committed kibbutz youngsters and alienated youths, each striving, in their own way, for a place within Israeli society. Watch Video Trailer (without subtitles) DeREEL Independent Film Festival, Melbourne - Australia 2008
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GATOS (Cats) A film
by Gali Meiri /
Brazil / Israel 2005 Society & Ethnology. 52 minutes. Portuguese, Hebrew. English subtitles. The film follows 4 young Brazilians from a village that was just recently discovered by tourists. It shows the immense influence that the tourists have over the lives of the locals, and the difference between the way the tourists conceive the locals and the reality that is filmed. The arrival of foreigners to the village has created a new variety of options for self fulfillment, that doesn't go hand in hand with the economical and social possibilities of the locals. Watch Video Trailer (without subtitles) Special Mention : Amazonas World Adventure Film Festival - Brazil 2006
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THINK POPCORN A film by Dan Geva / Israel 2004 Creative Documentary. 60 minutes. Hebrew, English, Arabic, Russian. English subtitles. A tribute to Dziga Vertov's ''Man with a Movie Camera''. Dan Geva, the filmmaker, roams through the country on his motorcycle, with a stage and three cameras, asking people to talk about their ultimate truth. From the seashore, the city square, the market, the park, and the countryside Geva combines dramatic and documentary scenes that break the boundaries of the classic documentary genre. Official Selection: '' Mediterranean'' : ''Sole E Luna'' Doc Fest - Italy 2006
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AWAITING A film by Hadara Oren / Israel 2005 Creative Documentary. 47 minutes. Hebrew. English translation. Due to the economic crisis and a sequence of terrorist attacks in the city of Tel Aviv, the filmmaker roams the streets during a period of three years, documenting what the people of Tel Aviv experienced: alienation, anxiety and sadness. This film is a poetic observation attempting to express these feelings alongside the hope for something or someone from the outside to step in and change the unbearable situation that exists. Mediterranean Documentary Film Festival - Greece 2008
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SABA (Grandfather) A
film by Amram Jacoby / Israel 2005 Creative Documentary. 56 minutes. Hebrew, Arabic, English. English/French subtitles. Avraham Ezequiel is 92 years old. He was born in Irak, educated in Singapore , then worked as a journalist for the Palestine Bulletin after 1929, he now offers his story to his grandson, interspersing it with quotations from Kafka and Robert Frost, readings from holy texts in Arabic, Hebrew and English and patient tending of his olive grove. This film is an unusual man's journal, through which his grandson let his voice be heard. It provides Grandfather, at the age of ninety-two with a reason to live. Winner of David Perlov Grant 2004 Winner of Public Award's for Best Film : Alba International Film Festival - Italy 2006
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MY FAMILY'S PIZZA A
film by Ronen Amar / Israel 2003 Society & Ethnology. 52 minutes. Hebrew.English translation. Available: French translation. Maksim, a sleep addict, asks his parents to help him buy a pizza place he co-owns. As soon as the work begins, the parents realize they will have to invest a lot more than just money. With dad as the delivery boy and mom as the oven cleaner, the film creates a true profile of the average Israeli family in the new millennium. Perhaps the same applies to your home and family? Winner: Best Documentary Award : The Mediterranean Film Festival of Algarve - Portugal 2006
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NIGHT WATCHERS A film by Amnon Benjamin & Hanna Ben-Moshe / Israel 2003 Society & Ethnology. 52 minutes. Hebrew. English translation The radio program 'Out with Drugs' goes on air every Saturday at midnight. Eyal, a radio broadcaster takes calls from drug addicts crying out for help, while Yuval rushes through the empty streets of Tel Aviv in search of the anonymous voices. From the dark night appear dreamlike images. Eyal and Yuval are trying to help them fight their addiction - against all odds. New York Independent International Film and Video
Festival- USA 2003
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CHILDREN BY REMOTE CONTROL A film by Nachum Landau / Israel 2004 Society & Ethnology. 51
minutes. Thai, English, Hebrew. English translation. A personal voyage attempting to decipher the mystery behind the Thai workers' warm and loving bonds with their children, based mainly on telephone calls and letters. The filmmaker, living in a Kibbutz and father to seven children, tries to understand the Thai workers' inner conflict of financial gain vs. family ties. He joins one of these couples on their return trip to Thailand. A thought- provoking film which takes viewers from smiles to tears. Israeli Documentary Film Festival Confluences Paris
- France 2005
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Human Interest |
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VORGA - a path of two banks A film by Zdeněk N. Bričkovský Discoveries/Nature/Ethnology. 69 minutes. Russian, Czech. English subtitles. The film introduces the less known area of tundra and its civilization, with everything what this reality brings up. Vorga is the Nenets' sacred trail, which the herdsmen have used for centuries to move their herds across tundra, all the way to the Barents Sea shore. ''Vorga'' looks at an original nomadic life deep in the tundra of the European Nenets. Winner: Best Documentary Award: Tourfilm Film Festival - Czech Republic 2007
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THEM, US AND SKITSKOJ - a dialogue in the editing room A film by Zdeněk N. Bričkovský Creative Documentary. 52 minutes. Russian, Czech. English subtitles. . In an inaccessible forestland on the river Pizhma lives a community of Old Believers, in the island of Skitskoj - located in the North of European Russia. They are hidden from civilization and the changing outside world. The film is about isolation, prejudice and building “bridges” to bring people together. Winner: Special Jury Award: Nadotek/Closer Film Festival - Czech Republic 2008
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YOU NAME IT A film by Sigi Marx-Arditi / Israel 2008 Creative Documentary. 59 minutes. Hebrew, English. English subtitles. Filmmaker Sigi Marx-Arditi, sets out on a journey to the depths of her name in order to find out why we place so much importance on our name, and if there is a connection between someone's name and the course of their life and destiny. During this journey she meets characters that have changed, or would like to change, their names, in order to change and improve their lives. Remi Award Winner: Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, Texas - USA 2009
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THE OLD STORES A film by Yoav Gurfinkel / Israel 2007 Creative Documentary. 53 minutes. Hebrew, Arabic. English subtitles. This is the story of a number of old stores in modern-day Tel Aviv-Jaffa, all small businesses, 40 years old or older, who have somehow survived despite the hardships of time. The film passes between the stores and unfolds an old and aging world of tradition and family businesses, a whole fabric of life and places very different from the fast, dynamic life that surrounds us. Remi Award Winner: Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, Texas - USA 2008
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DOES HUMOUR TRAVEL? A film by Lucia Rikaki / Greece 2007 Creative Documentary. 50 minutes. English, Greek. English subtitles. The British Council, in cooperation with Comedy Nights the Comedy Club, presented, for the first time in Greece, stand up comedy from Britain. The thought behind the British comedy month was mainly based on the entertainment of the public in Athens through its contact with three of the brightest talents of British comedy today. Does humour travel? If it does, what language does it speak? If it has a language, what is its nationality?
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FOOTBALL, COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE A film by Jean-Christophe Ribot / France 2006 Popular Science. 52 minutes. French. English subtitles In order to understand how collective intelligence develops in a team, we take a close look at the work and thoughts of Christian Gourcuff, a French Football (soccer) coach, who is using interesting ideas to create its strategy. This pragmatic approach is illuminated by the scientific concepts of Systems Theory. The film offers a new way of thinking about football as the organization of a complex system, by observing how a team develops a strategy over the course of training sessions and matches, and how the individuals on the team form a collective intelligence. Winner: Prix Audace : PariScience International Science Film Festival - France 2006
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FREEDOM IS HERE -living on the ice in Greenland A film by Sidse Larsen / Greenland/Norway 2007 Discoveries/Nature/Ethnology. 52 minutes. Greenlandic (Kalaallisut). English subtitles. Throughout the winter months Junnguk, a 45 year-old man from Ilulissat in the Northwestern part of Greenland and his fellows travel by dog sledge to the ice fiord where they spend days in each other’s company catching halibut and hunting seals, as it has been done in generations. The film is a story about friendship, tradition and modernity as found in contemporary Greenland and most important of all: choosing one’s way of living.
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CHACUN CHERCHE SON CHAMAN / THE SHAMAN SEARCH A film by Roland Pellarin Ethnology/Spirituality. HD/64 minutes. French. English subtitles. Thanks to the testimonies of several specialists and individuals captivated by shamanism, this documentary covers the growing interest in the West for shamanism. Illustrated by video clips supplied by ethnologists, recordings of shaman music concerts and sequences shot during a training course in shamanism, this film will try to understand the why and the how behind the renewal in this quest of the individual.
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IN SEARCH OF ZHANG ZHUNG - a journey across the Himalayas A film by Alex Gabbay Travelogue/Ethnology/Spirituality 52 minutes. English, Tibetan. English narration/subtitles. Gelek, a Bon monk, accompanied by an American photographer, Thomas Kelly, undertakes a journey from Kathmandu to discover for himself the ancient kingdom of Zhang Zhung where the Bon religion flourished centuries ago. In search of mythical palaces and holy sites, they journey to the shadows of Mount Kailash in far Western Tibet. Along the way they are joined by dhamis (oracles) and shaman priests, and together they make an odd group of contrasting characters. It is a pilgrimage where both the spiritual and temporal realms are fluid, realities and obstacles constantly need to be overcome. Globians world and culture Documentary Film Festival, Potsdam - Germany 2008
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A PEACE CARAVAN / UNE ROULOTTE POUR LA PAIX A film by Aude Weisberger / France 2005 Creative Documentary. 52 minutes. French, Hebrew French version / English version "A Peace Caravan'' is a road movie and personal diary. In June 2003, Amit and Aude Weisberger with their six months old baby, set out on a 6000 km journey to Jerusalem in a caravan drawn by their horse, crossing .Western and Eastern Europe . Amit is Israeli and as a pacifist, has given himself 24 months to return to his country, to which, along with his horse-drawn caravan, he will bring a message of peace, an appeal to recognize the other side. ''Science and Society'': The Basel Karlsruhe Forum Contest - Switzerland 2007
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CONQUISTADORS OF CUBA A film by Arto Halonen / Cuba/Finland 2005 Creative Documentary. 55 minutes / 88 min. Spanish. English subtitles. Nearly blind Maximiliano, 62, has been asked to fix Che Guevara‘s old car in Havana and bring it back to life. Maximiliano‘.s good friend, Mario Borges, owns an old American car that used to belong to mobster Meyer Lansky whose fate interlaced closely with Batista and Che Guevara. ''Conquistadors of Cuba '' is a film about three historical cars and their current owners. It is a film about the beauty and greatness of ordinary people under the pressure of totalitarian regimes. Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival - Greece 2008
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A MAN CALLED NOMAD A film by Alex Gabbay / China/Nepal/UK 2003/2006 Ethnology/Nature and Environment. 40 min./ 52 min. Chinese. English subtitles. A Man Called Nomad is a story of a man trying to adjust to the shifting realities of the modern world, whilst retaining within his family a sense of place. Looking into the life of 30-year old Choegatar, father and provider, we get a glance into a world where temptations of the town interfere with natural life. This is an honest portrayal of life, shown with an unrivaled backdrop of beauty. Himalaya Film Festival Tokyo- Japan 2006
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Health & Human Rights |
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TRANSPARENT TIME A film by Gali Meiri / Israel 2008 Health..52 minutes. Hebrew, English. English subtitles. Filmmaker Gali Meiri allows us to share the journey of an exceptional young woman, Eylon Nuphar – co-creator and founder of Mayumana performance group – who manages against all odds, at the peak of her career, to find strength within fragility, facing a whirlwind of challenges while fighting breast cancer. Kos International Health Film Festival - Greece 2009 Web site: www.transparent-time.com
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ABE NATHAN - AS THE SUN SETS A
film by Eytan Harris / Israel 2005 Human Rights. 78 minutes.
Hebrew, English. English translation. The nostalgic and exciting story of Abe Nathan ("The Peace Pilot") - the man who became a myth in Israel and around the world for his courageous and endless fight for peace, who broadcasted rock music and messages of peace from his pirate radio station "The Voice of Peace", who organized missions, reaching forgotten corners of the world giving food to starving children, but at the same time could not be a real father to his own daughter. Fipatel, FIPA International Festival for Audiovisual
Programs, Biarritz - France 2006
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AMNON & JILL A
film by Gonen Glazer / Israel 2005 Human Rights. 50 minutes.
Hebrew, Sign language. English translation. This is the story of Amnon, a phenomenal deaf-born dancer, and his wife Jill. Jill produces their joint act and helps Amnon to communicate with his surroundings. A few years on, Jill decides to separate her professional life from Amnon's, to try out a new career as an actress. When Amnon is invited to be the Art Director of the "Deafway" festival in Washington, DC, he decides to deal with his limitations and go by himself. Jill stays behind in Israel. Doc Aviv International Documentary Film Festival - Israel 2005
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MUKANDA MODEL A film by Hai Cohen / Israel 2002 Human Rights. 53 minutes.
Hebrew, English, Swahili. English translation. The filmmaker, Hai Cohen, was injured in 1986. Samuel Mukanda, from Kenya, has lived in Hai's home in Jerusalem for the past 10 years, assisting him in performing all of the daily activities that today he cannot accomplish alone. The relationship that developed between them is as clearly understood, it seems. However, in the same breath, it is a great mystery. Samuel lives between two different worlds, imbued with a sense of duty for each. Samuel is from small village in northern Kenya. He visits his wife and children for one month a year, this time along with Hai. Cracow Film Festival - Poland 2003
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RIVKA AND YORAM A film by Moshe Balmas and Thomas Henke / Israel 2002 Human Rights. 48 minutes.
Hebrew. English translation. Rivka and Yoram fulfilled their dream of getting married but they will never be able to build a home, raise a family, or even be alone when they want to be physically intimate. Yoram and Rivka are both confined to wheelchairs and have lived in institutional homes for most of their lives. The camera follows the couple on their wedding day and in their daily life. This film is about two people, their struggle for a lasting relationship, with no previous experience and with physical and mental difficulties. Watch
Video Trailer (without subtitles) Moscow Disability Film Festival - Russia 2006
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NITSAN AND SAGI A film by Hadassah Benherzel and Jacky Berman / Israel 2004 Human Rights. 58 minutes.
Hebrew. English translation. Nitsan and Sagi married in Israel in August 2002. Their wedding was a magnificent and well-attended ceremony. However, unlike other couples, Nitsan and Sagi are young people with Down syndrome, and as such, their path to martial bliss became an ideal for a "normal" existence that many young people with Down syndrome pray and hope for. The film accompanies the couple on their wedding day and to their new home in an emotional, thought provoking and sometimes humorous fashion. Sprout Film Festival, New York - USA 2006
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History & Current Affairs |
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KALANDIA - a Checkpoint's story A film by Neta Efrony/ Israel 2009 Current Affairs. 59 minutes. English, Arabic, Hebrew. French / English narration & subtitles. Over a span of six years, Filmmaker Neta Efrony documented an Israeli military Checkpoint - on the road between East Jerusalem and Ramallah - who grew and expanded into becoming a Terminal. Kalandia's Checkpoint does not separate between Arabs and Jews; it separates between Palestinians and Palestinians. The film is an authentic and disturbing testimony to the daily struggle of Palestinians who wish to continue their routine lives, on their way to work, education, medical care or religious reasons. São Paulo International Film Festival - Brazil 2009
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6 FLOORS TO HELL A film by Jonathan Ben Efrat / Israel 2008 Creative Documentary. 52 minutes. Arabic, Hebrew. English subtitles. Illegal Palestinians workers live in an unfinished mall near Tel Aviv, six floors underground, with no electricity and water. Among them is Jalal who dreams of his fiancée, who is waiting for him to return. At one of central Israel’s largest junctions, deep in the concrete skeleton, six floors down, the workers sleep. A life between darkness and light. Forum des Images, Paris - France 2009
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PLAY ME ALLEGRO - an optimistic borderline story A film by Alon Alsheich & Eran Yehezkel / Israel 2008 Creative Documentary. 52 minutes. Hebrew, Russian, Arabic. English subtitles. 4 km from Gaza, kibbutz Nir-Am is located on the border between Israel & the Palestinian Authority. In spite of Israeli missiles & helicopters soaring above their heads, and Palestinian rockets falling in their yard, Julia, a Russian immigrant, and her 5 years old daughter, choose not to give up. If it weren’t for the daily sirens and rockets, their lives would be like those of most single-parent families. Living with the constant threat, Julia struggles to maintain a dialogue with their Palestinian neighbors and lead a normal life. An abnormally normal life and a profoundly appealing film, that moves towards a surprise happy ending. Human Rights Award: Docudays International Human Rights Film Festival, Kiev - Ukraine 2009 Watch Video Trailers: Trailer 1 Trailer 2
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END OF WAITING TIME A film by Antonio Perez Molero & Jesus Sanjurjo History. 52 / 78 minutes. Spanish. English/French subtitles. In 1936, General Francisco Franco led a coup d' état against the Spanish Republic that gave rise to a brutal civil war. During his long dictatorship, hundreds of people were arrested, executed or disappeared. Today, the families of those who vanished have begun to search for answers about their relatives.
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CLASSMATES OF ANNE FRANK A film by Eyal Boers / Israel 2008 History. 58 minutes. Dutch, English, Hebrew. English narration & subtitles. A game inventor returns to his childhood neighborhood in Holland to reunite with five of his and Anne Frank's former classmates. He discovers a surprising truth about the village where he was hiding during World War Two. The story of Anna's classmates is illustrated through interviews and discussions between the classmates themselves, and also through rare archival material, photographs, footage, personal scrapbooks and letters. Winner: Silver Ace Award: Las Vegas International Film Festival - USA 2009
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IN THE FREIMAN'S KITCHEN A film by Hadar Bashan / Israel 2007 Creative Documentary. 55 minutes. Hebrew. English subtitles. An intimate film about the Disengagement from the Gaza Strip, reflected through the elderly couple's kitchen in Neve Dekalim, Gush Katif settlement bloc. The backdrop of this film reflects the dense dynamics of marital relations, the fear of growing old, and the anxieties of the upcoming evacuation. Yaakov and Miriam have built themselves a haven of routine extending from morning till night: coffee, a joint reciting of psalms, cooking, hosting, and preparing dinner for themselves - all within their kitchen. Winner: Best Documentary Award : International Women Film Festival Rehovot - Israel 2007
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MIDDLEGROUND VALLEY (Monologues for Peace) A film by Hadassah Benherzel / Israel/USA 2007 Current Affairs. 65 minutes. English, Hebrew, Arabic. English subtitles The film follows a group of Palestinian and Israeli girls, aged 16-18, who were chosen to participate in the ''Creativity for Peace'' dialogue camp, in the safe and beautiful New Mexico countryside. These adolescent young women spend some time together, out of the violence and conflict of their communities, in a summer program that teaches leadership. They undergo a process of maturation and learning that leads them to the understanding that pain and suffering have names and faces, that truth may exist, but it is not singular and decisive, and that things can also be different
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OPERATION MURAL: Casablanca 1961 A film by Yehuda Kaveh / Israel 2007 History. 55 minutes. Hebrew, English, French. English/French subtitles. Forty-five years after their clandestine mission, three Mossad agents return to Casablanca to retrace their steps in a humanitarian mission whereby 530 Jewish children reached Israel in 1961, under the guise of holidays in Switzerland. This film vividly documents how “Operation Mural” succeeded beyond all expectations. The key actors relive their undercover activities, as well as many precious testimonies of children and key Mossad figures in Israel and the Littmans in Switzerland. The film was filmed in Switzerland, Morocco and Israel. Remi Award Winner: Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, Texas - USA 2008
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MADRID BEFORE HANITA – Jews from Palestine in the International Brigades A film by Eran Torbiner / Israel 2006 History. 58 minutes. Hebrew, Spanish, Polish and German. English/French/Spanish subtitles. The story of 300 Jews from Palestine/Israel who departed to fight fascism and joined the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939. Winner: Platinum Remi Award : Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, Texas - USA 2007
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OLIVE PRESS (Masik) A film by Yoram Sabo / Israel 2005 Current Affairs. 50 minutes. Hebrew, Arabic. English translation. As every year, towards the end of summer, the olives ripen on the trees. In the picturesque hills and valleys of the West Bank, they turn from bitter green to luscious purple. For the next three months, as autumn unfolds, the owners of the trees and their families - Palestinians and Jews - partake in the timeless ritual of the olive harvest. San Francisco Jewish Film Festival - USA 2006
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THE HIDDEN CHILD A film by Yehuda Yaniv / Israel 2001 History/Culture. 52 minutes. English, French, Hebrew, German. English voice-over. Prof. Saul Friedlander, Holocaust historian and survivor, won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize (non-fiction) and the 2007 Peace Prize at Frankfurt book fair. ''The Hidden Child'' documents and follows Friedlander as he returns to Prague, the city his family left as the persecution of Jews escalated during World War II. Friedlander recounts his family’s trip to a convent in France where he was placed in hiding with nuns. Jewish Jerusalem Film Festival - Israel 2007
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THE BIRTHDAY PARTY A film by Ruth Walk / Israel 2004 Among the few children surviving Auschwitz was a group of little Jewish boys, who re-united after the War. The film portrays the 25 living survivors, who still call themselves “Children”.. Its culmination is their collective birthday party, celebrated yearly on Liberation Day, May 5th. The film tells their stories of survival - as children in Auschwitz and as adults who must learn to live beyond their memories of a lifetime ago.
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ICH BIN JUDE! ICH BIN JUDE! - Jewish Youth Movements' Resistance in Occupied France History. 53 minutes. French. English subtitles. The film recounts the resistance of Jewish youth mouvements in France during WWII, particularly the Jewish Scouts of France (EIF) and the Zionist Youth Movement (MJS), in response to German occupation and especially to the anti-Jewish laws and oppressions set in place by the occupant. They saved Jewish lives by the thousands and then joined the French Resistance as distinct Jewish combat units. The entire story is told only by those who lived it. Fipatel, FIPA International Festival of Audiovisual Programs, Biarritz - France 2007
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A MATTER OF TIME - The story of the Jewish communities of History 2 x 52 minutes. Hebrew, French. English translation. This film tells for the first time, the story of the Jewish communities of North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) during World War II, revealing how, had fate not intervened, it was only "a matter of time" until they would share the fate of their co-religionists in Europe. The film describes the Historical evidence of plans by German and Italian occupiers to carry out "the final solution" far from the shores of Europe. New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival - USA 2006
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THE RINGWORM CHILDREN A film by David Belhassen and Asher Hemias / Israel 2003 History 58 minutes. Hebrew. English translation. Available: French. In the early 1950's, approximately 100,000 immigrant children, primarily from North Africa, received X-ray radiation treatment for ringworm upon their arrival in Israel. At the time, the medical establishment thought ringworm was a grave danger to public health. It was later discovered that these treatments caused high rates of infertility, cancer and death. This tragic affair was hidden from the public eye for decades until now. Through exhaustive research and testimonies of survivors, this emotional documentary illustrates how stereotyping immigrants can have horrific consequences. Honorary Mention: International
Prize for Mediterranean Documentary & Reportage - France 2005
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JENIN DIARY, THE RESERVIST'S INSIDE STORY A film by Gil Mezuman / Israel 2002 Current Affairs. 65 minutes.
Hebrew. English Translation After the deadly suicide terrorist attack on the Park Hotel in Netanya, on the eve of Passover, the filmmaker was called up with his battalion for emergency reserve duty. Eight days later, in a clash with armed terrorists deep inside Jenin refugee camp, 13 officers and soldiers in his company were killed. Jenin Diary exposes the inside story of a reservist's unit in times of war. San Diego Jewish Film Festival - USA 2004
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UNDER THE STRAW ROOF A film by Miri Rader-Zamft / Israel 1995 History 40 minutes. Hebrew.
English Translation. The film depicts the story of the Levin Family, a Dutch family who survived the Holocaust. When the war was over the family reunited. As a result of their reunion they felt the need to add Jewish orphans, who lost their parents during the Holocaust, to the family . The film raises the problematic issue of the new relationships that emerged within the family.
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Art & Culture |
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A FILM ABOUT ANNA AKHMATOVA A documentary by Helga Landauer / Russia / USA 2008 Culture. 2x52 minutes. Russian, English. English subtitles. Anna Akhmatova the most famous Russian poet of her time, a ''femme fatale''. For the Russians, Akhmatova was iconic not just for what she had done, but for the majesty of what she had not been allowed to do. By the time Anna Akhmatova was twenty-five, fate had granted her every conceivable gift: poetic talent, strength of character and beauty. With the commentary of the poet Anatoly Naiman, who knew Akhmatova in her last years. Documenta Film Festival, Madrid - Spain 2009
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ONE EYE WIDE OPEN - following Zvi Lachman A documentary by Aner Preminger / Israel 2009 Art. 52 minutes. Hebrew. English subtitles The film follows Israeli Artist Zvi Lachman, during the decade 1998-2008. Lachman's sculptures and charcoal drawings involve processes of accumulation, addition, subtraction and erasure. Lachman's art is shaped by the tension between a liberal, secular worldview and between the religious roots of culture, between a universal and international consciousness and the demands of a local identity. American critic Geoffrey Hartman describes Lachman as "one of the best, if not the best sculptor working presently in Israel" (NY Arts). Epos International Art Film Festival, Tel Aviv - Israel 2009
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ZITRA (tomorrow) - of truth and reconciliation A documentary by Judd Ne'eman Arts. 54 / 68 minutes. Hebrew, German, English, Czech. English subtitles. A Musical Documentary follows a group of young German and Israeli musicians & actors, working on a joined performance in German and Hebrew. The play is based on the memories of Manka Alter, a Holocaust survivor who was a lead singer in the Cabaret of Ghetto Terezin (Theresienstadt). Through Manka's memories, performed on stage by the young generation, the film raises philosophical questions on truth and reconciliation. The rehearsals and the staging of the cabaret are intertwined with the reenacting of the scenes from the play on the streets of Schwerin and Berlin. MARFICI International Independent Film Festival of Mar del Plata – Argentina 2009
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ROSH GERANIUM A film by Amit Goren / Israel 2007 Art. 85 minutes. Hebrew. English subtitles. Raffi Lavie, the Israeli painter, the art and classical music critic, is arguably the most influential cultural figure of his generation, an embodiment of the image of the "Sabra". The film follows Raffi Lavie, who had to give up the lease on his mythological apartment in Tel-Aviv, where he lived for 33 years with his wife Ilana and their children - when he is forced to reorganize his life, in order to relocate and begin yet another new phase in his life. Amit Goren's film makes Lavie's personality and art accessible, while remaining both entertaining and thought provoking. FIFA International Festival of Films on Art, Montréal – Canada 2008
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SHEHERAZADE'S TEARS A film by Judd Ne'eman / Israel/Ukraine 2006 Arts/Human Interest. 81 minutes. Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Ukrainian. English subtitles. Irina was a professional choreographer and dancer in the Ukraine . She moved to Israel twenty years ago after falling in love with a young Israeli Arab whom she met in Kiev . Irina teaches ballet dancing in an Arab village. She travels with her students, an Arab boy and a Jewish girl, who perform a piece from “Sheherazade” at the the Kiev youth ballet festival. They demonstrate her belief that where people can dance together they also can live together . Winner: Platinum Remi Award : Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, Texas - USA 2007
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THE GARDEN THAT FLOATED AWAY A film by Ruth Walk / Israel 2005 Culture. 53 minutes. Hebrew, Polish. English translation. "The Garden that Floated Away" is the story of Ida Fink, one of Israel's greatest living authors who writes in Polish and has been widely translated. In her clear, distilled language, her books tell about the years of the Holocaust, touching upon its horror yet never relinquishing refinement and beauty. The film tries to reflect the musical and filmic qualities of her stories. “Cinema and Literature”: FAMAFEST International Film Festival - Portugal 2007
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THE BALCONY A film by Ruth Walk / Israel 2000 ''The Balcony'' is the story of the 83-year-old Actor Israel Beker: a survivor from the Holocaust, a Painter, and the creator of the autobiography feature film Long is the Road (1946) in which he appears as himself in the leading role. Israel Beker's apartment '.s walls adorned with his paintings, represents the past. His balcony, like a stage in a new theatre overlooking the noisy street, anchors him to the present International Forum of New Cinema Berlin Film Festival - Germany 2001
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STAGE OF MIND A film by Niv Cohen and Dan Shanan / Israel 2005 Arts/Society. 55 minutes. Hebrew. English translation. Two elderly Israeli actors ponder whether there is still a future for them in the acting world. Mordechai Ben-Zeev and Ruth Segal, two of the founders of the Haifa Theatre, deal with growing old as an actor with different perspectives. Both are still struggling to survive in this ''cruel and vicious'' profession as they define it. Roma Art Doc Fest - Official Selection ''Theatre'' - Italy 2006
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SECONDS OF GLORY A film by Marco Carmel / Israel 2004 Society & Ethnology. 52 minutes. Hebrew, Russian. English translation. Hovering on the fringes of the film and TV industry in Israel is the world of the extras and 'bit' players - the small-time, amateur actors. The film follows the lives of three such characters over a period of time: Christina a new immigrant from the Ukraine, Solange a former actress and singer and Chovav "King of the Extras" who has appeared in every Israeli film made in the last 30 years. Dignity and Work International Film Festival Gdansk - Poland 2008
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