AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL 2015
SYDNEY AUG 17-30 MELBOURNE AUG 18-30 CANBERRA AUG 19-30 PERTH AUG 20-26
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM #ISRAELIFILMFEST AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL 2015
SYDNEY AUG 17-30 MELBOURNE AUG 18-30 CANBERRA AUG 19-30 PERTH AUG 20-26
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FREE TICKET UPON JOINING, FREE $10 BIRTHDAY VOUCHER, DAILY DISCOUNTS ENQUIRE TODAY AT THE CINEMA BOX OFFICE OR ONLINE AT palacecinemas.com.au/movieclub WELCOME WELCOME TO THE 12TH ANNUAL AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL. Each year we bring you the best Israeli Cinema has to offer. When we thought that Israeli films have reached a high level, the quality of this selection goes beyond anything we have screened in the past. As always Palace Cinema, the leader in presenting Film Festivals in Australia, and Antonio Zeccola have been pro-active in expanding this Festival to more locations. At AICE we are grateful for having such wonderful partners. I would like to thank also all the sponsors, without them there would be no Festival. Please enjoy this 12TH edition of the Festival. Albert Dadon AM Chairman
AICE is very pleased to welcome our festival guests this year – Barak Heymann with his two productions Aliza and Almost Friends; Asaf Weitzen – lead attorney for Tel Aviv based NGO, Hotline, and Oscar® winning producer, Israeli American, Howard Rosenman.
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM CULTUREWELCOME CORNER At Palace Cinemas we are honoured to share the voices of storytellers from around the world and the AICE Israeli Film Festival is no exception. It is my pleasure to showcase contemporary Israeli cinema with a programme that gets stronger and stronger every year. This dynamic programme , curated by Artistic Director Richard Moore, features a selection of contemporary and archival Israeli cinema including World and Australian premieres of documentaries, feature films, shorts and a hit Israeli TV series across six exciting categories: Blast From The Past, Queer Spot, Questions of Faith, Culture Corner, First Course and On The Edge. I would also like to thank Albert Dadon AM, Founder and Executive Chairman of AICE, for his ongoing commitment to sharing Israeli cinema and culture with our audiences. Please enjoy the 12TH edition of the AICE Israeli Film Festival screening at Palace Cinemas across the country this August. Antonio Zeccola Executive Chairman Palace Cinemas CULTUREWELCOME CORNER Dear Friends and Patrons of the Cinema, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 12TH annual AICE Israeli Film Festival. This Israeli film festival has become an annual tradition which is firmly on the cultural dockets in Australia. Such a cultural exchange is vital in the strengthening of the relationship between the State of Israel and Australia. I wish to congratulate the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange and Mr. Albert Dadon for this important cultural exchange. This year’s festival includes a wide range of excellent Israeli films that offer a perspective into our life, culture, challenges and people. Please enjoy this unique window into Israel! Shalom, and “enjoy the shows!” Best Regards, MK Isaac Herzog Leader of the Opposition Chairman of Zionist Union Party WELCOME Dear Friends, I would like to welcome you to the Israeli Film Festival. This is the 12th anniversary of this distinguished event and I am happy to note that this important tradition goes from strength to strength. Culture and the Cinema, as one of its vivid expressions, are known to be able to bridge geographical divides and geopolitical barriers. It is quite often that they can succeed in places where politics and politicians cannot. As former voluntarily chairman of the Israel Film Fund, I take pride in the fact that Israel has gradually developed into a rich and prolific quality film producing country. It is therefore with great personal satisfaction that I invite our dear friends in Australia to a taste of the Israeli cinematic world. I commend the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange on this most welcome initiative and take this opportunity to thank Mr. Albert Dadon for his continued support and encouragement. Shalom and Yishar Koach (more power to you), Sincerely, MK Yaakov Perry Chairman of the Israel-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group
#ISRAELIFILMFEST
SECTION OUTLINE This year’s program has a strong focus on the dark arts of the documentary and is divided into a few thematic sections . I hope you enjoy what you see; if not ... well come and argue with me afterwards. A thanks to all the filmmakers and sales agents who worked hard to bring us these films: special mentions for service “beyond the call of duty” to Hedva and Hadar at GO2 Films, Udy and Chase at 7th Art Releasing and Michelle at Greenspan – you are all treasures. Richard Moore Artistic Director.
QUESTIONS OF FAITH. Is there a more pressing issue in this schismatic century than the question of faith and interfaith?
CULTURE CORNER A hommage to Israeli culture and some of its flawed and tragic characters.
ON THE EDGE Living on the edge is status quo in Israel ; this selection is but a small sample of some of the hot button issues facing contemporary citizens and “non citizens”.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST Classics from the vaults of Israel’s cinematic history. When will you get a chance to see them on the big screen again?
QUEER SPOT A new addition to the program – a humourous and zany celebration of queer themes and queer Israeli film culture. OPENING NIGHT MATTI CASPI – CONFESSION Directors : Dalia Mevorach, Dani Dothan Production: Uri Borreda, Shemi Shoenfeld, Amital Menelzon What lies behind Matti Caspi’s mask like face? In this cinematic confessional, one of Israel’s greatest musicians reveals his innermost secrets. Caspi relates his tale of growing up in the 1950s in a family bereft of affection, his rise to stardom in an army ensemble, the quantum leap to fame with a string of commercial hits and then his exile to the USA after a very public fall from grace. Full of songs, intimate moments and humour this is as much a film about an Israel of the past as it is a searing personal biography of a living legend. 85 minutes CULTURE CORNER CLOCKWORK DOLL DAHLIA RAVIKOVITCH “The poetry of Dahlia Ravikovitch emerges from an extraordinary personal uniquely wonderful place. Other poets strive repeatedly to achieve all that is naturally present in her poems“ Baruch Kurzwell, literary critic 1959
Director: Ruth Walk Production: Lizan Atzmor., Yael Perlov The life of Dahlia Ravokovitch – poet, translator and peace activist – was a wonderful gift to Hebrew culture. Winner of the major Israeli poetry prizes she established herself as a powerful female voice in a predominantly masculine world. In her personal life she struggled with depression and fluctuated between intense vitality and an ardent passion to partake in any moral and political discussion. The film is ultimately a celebration of a highly talented and fiercely independent poetic voice. 52 minutes
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LIVING ROOM Director: Tali Shalom Ezer This short is the first film by Tali Shalom Ezer who directed the feature PRINCESS, also included in this year’s program. Can a daughter ever escape the influence of her mother? 19 minutes CULTURE CORNER ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A KING Director: Doron Djerassi Producers: Doc Films / Doron Djerassi Nissim Aloni was a king of the Hebrew Theatre. The magical realm he created on stage, together with a stellar cast of collaborators (including Yosl Bergner as the set designer) brimmed with imagination and poetry. He gave voice to a new spirit in the development of Israeli theatre; it was a bold, gutsy and political vision, full of lofty dreams and all too short lived. In a world dominated by functionaries Aloni eventually found he was a king in exile, without a kingdom, without an audience, to share his dreams. But what a time it was! 80 minutes CULTURE CORNER
THE WANDERING MUSE Director/Producer: Tamas Wormser Languages: E nglish, French, German, Yiddish, Ladino, Lugandan Judeo-Arabic, Spanish, Ancient Hebrew From the plaintive cry of the ram horn to the boom – boom of the beat box, this production is a sonic exploration of Jewish identity through the music of the Diaspora. Forget about your winter holidays, The Wandering Muse is a total geographical and musical trip. From a tango infused klezmer bar in Argentina, down to a Berlin cellar chanting 1920sYiddish song, up through an ancient Moroccan synagogue – with the alluring songstress Vanessa Paloma – and into a congregation in rural Uganda chanting Hebrew prayers in East African harmonies. Cantors, hip hoppers, and subversive Russian poets all groove together in this celebration of a world of harmony beyond politics and national borders. 93 minutes CULTURE CORNER ROCK IN THE RED ZONE Director/Producer: Laura Bialis A story of love, politics and music set on the front line in the desert town of Sderot. When LA documentary maker, Laura Bialis, travelled to Sderot to research a documentary about the music scene in Sderot little did she realise it would flip her life on its head. This production is an outsider’s inside view of life on the front line, in a town under threat of rocket attacks, where citizens have only 15 seconds warning to get shelter. Set right in the heart of the musical community in Sderot – with appearances by Teapack, Micha Barton, Avi Vaknin and Knesiyat Hasechet - this is a passionate testament to a community who see themselves as forgotten by the mainstream of Israeli society and who are determined to be heard. 87 minutes CULTURE CORNER
ALIZA Directed & Produced by: Tomer Heymann Aliza Rozen has a long list of credits in the Israeli film and TV industry: she most recently appeared on screen in Farewell Party (2014). Here she is the subject of a biographical piece by Tomer Heymann, one of Israel’s best known documentary film makers. Using material he shot in 1995 as a young student Heymann returns 20 years later to Rozen to make a professional film and persuade his reluctant subject into the spotlight. Ever feisty and temperamental Aliza’s relationship with the director drives the film in a “warts and all“ portrayal. The production is notable for its rich content from Israel’s television’s vaults. 60 minutes
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SUMMER LOVE A simple summer holiday with his family turns into a nightmare for the central character as he encounters his ex male lover on the beach. Nominated for an Oscar® this short film has played all around the world to great acclaim. 22.5 minutes CULTURE CORNER YONA Director: Nir Bergman Producers: Michael Eckelt, Tami Leon, Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi Based on tahe novel Yona Wallach this film is a no holds barred depiction of the turbulent life of one of Israel’s greatest poets and is not for the faint hearted. Director Nir Bergman (whose earlier feature, Broken Wings, features in the archival section of this year’s program) states that he wants Yona’s audience to know the “price to be paid for devoting life and death to art.” Yona opens in the early 1960s as she struggles for recognition in a chauvinistic world. Her ascent to the heights of Israel’s poetry scene and a world of free love and drugs is accompanied by an equally rapid descent into mental breakdown and the controversial practice of treating patients with LSD. 100 minutes ON THE EDGE
LAST STOP Director: Julie Shles Producers: Shula Spiegel, Dana Eden Set in and around the vicinity of Central Bus station in South Tel Aviv this is a disturbing portrait of contemporary Israeli life. Around the station live thousands of refugees – its the epicenter of Israel’s Eritrean and Sudanese communities – along with impoverished Israeli families who feel like strangers in their own homes. They are not shy about making their feelings known – that’s for sure. The production is gritty and direct. The filmmakers hit the streets to reveal the perspective of the new immigrants and the second- generation migrant workers with little identity of their own. Locals take to the streets to vent their collective spleens about the radical changes in their community. Stand by to be confronted. 76 minutes
#ISRAELIFILMFEST ON THE EDGE HOT LINE Director/Producer: Silvina Landsmann Hotline is a small NGO dedicated to promoting the rights of refugees and uninformed migrants in Israel. The production is an insider’s perspective on its activities; behind closed doors at detention centres, legal aid hearings and feisty public policy sessions at the Knesset the filmmakers paint a vivid picture of the legal and financial limbo faced by many of Israel’s new African immigrants. The volunteers at Hotline are fierce in their determination to pursue migrant’s rights and not let them be swallowed up by government regulation. As vibrant a democracy as Israel is, it still faces fundamental challenges about who can become a citizen and what its responsibilities are as a state. For the people caught in the current net – many of them already the victims of human trafficking – their only hope is Hotline. 99 minutes CULTUREON THE EDGE CORNER
MOM IS NOT CRAZY Director: Mordechai Vardi Producers: Mordechai Vardi and Ami Drozci Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder Amira took her husband Michael to meet her therapist on their second date. He didn’t run away. This film is a frank account of her family’s internal struggles to maintain a sense of normality. Amira’s efforts to cope with the disease are challenging, confronting and highly emotional. No stone is left unturned as the filmmaker’s poke their lenses into intimate corners. Beyond the issues of coping with everyday life the film also poses a deep questioning of how to live with a psychological otherness within the paramaters of Jewish law and society. 74 minutes
#ISRAELIFILMFEST CULTUREON THE EDGE CORNER
DEFENSE FILES Director: Moish Goldberg Producer: Liran Atzmor 3 x 35 minutes Part of a longer series for television these three episodes are an unrepentant glimpse at public defenders and the criminals they represent. Attorney client privilege has been lifted for the first time in Israel to present the criminal justice system in a hyper-realistic way.
MONEY These cases include the stories of a security guard accused of stealing shampoo and olive oil from a supermarket, an unemployed man charged with attempting to defraud Social Security, and a senior port official, accused of accepting a bribe. While the attorneys fight for the lives of the indigent they must also defend serial fraudsters and swindlers.
DEATH This episode delves into the deepest fears of each of us, while peering in to the darker corners of life. The attorneys defend a driver who killed a pedestrian, a preschool teacher charged in the death of a toddler, and a tractor driver accused of being responsible for a guest worker’s death.
FAMILY Violence and sex crimes occur frequently within the family. The cases in this episode include a father who denies that he raped his daughter, a boy charged with threatening his mother with a knife, and a man accused of beating his wife. Every morning defense attorneys leave their own families behind and head to the courts to confront the reality of broken homes. CULTUREQUEER SPOT CORNER PROBATION TIME Director: Avigail Sperber Israel 2014 Winner of the Best film at Doc Aviv 2014 this film is a complicated family portrait centred on the story of Ariela, an Ethiopian girl, adopted by the director’s parents. As one of nine older siblings Ariela’s path has forced her family to contend with a whole range of issues including alcoholism, petty thefts and prison. How far can family ties be stretched and how much love can one woman have for her children? As a fierce keeper of the peace this mother is truly tested as the fragile bonds that keep a family together are pushed to the maximum. Ariela’s path to rehabilitation from a prison sentence is a bumpy one, echoed by the filmmaker’s dissolving relationship with her girlfriend and the immediate question of how to bring up her own child. 90 minutes CULTUREQUEER SPOT CORNER SHORTER STUFF A collection of short dramas and shorts with queer themes.
ZAZALAND: Director: Maayan Cohen Part of a series of tributes to Israel’s cinematic past this is a comic play on the film Late Marriage. Set in a Georgian family it takes the form of a coming out of the closet for the central character. While he makes passionate and noisy love to his boyfriend in his bedroom downstairs two matchmaking parties assemble to decide on his bride to be. 14 minutes
HORO Yoav Brill studied animation at Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem and also worked on Once upon A Time There Was a King in our Culture Corner section. This is Yoav’s ode to the practice of holding hands. 9 minutes
ALBI AND ALMA Director: Tom Nesher Two 17-year-old best friends, Albi and Alma, a gay boy and a straight girl, go searching for “true love.” A degrading experience with “Mister Wrong,” changes their plans. 15 minutes
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM CULTUREQUEER SPOT CORNER
THE GARDEN Director: Hod Winter Producers: Nama Shinman, Dan Witztum. Mor Company, Diana Galstyan Part of a series of tributes to Israel’s cinematic past this is a comic rift on the film, Drifting. Its a satire set behind the scenes during the outdoor filming of a gay zombie musical. But the director, in lust with his male leads, does everything he can to destroy the filming and then show us what really can happen in the park after dark. 16 mins
GEVALD Director: Netalie Brown Gevald was born out of a sense of urgency as the queer community in Jerusalem faced real and serious threats. It was a spontaneous initiative by members of the queer community from within the film industry as well as outside of it, who volunteered to create together a no-budget film and express the voices of protest to the infuriating homophobic attitude towards them. The whole film was made by members of the local community, on both sides of the camera. The story is based on real figures and the participants are non-actors. 16 minutes CULTUREQUEER SPOT CORNER
MARZIPAN FLOWERS Director: Adam Kalderon Winner of the Best Independent film at 2014 Jerusalem film festival and nominated for an Israeli Academy Award, Marzipan Flowers is a unique and highly original piece of film making. It tells the story of Hadas, a handsome 48-year-old widow who decides to escape kibbutz life and move to the big smoke of Tel Aviv. There, she finds unexpected help and support from her new roommate, Petel, a transgender woman with a mysterious and colorful past. The two form a friendship and soon discover they have much more in common than they imagined. 74 minutes
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM QUESTIONS OF FAITH
PARTNER WITH THE ENEMY Directors/Producers: Duki Dror and Chen Shelach In the midst of the ever-fraught Israeli-Palestinian political landscape, two women, one Israeli and one Palestinian, attempt the seemingly impossible: to build a business together. Fighting against societal and family pressure, anti-normalisation currents and a chauvinistic, male-dominated industry, the two combine forces to create a logistics company to help Palestinian businessmen navigate the absurdities surrounding Israeli control of the West Bank. But while they help their clients overcome the obstacles, the divisions between them threaten to tear their partnership apart. Israel, 2015 | Documentary 60 minutes
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IN THE SHADOW OF KING DAVID Director/Producer: Natasha Dudinski Living with King David is a challenge. Just ask the people of Silwan, a Palestinian village just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Since the first excavations began in the mid 19th century, archaeologists have come to this picturesque village, spade in hand, hunting for the legendary biblical city of King David. But in the last ten years, this obsession with antiquities risks ruining the lives of the people who live here as a constant threat of demolition hovers over their homes. Is the past more important than the present? Or is there another agenda? 25 minutes
#ISRAELIFILMFEST CULTUREQUESTIONS CORNER OF FAITH
WORLD PREMIERE HAPPY PURIM Director: Ori Gruder This world premiere of Ori Gruder’s new film is based on Purim, the happiest day in the Jewish calendar. As a religious Jew director Ori Gruder has access deep inside Orthodox Judaism. Narrated, in full singing voice, by one of Israel’s leading cantors this story of Purim goes to the heart of the spirit of the festival: the injunction to have fun and revel is carried to full measure (and includes some good drinking tips). The celebrations are intense and high energy and balanced by other more serious aspects of Purim - giving cash to those in need. 60 minutes
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DEMETER’S SPRING Director: Daphna Miro Draws a portrait of the cemetery at Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha, one of the few secular cemeteries in Israel. It observes the cemetery as it withers and blooms again during one year. Between being and nonbeing, holes are bored open in the earth, “reserved” signs are planted and empty plastic chairs await their sitters. 21 minutes
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM CULTUREQUESTIONS CORNER OF FAITH VICE VERSA Director: Amichai Greenberg Producers: Inbal Levi and Amichai Greenberg Can we repent? Can we go back in time? It is a question posed at the start of this short drama based on a novel. It probes an innocent relationship between a religious Yeshiva scholar and an 18-year- old cancer patient. Against all family and rabbinical advice the relationship blossoms. With no other outcome but a tragic one this production presents a deep portrait of love, faith and repentance that transcends the rules of religion, society and faith. 62 minutes
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VEGETATIVE LOVE Director: Dror Shoret Set across the urban landscapes and desert plains of Israel and Palestine this film follows five different characters and their special relationships with trees. From the Arab olive farmer to the contemporary Israeli Bonsai cultivator, this is a moving cinematic meditation about the place of man in nature 33 minutes CULTUREQUESTIONS CORNER OF FAITH THE CHAOS WITHIN Director: Yakov Yanai Lein Producer: Sylvain Biegeleisen A prayer for peace and a dissection of a mother son relationship – this documentary turns autobiography upside down and back to front. Mother Faigele Ashlag, once married to one of Bnei Barak’s greatest rabbis, teaches the Kabbalah and dominates the screen. Her son attempts to puts his life together post his abandonment of Judaism and his addiction to heroin. The film is a wrestle with himself, with the camera and his whole being . “ I love you so much and hate you so much “ says his mother : no wonder he has had to battle to find a way to save his world . The film exposes ten years of a fight for what seems least possible, a home. 85 minutes CULTUREQUESTIONS CORNER OF FAITH
ALMOST FRIENDS Director: Barak Heyman Producers: Barak Heyman and Nitzan Ofir Barak is a guest of the festival Less than 70 kilometers separate Lod and Tlamim, but the residents are a world apart. Through an education program aimed at bridging gaps in Israeli society, sixth grade students from a secular school in the impoverished city of Lod and a religious school in the settlement of Tlamim are paired as online pen pals. Samar, an Arab girl from Lod and Linor, a settler who lived in Gush Katif, represent the extremes of these differences. Still, a spark is ignited in their online relationship and a friendship is formed. But when the two girls have the opportunity to meet, their families enter into a profound and complex experience. 60 minutes Screens with
JERUSALEM ER Director: Hilla Medalia Producers: Hilla Medalia and Neta Zwebner- Zaibert Hadassah Hospital is located in the ethnically charged buffer zone of Mount Scopus. This is the story of the ER as through the eyes of two female doctors, one a Jewish immigrant from Chilé, and the other a Palestinian Israeli from the north of Israel. 17 minutes #ISRAELIFILMFEST CULTUREQUESTIONS CORNER OF FAITH
MEKIMI
TV SERIES, 5 EPISODES Director: Ram Nehari Producer: Yifat Prestelnik Mekimi is a 5-episode drama based on a bestseller book by Noa Yaron-Dayan, who was a popular and well-loved host on the IDF radio station. Popular Israeli actress Yael Poliakov plays Alma, a young media star living in Tel Aviv in the early 90s. From the outside she has all the ingredients for a successful life: money, fame and a great boyfriend. But in reality, there is a black hole in Alma’s heart. Entering her life and stealing her heart is film student Ben, a dark, mysterious anarchist (played by musician Daniel Mooke Niv ). The two fall deeply in love, at times appearing to be one another’s salvation, and at other times seeming to pull one another into the depths of oblivion. CULTUREQUESTIONS CORNER OF FAITH
EPISODE 1: LOVE WON’T SAVE US 56 minutes Alma hosts a live television special for the festival of Purim. and meets her new roommate, Ben, a film student at one of Israel’s top film schools. They seem to hit it off and travel to Sinai together where they come face-to-face with death.
EPISODE 2: I’M LOSING HIM 42 minutes On the eve of Yom Kippur, Alma discovers that Ben intends to fast. At the end of the fast, Ben returns to their house for a celebration with a group of repentants from the Breslau faith . Alma understands that life will never be the same.
EPISODE 3: LET’S RUN AWAY 39 minutes
Alma and Ben travel to recapture the way life used to be and end up on an island on the North Sea, where they meet a local Jew and light candles for Hannukah. Back in town Alma decides to go to Rabbi Daniel’s lesson.
EPISODE 4: IT’S OUR WAR 43 minutes
Alma’s parents have become anxious and take her to meet Elisha, a former member of the Breslau faith . He tries to change her mind but she travels to Rabbi Nachman’s grave in Oman in the Ukraine.
EPISODE 5: IT’S TIME TO DECIDE 40 minutes Ben proposes to Alma. She’s scared of the dramatic turn her life is taking and cant decide what to do. PRINCESS Director: Tali Shalom Ezer Producers: Ead Gavesh, Leon Edery, Moshe Edery Duration: 92 minutes Winner: Jerusalem film festival 2014 Best Feature film, Best actor, Best Composer, Best cinematographer Princess dives into a complex world of intolerable love, sensuality and sexuality set within an alternative definition of family. Adar, a 12 year old girl, neglected by her workaholic mum and hungry for love and attention, finds herself drawn into the fun and games of her “over attentive” step father. She meets the homeless Alan, a dreamy mysterious boy, her mirror image and brings him home. They embark on a dark journey between childhood and adolescence, reality and fantasy. 92 minutes Distributed by Vendetta Films CULTUREFIRST COURSE CORNER FIRST COURSE is a selection of the finest Israeli short films in a wide range of styles - from fiction to animation and even a dash of horror.
THE END – 2 MINUTES A comic look at life through an old man’s eyes in an art gallery
TOTAL LOSS OVER THIRTY – 6 MINUTES Director: Shanon Danon A comedy about the dilemma of being single and over thirty
HAS ANYONE SEEN EYAL NURICH? – 14 MINS Director: Oren Osbati A young scout leader tries to control a group of young scouts who only have one thing on their minds.
EDEN RESTS – 6 MINUTES Directors: Ofer Kapota, Natie Chen An animated tribute to Israel’s Eden cinema.
COURT – 10 MINUTES Director: Dekel Nitzan A game of basketball that turns into a tough father/son drama.
WHAT DO WE HAVE IN OUR POCKET? – 4.30 MINUTES Director: Goran Dukic An animated fantasy about the power of the pocket. CULTUREFIRST COURSE CORNER THE SEPARATED BEACH – 7.30 MINUTES Director: Karen Irony When a young girl goes for a swim she gets more than she bargained for.
I THINK THIS IS THE CLOSEST THING TO HOW THE FOOTAGE LOOKS – 8 MINUTES Director: Yuval Hameini A truly moving animation about memory and the video camera.
SLIPPING AWAY – 5 MINUTES Director: Ade Brodsky A paper animation in memory of a special friend.
REMEMBER ATA’LEE – 9 MINUTES Director: Maya Sarfaty A young girl’s audition for a role in a Holocaust ceremony.
WHAT ABOUT ME? – 5 MINUTES Directors: Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen A drama about a box of bananas and a talking donkey.
TO KILL A BUMBLEBEE – 8 MINUTES Directors: Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit A hunting expedition goes dramatically pear shaped and turns into a horror movie CULTUREBLASTS FROM CORNER THE PAST Selected titles from Israel’s cinematic history. WALTZ WITH BASHIR Director: Ari Folman Producers: Ari Folman, Yael Nahlieli, Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixnew, Roman Paul Director Art Folman’s animated documentary premiered in Cannes in 2008: its audacity and the boldness of its cinematic vision marked it as a standout title. The subject matter is repressed memory – specifically, the memories of Folman and his friends’ involvement as soldiers in the Israeli war against Lebanon in 1982. Using flash-animation, hand-drawn techniques and computer-enhanced 3D modelling, Folman’s work of art is still a highlight of this year’s archival program.
“Transmuted via novel use of animation into something special, strange and peculiarly potent.” Variety 2008 87 minutes Distributed by Sharmill Films Rated MA 15+ CULTUREBLASTS FROM CORNER THE PAST METZITZIM (peeping toms) Director/Producer: Uri Zohar When you think of Tel Aviv you see images of beaches and sun and a bohemian life style. When you think of Israeli comedies you think of this cult classic located on Tel Aviv’s Metzitzim beach. Uri Zohar, who also directed the film, and Arik Einstein, one of Israel’s greatest musicians, stars in this story of two friends who don’t want to age. Zohar plays an aging hippy lifeguard who refuses to grow up and spends most of his days fighting peepers in the public baths(and spying on his friends’ lovemaking ) while Eli ( Einstein ) dreams of building a nightclub in a local restaurant. Viewed through today’s moral lenses it could be seen as macho and sexist but it’s still a whole lotta fun. 1972 90 minutes CULTUREBLASTS FROM CORNER THE PAST
AVANTI POPOLO Director/Producer: Rafi Bukaee Named after the Italian communist anthem Avanti Popolo burst onto the film scene when it won the coveted Golden Leopard prize in Locarno in 1986. It was a mini revolution in Israeli film making – for the first time two Arab actors starred in lead roles as they played the role of two Egyptian soldiers trying to find their way back to the front line on the Suez Canal after the cease fire in the 1967 war. Full of irony, deep humanity and a sense of absurdity, Avanti Popolo stands as one of the best contemporary dramas about the surreal nature of war. 1986 84 minutes
#ISRAELIFILMFEST CULTUREBLASTS FROM CORNER THE PAST BROKEN WINGS Director: Nir Bergman Producer: Assaf Amir A touching domestic drama about an Israeli family shattered by the recent death of the head of the household. Dafna, the financially strapped widow with her four kids, has to juggle her nightshifts at Haifa hospital to keep all the emotional balls afloat. In the process she entrusts her teenagers – Maya, an aspiring singer and composer for a rock band and Yair, a once promising basketball player – to care for the youngest kids. In the emotional roller coaster stakes Broken Wings has got it all; Nir Bergman’s debut film is full of passion, energy and a deep sense of love. 2002 87 minutes Rated M CULTUREBLASTS FROM CORNER THE PAST SALLAH SHABATI Director: Ephraim Kishon Producer: Menahem Golan One of the most popular films in the history of Israeli cinema, this Oscar® nominated comedy catapulted Chaim Topol to international fame, resulting in his celebrated role in Fiddler on the Roof. Topol plays Sallah, an Oriental Jew who arrives with his wife and seven kids in 1949. Despite the bureaucracies efforts to get Sallah to work he prefers to play sheshbesh ( backgammon ) and find other ways to support his family . But this new citizen becomes an unlikely hero when he uncovers corruption in Israel’s housing industry. A stellar cast includes Gila Almagor and Arik Einstein. 1963 1 hour 45 minutes CULTUREBLASTS FROM CORNER THE PAST
81ST BLOW Directors: David Bergman, Haim Gouri, Jacques Ehrlich, Miriam Novitch, Zvi Shner Recently restored by the Jerusalem Cinematheque and presented at this year’s Berlin film festival, the 81ST Blow is compiled entirely of historical footage and photographs. It tells of Jewish life in Europe, of the emergence of National Socialism, of exultant German crowds, of pogroms, extermination, and finally of small acts of resistance and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The soundtrack is made up of statements made at the trial of Adolf Eichmann and a score composed especially for the film. The title comes from a boy in the Przemysl ghetto was given 80 lashes that almost killed him. Later, the fact that no one believed him felt like the 81ST blow. 1975-1977 115 minutes lunch with a beautiful italian
Master Italian Chef Buono brings his modern rustic Italian cuisine to your table. Breakfast Mon - Sun | Lunch Mon - Fri | Dinner Mon - Sat
Bistro Bakini, 568 St Kilda Rd. (03) 9521 7774 bistrobakini.com.au FESTIVAL PROGRAMME – PALACE CINEMA COMO
TUESDAY AUGUST 18 MONDAY AUGUST 24 6.00pm OPENING NIGHT 6.30pm Mekimi Part 1 Matti Caspi – Confession episodes 1 and 2 6.00pm arrival for 8.45pm Mekimi Part 2 7.00pm screening episodes 3, 4 and 5
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 TUESDAY AUGUST 25 7.00pm Almost Friends 6.30pm The Wandering Muse Introduction and Q&A with SPECIAL EVENT director Barak Heymann Live performance by 8.30pm Aliza KELZMERITIS Introduction and Q&A with director Barak Heymann 8.45pm Matti Caspi – Confession
THURSDAY AUGUST 20 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 6.30pm Happy Purim 6.30pm Hotline with short film Q&A screening Demeter’s Spring with Asaf Weitzen 8.30pm Rock in The Red Zone 9.15pm First Course
FRIDAY AUGUST 21 THURSDAY AUGUST 27 6.30pm Queer Spot – Shorter Stuff 6.30pm Mom is Not Crazy 8.15pm Yona 8.15pm Chaos Within
SATURDAY AUGUST 22 FRIDAY AUGUST 28 2.00pm Sallah Shabati 3.00pm Last Stop 4.30pm Once Upon A Time 4.45pm Rock in The Red Zone There Was A King 6.45pm Partner With The Enemy 6.30pm Princess 8.45pm Metzitzim 8.30pm Marzipan Flowers SATURDAY AUGUST 29 SUNDAY AUGUST 23 2.00pm 81st Blow 4.00pm Clockwork Doll – Dahlia Ravikovitch 4.30pm Probation Time followed by Q&A with 6.30pm Queer Spot – Shorter Stuff Leah Kaminsky and Lee Kofman 8.15pm Avanti Popolo 6.30pm A l i z a with short film SUNDAY AUGUST 30 Summer Vacation 6.30pm Broken Wings SPECIAL EVENTS – PALACE CINEMA COMO THE WANDERING MUSE WHEN Tuesday 25 August TIME 6.30pm, Palace Como Patrons will be entertained by a pre screening serenade and processional event by members of KLEZMERITIS – Ernie Gruner, Phil Carroll, Ron Hansen. KLEZMERITIS is inspired by Eastern European Jewish traditional celebration and dance music. Think klezmer with gypsy, jazz and eastern music. They have played many Australian festivals including Port Fairy, Woodford, National Folk & Fairbridge festivals.
CLOCKWORK DOLL DAHLIA RAVIKOVICH WHEN Sunday 23 August TIME 4.00pm, Palace Como Female Writing – Is There Such A Beast? Inspired by the documentary, Clockwork Doll: Dahlia Ravikovich, authors Leah Kaminsky and Lee Kofmann will discuss what it means to be a female writer , how gender matters in their work, and how gender may play itself in our writing about Israel. Inspired by Dahlia’s writings they will also discuss the ‘poetics’ of their own writing - the process that language plays in their works. Leah and Lee have both recently published ( Leah’s new book The Waiting Room will be released on September 1 ) and copies of their books will be available.
#ISRAELIFILMFEST CULTUREFESTIVAL PROGRAMMECORNER – PALACE BRIGHTON BAY
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 TUESDAY AUGUST 25 6.45pm Avanti Popolo 6.45pm V ice Versa 8.45pm Vice Versa with short film with short film Vegetative Love Vegetative Love 8.45pm Probation Time
THURSDAY AUGUST 20 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 6.30pm 81st Blow – with introduction 6.30pm Yona by Dr Devir Abramovich 8.45pm Happy Purim 9.15pm Last Stop with short film Demeter’s Spring FRIDAY AUGUST 21 6.45pm Partner With The Enemy THURSDAY AUGUST 27 with short film 6.45pm Waltz With Bashir In The Shadow of King David 8.45pm Marzipan Flowers 8.45pm Metzitzim FRIDAY AUGUST 28 with introduction by Eitan Drori 2.45pm Mom is Not crazy 4.30pm Hotline SATURDAY AUGUST 22 6.45pm Princess 1.45pm Mekimi Part 1 8.45pm Clockwork Doll episodes 1 and 2 – Dahlia Ravikovitch 4.15pm M ekimi Part 2 with short film episodes 3, 4 and 5 Living Room 6.45pm Broken Wings introduction by SATURDAY AUGUST 29 Dr Dvir Abramovich 2.45pm First Course 8.45pm Matti Caspi – Confession 4.45pm The Wandering Muse 6.45pm Matti Caspi – Confession SUNDAY AUGUST 23 8.45pm Almost Friends 4pm First Course with short film 6pm Waltz With Bashir Jerusalem ER
MONDAY AUGUST 24 SUNDAY AUGUST 30 6.45pm Sallah Shabati 6.45pm Once Upon a Time with introduction There Was a King by Eitan Drori 9.00pm Defense Files FESTIVAL PROGRAMME – PALACE VERONA
MONDAY AUGUST 17 Demeter’s Spring 6.00pm OPENING NIGHT 8.30pm Marzipan Flowers Matti Caspi – Confession 6.00pm arrival for MONDAY AUGUST 24 7.00pm screening 6.30pm The Last Stop TUESDAY AUGUST 18 8.15pm Broken Wings 7.00pm Almost Friends – introduction and Q&A with TUESDAY AUGUST 25 director Barak Heymann 6.30pm Rock in The Red Zone 8.30pm A l i z a 8.30pm Sallah Shabti – introduction and Q&A with director Barak Heymann WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 6.30pm First Course 8.30pm Waltz With Bashir 6.15pm Queer Spot – Shorter Stuff 8.00pm Avanti Popolo THURSDAY AUGUST 27 4.00pm Hotline THURSDAY AUGUST 20 6.30pm Metzitzim 6.30pm 81st Blow – introduction by 8.30pm Once Upon a Time Konrad Kwiet There Was a King 9.15pm The Chaos Within FRIDAY AUGUST 28 FRIDAY AUGUST 21 1.45pm Mekimi Part 1 episodes 1 and 2 2.00pm Vice Versa with short film 4.15pm Mekimi Part 2 Vegetative Love episodes 3, 4 and 5 4.00pm Partner With the Enemy 6.45pm Queer Spot – Shorter Stuff 6.30pm The Wandering Muse 8.30pm Marzipan Flowers 8.30pm Princess SATURDAY AUGUST 29 SATURDAY AUGUST 22 12.45pm Probation Time 1.45pm Once Upon a Time 2.45pm Princess There Was a King 4.45pm Happy Purim 3.45pm Hotline with short film – Q&A with Asaf Weitzen Demeter’s Spring 6.45pm C lockwork Doll 6.45pm Avanto Popolo - Dahlia Ravikovitch 8.45pm Sallah Shabati with short film Living Room 8.45pm Yona SUNDAY AUGUST 30 2.00pm Almost Friends SUNDAY AUGUST 23 with short film 4.30pm Matti Caspi – Confession Jerusalem ER 6.30pm Happy Purim 4.00pm Yona with short film 6.15pm Wandering Muse
#ISRAELIFILMFEST FESTIVAL PROGRAMME – PALACE ELECTRIC
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 TUESDAY AUGUST 25 6.30pm OPENING NIGHT 6.30pm Vice Versa Matti Caspi – Confession with short film 5.30pm arrival for Vegetative Love 6.30pm screening 8.30pm Princess THURSDAY AUGUST 20 6.30pm Almost Friends WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 with short film 6.30pm First Course Jerusalem ER 8.15pm The Wandering Muse 8.30pm Aliza with short film Summer Vacation FRIDAY AUGUST 21 THURSDAY AUGUST 27 2.45pm Mom is Not Crazy 4.30pm Probation Time 6.30pm Hotline 6.30pm Clockwork Doll 8.45pm Rock in The Red Zone – Dahlia Ravikovitch with short film FRIDAY AUGUST 28 Living Room 1.30pm Mekimi Part 1 8.15pm Princess episodes 1 and 2 SATURDAY AUGUST 22 4.00pm Mekimi Part 2 2.15pm Sallah Shabati episodes 3, 4 and 5 4.30pm Partner With The Enemy 6.30pm Marzipan Flowers with short film In The 8.15pm Metzitzim Shadow of King David 6.30pm Once Upon a Time SATURDAY AUGUST 29 There Was a King 8.30pm Yona 2.45pm Matti Caspi – Confession 4.45pm Queer Spot – Shorter Stuff SUNDAY AUGUST 23 6.30pm Almost Friends 6.30pm Happy Purim with short film with short film Jerusalem ER Demeter’s Spring 8.30pm Broken Wings 8.15pm Avanti Popolo
MONDAY AUGUST 24 SUNDAY AUGUST 30 6.30pm 81st Blow 6.30pm Waltz With Bashir 9.00pm Chaos Within 8.30pm The Wandering Muse FESTIVAL PROGRAMME – CINEMA PARADISO
THURSDAY AUGUST 20 SUNDAY AUGUST 23 6.00pm OPENING NIGHT 4.00pm 81st Blow Matti Caspi – Confession 6.15pm Happy Purim 6.00pm arrival for with short film 7.00pm screening Demeter’s Spring 8.15pm Broken Wings FRIDAY AUGUST 21 1.30pm Almost Friends (schools) MONDAY AUGUST 24 4.30pm Rock in The Red Zone 4.00pm Happy Purim (schools) 6.30pm The Wandering Muse 6.30pm Hotline 8.30pm Princess 8.45pm Queer Spot - Shorter Stuff
SATURDAY AUGUST 22 TUESDAY AUGUST 25 2.45pm Avanti Popolo 4.00pm Probation Time 4.45pm Almost Friends 6.30pm Sallah Sabati with short film Jerusalem ER 8.30pm Marzipan Flowers 6.30pm Clockwork Doll - Dahlia Ravikovitch WEDNESDAY AUGUST 26 with short film 6.30pm Once Upon a Time Living Room There Was a King 8.30pm Yona 8.30pm Metzitzim TICKETING INFORMATION CONTACT DETAILS MELBOURNE PALACE CINEMA COMO PALACE BRIGHTON BAY Level 2, Como Centre 294 Bay Street, Cnr of Toorak Road & Chapel Street, Brighton South Yarra Tram 8, stop 31 03 9596 3590 03 9827 7533 SYDNEY CANBERRA PALACE VERONA PALACE ELECTRIC 17 Oxford Street, NewActon Nishi Paddington 2 Phillip Law Street, Canberra 02 9360 6099 1300 620 809 PERTH CINEMA PARADISO 164 James Street, Northbridge
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS (MEL/SYD/CAN) IN CINEMAS At box offices 11.00am to 8.30pm daily until sold out. Cinemas can only sell tickets for their respective venues. There are no booking fees for purchasing tickets at cinema box offices. BY PHONE Telephone bookings by credit card only (excluding Amex & Diners), which will be debited at the time of booking and must be produced when collecting tickets. Patrons are encouraged to collect tickets 30 minutes prior to the session to avoid queues. Credit card transactions by phone will incur booking fees plus a credit card surcharge. When calling during busy periods, there may be a delay in answering the phone. Please try again later, or visit the website. ONLINE Online at www.aiceisraelifilmfestival.com. All major credit cards accepted (Excluding Amex & Diners). Booking Fees Apply
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS (PERTH) ONLINE Online at www.aiceisraelifilmfestival.com or www.lunapalace.com.au. All major credit cards accepted (Excluding Amex & Diners). Booking Fees Apply. IN CINEMAS At Cinema Paradiso Box Office 11.00am - 9.00pm daily until sold out. Enquiries by phone at (08) 9227 1771 (no phone bookings).
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM TICKETING INFORMATION
TICKET PRICES MEL SYD CAN PERTH OPENING NIGHT Palace Movie Club Members $35.00 $35.00 $35.00 – Luna Palace Privilege Card – – – $33.00 General Admission $40.00 $40.00 $40.00 $38.00 GENERAL ADMISSION Palace Movie Club Members $15.00 $15.00 $15.00 – Palace Golden Movie Club $10.00 $10.00 $10.00 – Adult $19.00 $19.00 $19.00 $19.00 Concession* $17.00 $17.00 $17.00 $15.50 Senior (60+) $12.00 $12.00 $12.00 $12.00 MULTI-FILM PURCHASE 5 FILM PASS** Palace Movie Club $70.00 $70.00 $70.00 – General Admission $80.00 $80.00 $80.00 – 10 FILM PASS** Palace Movie Club $130.00 $130.00 $130.00 – General Admission $150.00 $150.00 $150.00 – 5 FILM PASS (PERTH)† Luna Palace Privilege card – – – $70.00 General Admission – – – $80.00 GROUP BOOKINGS GROUPS $14.00 $14.00 $14.00 $14.00 (20 people or more) per ticket per ticket per ticket per ticket SCHOOL GROUPS $10.50 $10.50 $10.50 $11.00 (20 or students or more) per ticket per ticket per ticket per ticket
* Eligible Concessions: MEL/SYD/CAN Full time Students (photo ID required), Senior Citizens, Health Care Card Holders, Pensioners. Proof of concession must be presented at the cinema box office and/or upon entry to the auditorium. PERTH Full time Students (photo ID required), Senior Citizens, Health Care Card Holders, Pensioners, Luna Palace Privilege Cards. Proof of concession must be presented at the cinema box office and/or upon entry to the auditorium. ** Multi-film passes are for separate sessions for one person only and can be purchased and redeemed at any Palace Cinema in VIC, NSW, QLD & ACT at the Box Office. Not available for online or phone bookings. Lost or stolen passes will not be refunded or replaced. † Multi-film passes are for separate, preselected sessions for one person. All films must be chosen in advance to different films at the time of purchase.
#ISRAELIFILMFEST FESTIVAL SPONSORS
CREDITS Richard Moore Artistic Director and Programmer Simon Sherry Program Design and Layout AICE Albert Dadon AM Ashlee Hamill Palace Cinemas Antonio and Karen Zeccola Antony Zeccola Benjamin Zeccola Elysia Zeccola-Hill Stephanie Zeccola Kim Petalas Genevieve Kelly Samantha Sederof Nick Ioannou Ed Swindells Simon Lawrence
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM
AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL 2015
SYDNEY AUG 17-30 MELBOURNE AUG 18-30 CANBERRA AUG 19-30 PERTH AUG 20-26
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM #ISRAELIFILMFEST AICE ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL 2015
SYDNEY AUG 17-30 MELBOURNE AUG 18-30 CANBERRA AUG 19-30 PERTH AUG 20-26
AICEISRAELIFILMFESTIVAL.COM #ISRAELIFILMFEST