Israel's Ophir Awards (the Oscar equivalent) ceremony takes place every year around Rosh-Hashanah (this year's New Year's Day takes place on September 9th) – which means the race for the awards has unofficially commenced.
Of the 22 projects that were pitched this year, this was the most powerful. The guests in the panel almost fought each other for the right to invest in this project. Burnat is a resident of the village of Bill'in, an Arab village on the border of the Israeli state and of the Palestinian authority. The separation wall Israel is building runs straight through the village, making everyday life almost impossible. Every Friday, demonstrations are held in Bill'in, to protest against the building of the wall.
At this year's Hot Docs, perhaps the most important festival in the world documentary circuit was where Yael Hersonski's "A Film Unfinished" claimed the Best International Feature award. The film revolves around a Nazi propaganda film that was recently discovered. Back in the ghetto, the Nazis staged a fake documentary with the participation of the Jewish residents of the ghetto, trying to deceive the world, showing them all is well.
"I saw Hilla Vidor in a movie she made a couple of years ago called "Things Behind the Sun" and I knew I wanted her for the lead female part in my movie. I sent her the script, she read it, loved it, and agreed to do it..."
The Wanderer is Avishai Sivan's debut feature film. A film school graduate in 2001, his only film to date was a barely noticed documentary film. This tells the story of Isaac, a young yeshiva student, an only child to born-again orthodox parents. Trapped in a dysfunctional family and a failing body, Isaac finds refuge in wandering. Tormented by his newfound infertility, Isaac looks for answers in his father’s dubious past. Wandering through the backstreets of the city, he seeks deliverance.