12th CoPro: Davidi & Burnat, Gentelev, Shefi and Aviram’s Projects Worth Tracking

Last week, the Israeli Forum for Documentary co-productions held its annual pitching session. It’s a two day event, held in Tel-Aviv (just outside of the Tel-Aviv cinematheque), in which about 20 projects in various stages of production are presented to a panel of 15-20 commissioning editors from all corners of the planet. The aim is to raise funds, so filming can be commence, or be completed. This year, CoPro celebrated its 12th birthday. Initiated, founded, and directed by Orna Yarmut, this event is always an interesting look into the future of Israeli documentaries. In the 11 years of previous CoPro pitching sessions, a total of 183 international co-productions were created, and a sum of 35.5 million NIS (1 $ American= about 4 NIS) were invested in Israeli docs. Many of the projects that are presented in CoPro each year find their way to audiences both on a local level and internationally. Here are some of the most intriguing projects that were pitched in this year’s pitching session. Look for them in the coming years.

“5 Broken Cameras” – Guy Davidi & Emad Burnat
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. Very often they turn violent. But the strength of this project is not in its’ political statement, but in the human aspect. Burnat just films everyday life in an impossible environment, giving this unique piece a personal look at a complicated political situation. The name of the project refers to the fact that whenever Burnat’s camera is broken, he just buys a new one, and continues filming. View the trailer here. 

“Behind the Scenes of the Celebrations” – Alex Gentelev
In previous projects, like Thieves in Law (read review here) and Oligarchs, director Alex Gentelev gained a reputation of someone who is able to get unprecedented access to figures in the Russian underworld, and to all kinds of players in the grey areas of the Russian law. The new project is no different: it tells the story of Sochi, a well known summer vacationing resort in the south of Russia, which for some reason was chosen to host the next Winter Olympic Games. Why did the international Olympic committee choose this particular place? What was Vladimir Putin’s involvement in this matter, and was there bribery involved? What part do shady businessmen who mysteriously won construction contracts in Sochi play in the whole matter? Alex Gentelev seems like the right guy to get all the answers. Seems like a very interesting and potnetially controversial project.

“Gora” – Tal Shefi
“Gora”‘ in the language of the natives of Goa, India, means “foreigner”. Kaya was 10 years old when she moved with her mother to live in Goa. She is the daughter of an Israeli mother and a Nepalese father (who is not around). She started boxing, and became very good at it. She even became friends with another girl, who will go on to win the National Boxing championship of India. But being a “Gora” is also being lonely. And when she turns 17, she packs up, leaves boxing, and goes back to Israel. The film (or at least the portions that I’ve seen) are shot by Kaya’s mother, and therefore has a very warm and personal attitude. Combine that with the beautiful shots of Goa, and you can begin to understand why this project is a documentary to look for. You can see the trailer here.

“The Polgar Sisters” – Yossi Aviram
Three women, once sisters who shared the same house in Budapest, Hungary, now live in different continents: One stayed in Hungary, one moved to the States, and a third one lives in Israel. All three were trained by their father from a very early age to play chess. They spent many hours each day playing chess, and it payed off: they became world champions even as children, but it came with a price: not experiencing childhood. The movie will tell their story, in what seems to be a mixture of criticism and love for their father. There’s also quite a bit of humor in this project. Look for it in the next year.

As you can see, Israeli documentaries deal with a wide range of subjects, and do not restrict themselves to deal only with political issues and/or the holocaust. The Israeli documentary industry, just like the fiction films industry, is very much alive and vibrant, fresh and interesting, bold and intriguing, and hopefully it will continue to be like that in years to come.