When Israel fought its War of Independence, there were no embedded TV cameramen, and even combat newsreel photographers were practically nonexistent. The newly created state had more important matters to worry about. More surprisingly, there have been hardly any movies celebrating the near miraculous victories of 1948-49, and, later, of the Six-Day War in 1967.
I recently signed a letter protesting the Toronto International Film Festival\’s decision to showcase and celebrate Tel Aviv. This in the very year when Gaza happened.
Leigh\’s physician father and midwife mother met through Habonim, the Labor Zionist youth movement, in 1936. Mike Leigh, in turn, became a Habonim leader and traveled with the group to Israel on a ship as a teenager. The experience had a dramatic effect on his future work as an artist: \”The atmosphere was one of chevrah, of sharing, openness and coming together — of making things happen by colluding — which describes the spirit of how I work with actors and the atmosphere of my rehearsals.\”
Critics and audiences alike can try to search for a political message in the 23rd Israeli Film Festival\’s premiere films
When the Writers went on strike, even comedy paid a price.
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