There is hardly a more exploited concept in literature and cinema as it is a love triangle, and there are few filmmakers that could pull it in a new and fresh way. The Israeli filmmaker Ofir Raul Graizer has a difficult task to stir the water in his unique way with his sophomore feature “America” that has premiered in the official Crystal Globe competition at Karlovy Vary. Some sort of a festival tour might be expected judging by the tone of film, its execution and Graizer’s own reputation: his debut “The Cakemaker” (2017) that also premiered at Kviff went to become the Israeli official entry for 2018 Oscar and a minor arthouse hit.
The title, which later proves to be quite misleading, comes to the place where our protagonist Ilay Cross (Michael Moshonov) resides and works as a swimming coach. One day, he receives a phone call from his father’s...
The title, which later proves to be quite misleading, comes to the place where our protagonist Ilay Cross (Michael Moshonov) resides and works as a swimming coach. One day, he receives a phone call from his father’s...
- 7/9/2022
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
For director Ofir Raul Graizer, everything changed in Karlovy Vary. In 2017, the Israeli filmmaker brought his feature debut “The Cakemaker” to the Czech film festival, entering the spa town an unknown and leaving a rising star.
If the route that carried Graizer to his Karlovy Vary world premiere was dotted with eight years of false starts and rejection letters from international film funds, after the romantic drama received an historic 12-minute ovation – so ardent that people still talk about it until this day – Graizer’s path forward was set. Not only would “The Cakemaker” sweep Israel’s Ophir Awards (thus becoming that country’s Oscar submission), the film’s galvanizing reception opened new doors into the European industry.
And so, when Graizer’s more ambitious follow-up “America” made its world premiere at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the project did so as the first Israeli-German-Czech co-production, carried...
If the route that carried Graizer to his Karlovy Vary world premiere was dotted with eight years of false starts and rejection letters from international film funds, after the romantic drama received an historic 12-minute ovation – so ardent that people still talk about it until this day – Graizer’s path forward was set. Not only would “The Cakemaker” sweep Israel’s Ophir Awards (thus becoming that country’s Oscar submission), the film’s galvanizing reception opened new doors into the European industry.
And so, when Graizer’s more ambitious follow-up “America” made its world premiere at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the project did so as the first Israeli-German-Czech co-production, carried...
- 7/9/2022
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
“America” is a burdensome title for Israeli director Ofir Raul Graizer’s bright, frangible new film, casting expectations of continent-sized import onto a more individual, interior study of immigrant unrest. Visually iridescent and unexpectedly buoyant even when dealing with matters of plunging personal tragedy, this study of a Chicago-based swimming coach returning to his native Israel after his father’s death — setting off a chain of both present-tense misfortunes and disinterred traumas — braids blunt melodramatic storytelling with a softer, more searching look at conflicted identity, both cultural and sexual. If the film isn’t always narratively credible, it’s sincerely felt to the last.
“America” shares this appealing quality — as well as a few parallel plot points, and a quiet, diffident queerness — with Graizer’s 2017 debut “The Cakemaker,” and should resonate warmly with the same audience that made that film (selected as Israel’s international Oscar submission) an arthouse sleeper.
“America” shares this appealing quality — as well as a few parallel plot points, and a quiet, diffident queerness — with Graizer’s 2017 debut “The Cakemaker,” and should resonate warmly with the same audience that made that film (selected as Israel’s international Oscar submission) an arthouse sleeper.
- 7/6/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The Israeli filmmaker’s follow up to The Cakemaker plays in competition this week Karlovy Vary.
As with his debut feature The Cakemaker, Israeli director Ofir Raul Graizer latest film America unspools this week in competition at the Karlovy Vary International FIlm Festival.
The film follows Eli, played by Michael Moshonov, who is forced to return to his native Israel after his father’s death. After contacting old friend Yotam (Ofri Biterman) – as well as meeting his fiancée Iris (Oshrat Ingedashet) – an incident will soon occur that will create a seismic shift in the lives of each of them.
The...
As with his debut feature The Cakemaker, Israeli director Ofir Raul Graizer latest film America unspools this week in competition at the Karlovy Vary International FIlm Festival.
The film follows Eli, played by Michael Moshonov, who is forced to return to his native Israel after his father’s death. After contacting old friend Yotam (Ofri Biterman) – as well as meeting his fiancée Iris (Oshrat Ingedashet) – an incident will soon occur that will create a seismic shift in the lives of each of them.
The...
- 7/5/2022
- by Laurence Boyce
- ScreenDaily
How a chance life event can spiral to affect all those involved and have repercussions going down the years forms the pulsating core of Ofir Raul Graizier’s ambitious essay about guilt, sacrifice, redemption and the bonds of friendship.
Such heady themes are set across a tight time frame and locations spanning Israel and Chicago.
The axis revolves around two childhood friends: Eli (Michael Moshonov) and Yotam (Ofri Biterman). The former has left Israel to become a swimming coach in the States when he is told that his abusive father has died. He hasn’t seen him in ten years and is called back by the lawyers to deal with the estate.
He travels reluctantly but looks forward to meeting up with Yotam, the friend from schooldays with whom he used to go swimming, and who is now about to be married to Iris (Oshrat Ingedashet), also estranged from her parents.
Such heady themes are set across a tight time frame and locations spanning Israel and Chicago.
The axis revolves around two childhood friends: Eli (Michael Moshonov) and Yotam (Ofri Biterman). The former has left Israel to become a swimming coach in the States when he is told that his abusive father has died. He hasn’t seen him in ten years and is called back by the lawyers to deal with the estate.
He travels reluctantly but looks forward to meeting up with Yotam, the friend from schooldays with whom he used to go swimming, and who is now about to be married to Iris (Oshrat Ingedashet), also estranged from her parents.
- 7/4/2022
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Following the success of Ofir Raul Graizer’s debut feature “The Cakemaker,” acquired by Netflix in the U.S. and already optioned for a Hollywood remake, securing financing for his second film “America” was much easier. But then the pandemic came. “This made things extremely complicated,” he tells Variety.
“We shot in 2020. There were still no vaccines, so we were basically making a film when there was a sense that the world was coming to an end. This was the feeling we had: a constant anxiety attack.”
Now, “America” – a Laila Films production – will compete for the Crystal Globe award at Karlovy Vary Film Festival. With Beta Cinema handling world sales, it was produced by Itai Tamir. Michael Moshonov, Oshrat Ingedashet and Ofri Biterman star.
In “The Cakemaker,” a German baker travels to Jerusalem in search of his dead male lover’s family. This time, Eli – an Israeli swimming coach living in the U.
“We shot in 2020. There were still no vaccines, so we were basically making a film when there was a sense that the world was coming to an end. This was the feeling we had: a constant anxiety attack.”
Now, “America” – a Laila Films production – will compete for the Crystal Globe award at Karlovy Vary Film Festival. With Beta Cinema handling world sales, it was produced by Itai Tamir. Michael Moshonov, Oshrat Ingedashet and Ofri Biterman star.
In “The Cakemaker,” a German baker travels to Jerusalem in search of his dead male lover’s family. This time, Eli – an Israeli swimming coach living in the U.
- 7/4/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The trailer has debuted for “America,” a drama directed by Ofir Raul Graizer (“The Cakemaker”), which will world premiere at Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival in the Crystal Globe Competition. Beta Cinema is handling world sales.
The film centers on Eli, an Israeli swimming coach living in the U.S. A phone call notifies him that his father, who he has not been in touch with, has died. Eli reluctantly travels to Tel Aviv for the first time in 10 years to deal with the estate. On his short trip, he decides to visit his childhood friend Yotam, who used to swim with Eli when they were young. However, Yotam has left swimming long ago. He is running a flower shop in Jaffa with his fiancée Iris, who, like Eli, is not in touch with her family. When Eli comes to visit the two, he will set in motion a series...
The film centers on Eli, an Israeli swimming coach living in the U.S. A phone call notifies him that his father, who he has not been in touch with, has died. Eli reluctantly travels to Tel Aviv for the first time in 10 years to deal with the estate. On his short trip, he decides to visit his childhood friend Yotam, who used to swim with Eli when they were young. However, Yotam has left swimming long ago. He is running a flower shop in Jaffa with his fiancée Iris, who, like Eli, is not in touch with her family. When Eli comes to visit the two, he will set in motion a series...
- 6/27/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Sometimes, the mark of a good spy story is what gets said without any words at all. Such is the case for the new AMC limited series “The Little Drummer Girl.”
From director Park Chan-wook and based on a novel from legendary genre master John le Carré, the six-part series follows a 1970s London actress named Charlie (Florence Pugh) who gets dragged into an international espionage project by a handsome, shadowy figure named “Peter” (Alexander Skarsgård).
In an exclusive clip below, you can catch a glimpse of the danger that both Charlie and Peter face as they carry out their specific mission. It’s the kind of meticulous, ratcheted-up tension, done in a way only Park Chan-wook can. It may not have the technicolor wardrobe that blankets so many of the scenes in the series, but it still has that unmistakable atmosphere that only the ’70s can offer up. Toss...
From director Park Chan-wook and based on a novel from legendary genre master John le Carré, the six-part series follows a 1970s London actress named Charlie (Florence Pugh) who gets dragged into an international espionage project by a handsome, shadowy figure named “Peter” (Alexander Skarsgård).
In an exclusive clip below, you can catch a glimpse of the danger that both Charlie and Peter face as they carry out their specific mission. It’s the kind of meticulous, ratcheted-up tension, done in a way only Park Chan-wook can. It may not have the technicolor wardrobe that blankets so many of the scenes in the series, but it still has that unmistakable atmosphere that only the ’70s can offer up. Toss...
- 11/21/2018
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The success of The Night Manager and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy precedes the London Film Festival premiere of BBC/AMC’s The Little Drummer Girl, adapted from the spy novel from John le Carre.
The six episode miniseries, airing on the BBC in the UK, and on AMC in the Us, stars Lady Macbeth’s Florence Pugh, Michael Shannon and Alexander Skarsgård as the three leads. It is directed by Park Chan-wook, and also stars Michael Moshonov, Simona Brown, Calre Holman and Kate Sumpter.
The Little Drummer Girl will begin airing in November in the Us and on the BBC in October. Our intrepid international men of mystery Colin Hart and Scott Davis were on the carpet – here’s how they go ton.
The Little Drummer Girl – Lff Premiere Interviews
Synopsis
In 1979, Charlie Ross (Florence Pugh), an idealistic young actress meets a mysterious stranger called Becker (Alexander Skarsgård) while on holiday in Greece.
The six episode miniseries, airing on the BBC in the UK, and on AMC in the Us, stars Lady Macbeth’s Florence Pugh, Michael Shannon and Alexander Skarsgård as the three leads. It is directed by Park Chan-wook, and also stars Michael Moshonov, Simona Brown, Calre Holman and Kate Sumpter.
The Little Drummer Girl will begin airing in November in the Us and on the BBC in October. Our intrepid international men of mystery Colin Hart and Scott Davis were on the carpet – here’s how they go ton.
The Little Drummer Girl – Lff Premiere Interviews
Synopsis
In 1979, Charlie Ross (Florence Pugh), an idealistic young actress meets a mysterious stranger called Becker (Alexander Skarsgård) while on holiday in Greece.
- 10/15/2018
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Little Drummer Girl Trailer BBC‘s The Little Drummer Girl (2018) TV mini-series trailer stars Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgård, Florence Pugh, Michael Moshonov, and Simona Brown. The Little Drummer Girl‘s plot synopsis: based on the book by John Le Carre, “In “The Little Drummer Girl” brilliant young actress Charlie (Florence [...]
Continue reading: The Little Drummer Girl (2018) TV Mini-series Trailer: A ‘First Look’ at Park Chan-wook’s Espionage Thriller [BBC]...
Continue reading: The Little Drummer Girl (2018) TV Mini-series Trailer: A ‘First Look’ at Park Chan-wook’s Espionage Thriller [BBC]...
- 10/9/2018
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
A Borrowed Identity (fka Dancing Arabs) Strand Releasing Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes. Grade: B+ Director: Eran Riklis Screenwriter: Sayed Kashua, adapted from his novel “Dancing Arabs” Cast: Tawfeek Barhom, Yaël Abecassis, Michael Moshonov, Ali Suliman, Daniel Kitzis, Marlene Bajali, Laëtitia Eido, Razi Gabareen, Norman Issa Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 6/17/15 Opens: June 26, 2015 We’re accustomed to typically American movies about life in high school: how the students are divided into subgroups like “the jocks,” “the nerds,” and “the goths.” While teens place great emphasis on fitting in, they actually fit into not to a homogenous whole but into one of these divisions. [ Read More ]
The post A Borrowed Identity Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post A Borrowed Identity Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/19/2015
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
New films on Screenbase include Eran Riklis’ drama A Borrowed Identity, Tom Barman’s The Alcoholics and twin sisters Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth’s Olivia And Jim.Israeli-French drama A Borrowed Identity
Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis and Michael Moshonov star in the Palestinian-Israeli drama from Eran Rikils about a student dealing with identity issues.
Formerly known as Dancing Arabs, Konken Studios produce, while The Match Factory handles international sales.
Tom Barman’s second feature The Alcoholics
Cult Belgian filmmaker and musician Tom Barman’s next film is currently in development. Savage Film will produce, and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund will support.
This Belgian/Irish/Spanish co-production is to revolve around a Miami nightclub janitor turned drug smuggler.
Comedy drama Olivia And Jim
BFI has supported the Stray Bear and Equation Pictures production about a widow going on a roadtrip across the UK with her stepson in order to meet her late husband’s mistresses.
Indie comedy...
Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis and Michael Moshonov star in the Palestinian-Israeli drama from Eran Rikils about a student dealing with identity issues.
Formerly known as Dancing Arabs, Konken Studios produce, while The Match Factory handles international sales.
Tom Barman’s second feature The Alcoholics
Cult Belgian filmmaker and musician Tom Barman’s next film is currently in development. Savage Film will produce, and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund will support.
This Belgian/Irish/Spanish co-production is to revolve around a Miami nightclub janitor turned drug smuggler.
Comedy drama Olivia And Jim
BFI has supported the Stray Bear and Equation Pictures production about a widow going on a roadtrip across the UK with her stepson in order to meet her late husband’s mistresses.
Indie comedy...
- 1/27/2015
- by maud.le-rest@sciencespo-toulouse.net (Maud Le Rest)
- ScreenDaily
Eran Riklis’ drama formerly known as Dancing Arabs is based on Sayed Kashua’s adaptation of his novel of the same name and premiered in Locarno last year.
A Borrowed Identity follows a Palestinian-Israeli student in the 1990s who wrestles with his identity after he is accepted into a prestigious Jewish boarding school.
Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis, Michael Moshonov and Ali Suliman star.
Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing brokered the deal with Brigitte Suarez of The Match Factory.
Strand distributed Riklis’ previous film Zaytoun starring Stephen Dorff.
A Borrowed Identity follows a Palestinian-Israeli student in the 1990s who wrestles with his identity after he is accepted into a prestigious Jewish boarding school.
Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis, Michael Moshonov and Ali Suliman star.
Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing brokered the deal with Brigitte Suarez of The Match Factory.
Strand distributed Riklis’ previous film Zaytoun starring Stephen Dorff.
- 1/21/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
31st edition of festival will close with The Wind Rises.
The 31st edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival will kick off on July 10 with the world premiere of Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs.
Sayed Kashua wrote the script based on his bestselling novels Dancing Arabs and Second Person Singular.
The film is about Eyad, a Palestinian-Israeli boy from the town of Tira whose parents send to a prestigious Jewish boarding school in Jerusalem. He has to make personal sacrifices to be accepted in the new environment.
The gala screening will take place at the Sultan’s Pool in the presence of the director and cast members including Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis, Michael Moshonov, Ali Suliman, Daniel Kitzis and Norman Issa.
Dancing Arabs is an Israeli-German-French co-production, produced by Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi, Tami Leon, Moshe Edery, and Leon Edery, Michael Eckelt, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre and Bettina Brokemper.
The festival will close on July 17 with Hayao Miyazaki’s The...
The 31st edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival will kick off on July 10 with the world premiere of Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs.
Sayed Kashua wrote the script based on his bestselling novels Dancing Arabs and Second Person Singular.
The film is about Eyad, a Palestinian-Israeli boy from the town of Tira whose parents send to a prestigious Jewish boarding school in Jerusalem. He has to make personal sacrifices to be accepted in the new environment.
The gala screening will take place at the Sultan’s Pool in the presence of the director and cast members including Tawfeek Barhom, Yael Abecassis, Michael Moshonov, Ali Suliman, Daniel Kitzis and Norman Issa.
Dancing Arabs is an Israeli-German-French co-production, produced by Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi, Tami Leon, Moshe Edery, and Leon Edery, Michael Eckelt, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre and Bettina Brokemper.
The festival will close on July 17 with Hayao Miyazaki’s The...
- 5/16/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – It’s not hard to imagine viewers of “Lebanon” starting to sweat. It is a claustrophobic tale of war that has drawn deserved comparisons to Wolfgang Peterson’s brilliant “Das Boot” and it is nearly as good a film. This surreal nightmare stands as one of the better war films of the last several years and deserves a much broader international audience than it has yet achieved.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
The reason for the audience claustrophobia is simple — almost the entirety of “Lebanon,” the winner of the prestigious Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, takes place inside a tank. We see out through the sights of the machine just like one of the young men in it but even that offers only part of the picture. The tank itself becomes a symbol for war as it becomes unstable along with the fearful boys inside it. Samuel Moaz’s riveting...
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
The reason for the audience claustrophobia is simple — almost the entirety of “Lebanon,” the winner of the prestigious Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, takes place inside a tank. We see out through the sights of the machine just like one of the young men in it but even that offers only part of the picture. The tank itself becomes a symbol for war as it becomes unstable along with the fearful boys inside it. Samuel Moaz’s riveting...
- 1/31/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Samuel Maoz’s Lebanon is a unique breed of film - one you won’t want to watch twice. There are no plot intricacies to wade through, no Easter eggs adorning the background. This is not an exercise in storytelling but a stalwart recreation of Maoz’s brief time as a trigger man on an Israeli tank crew during the 1982 Lebanon War. As one of several Israeli films in the last few years to deal with the emotional fallout affected the men who served in the 1982 war (Ari Folman’s lauded Waltz With Bashir leading the pack), Lebanon is a strong entry but effectively goes beyond cultural limitations. I would argue that it is an allegory dressed up as a funereal war film, but maybe that’s so key. The importance of Lebanon lies in experiencing and responding to the film, and in that regard it comes highly recommended.
Gunner...
Gunner...
- 1/20/2011
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- JustPressPlay.net
[Editor's note: I've asked our team of world film correspondents to dish out their top 5 films of the year from their respective countries. Here's Eithan Weitz's take on the Best in Israeli Cinema in 2010.] Looking back on the year of Israeli cinema we first notice that there weren't any standouts such as Waltz with Bashir or Beaufort, meaning none of the films unveiled were exceptional in quality, however Israeli cinema did produce several strong and moving dramas, while the industry choose this year to test out the viability of new genre films. There was the hilarious and extremely successful comedy (a rarity in Israeli cinema) This is Sodom, and horror/slasher movie Rabies. It appears that audiences, both domestically and locally have come to expect excellence when it comes to Israeli movies, and while critical reception on the international an local front paled to previous crop years, and box office had several duds these next five films are worth the mention. #5. The Mission of the Human Resources Manager – Eran RiklisAnother adaptation of a book, this turned out to be a deep and moving drama...
- 12/23/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
In the past few months, there has been a handful of Israeli films that were released locally but took a plunge at the box office as of the opening weekend. Most critics warmly welcomed most films, but the audience didn't. The Israeli movie industry is puzzled as to the sudden change in taste on the part of its public. Perhaps the movies this year were rather good, but far from the artistic heights of Beaufort or Waltz with Bashir. Maybe it's because most films this year were adaptations of books, and the Israeli viewer is reluctant to see those on the screen (in previous years most Israeli films were written directly for the screen.; Maybe it's the concentration of too much Israeli releases in a relatively short time (usually, most Israeli releases are scheduled for the Summer season, aiming to profit from the media attention they get from screenings in...
- 12/13/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
This week in Israel, television's The Mediator returns for its third season. We normally don't discuss television on the site, but it's worth mentioning that there is a significant television series ideas output that is landing in the U.S. It was announced that Fox has acquired the rights for an American remake. Quite a few Israeli TV shows found their ways to American smaller screens in recent years via remakes (the most known would be In Treatment), but this particular case is a little bit weird, for the creators themselves admit to be have been inspired by such American crime myths as The Sopranos and The Godfather. It's sort of like receiving a gift and then giving it back with a different wrapping paper. That's not to say that Israeli T.V doesn't have an original bone in their writing. On the contrary, the creative team is comprised of A list writers,...
- 10/27/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
In the battle of competing Israeli film festivals, the Haifa Film Festival was always regarded as the small, less interesting of the two. The films selected for Haifa were either: the ones that the Jerusalem Film Festival had rejected, or the ones that weren't ready in time. In recent years, the organizers at Haifa have bent the rules so that films that didn't have a finished 35mm print, could still participate. That way, films far from the main stream found their way to center stage (as was the case with last year's winner, Seven Minutes in Heaven, and Frozen Days, the 2006 winner). This year's competition included what should have been a sure-fire winner in The Mission of the Human Resources Manager (a five Ophir award winner), but final outcome of the competition was a surprising one, with The Flood (a.k.a Mabul), screened from a HD copy (helmer Guy Nattiv...
- 10/11/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
This wasn't just a surprising ceremony. It was total humiliation. Intimate Grammar, Nir Bergman's moving story of a boy who mysteriously stops growing, was the favorite to win. Nominated for 12 awards, it was so highly favored to win that the printers were just waiting to complete the one sheet tagline, "Winner of Xx Ophir Awards." With a release date set exactly one day after the ceremony, this beautiful film didn't win a single award. Not even one. There's something fishy about why this went home empty-handed, since Bergman is very much appreciated in the industry, being involved in high profile projects in cinema (Broken Wings), and in television (In Treatment). However, the winner of this year's Ophir ceremony is the lovely crowd-pleaser The Mission of the Human Resources Manager, by director Eran Riklis. The story of a human resources manager in a bakery in Jerusalem, who sets out on...
- 9/23/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Lebanon
Stars: Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Reymond Amsalem, Michael Moshonov | Written and Directed by Samuel Maoz
With an increasing number of movies being released about conflict in Iran and the “war on terror”, Lebanon comes almost as a breath of fresh air, dealing as it does with a conflict much less in the prevalent in the hearts and minds of most viewers.
Based on the personal experiences of Israeli director Samuel Maoz, Lebanon focuses on the early days of the First Lebanon War, and in particular the occupants of one of the Israeli Defence Force tanks. Young private Shmulik enters the tank fresh from the training field and finds himself suddenly in a warzone. (The Idf were there ostensibly to keep the peace but found themselves attacked by Syrian terrorists). As the tank gunner he fumbles the first encounter with a hostile force, unable to shoot on people, and his...
Stars: Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Reymond Amsalem, Michael Moshonov | Written and Directed by Samuel Maoz
With an increasing number of movies being released about conflict in Iran and the “war on terror”, Lebanon comes almost as a breath of fresh air, dealing as it does with a conflict much less in the prevalent in the hearts and minds of most viewers.
Based on the personal experiences of Israeli director Samuel Maoz, Lebanon focuses on the early days of the First Lebanon War, and in particular the occupants of one of the Israeli Defence Force tanks. Young private Shmulik enters the tank fresh from the training field and finds himself suddenly in a warzone. (The Idf were there ostensibly to keep the peace but found themselves attacked by Syrian terrorists). As the tank gunner he fumbles the first encounter with a hostile force, unable to shoot on people, and his...
- 9/3/2010
- by Sarah
- Nerdly
Writer-director Samuel Maoz exorcises his own trauma in his feature-film debut set during the initial 24 hours of the First Lebanon War in June 1982. Eschewing screenwriting conventions such as background, exposition and dramatic structure, he opts instead for an experiential approach from an extremely limited point of view. The effect is immediately claustrophobic, but the strategy quickly grows old: We can listen to a soldier piss within the confines of a tank only so many times before it starts to smell.
And that’s the limit of our experience: the confines of a tank. The audience is trapped inside with four twentysomething soldiers: Assi (Itay Tiran), the commander who struggles to control his men; Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), the troublemaking loader who is often mistaken for the leader; Shmuel (Yoav Donat), the gunner who has trouble pulling the trigger now that his targets are living, breathing human beings; and Yigal (Michael Moshonov), the naïve driver.
And that’s the limit of our experience: the confines of a tank. The audience is trapped inside with four twentysomething soldiers: Assi (Itay Tiran), the commander who struggles to control his men; Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), the troublemaking loader who is often mistaken for the leader; Shmuel (Yoav Donat), the gunner who has trouble pulling the trigger now that his targets are living, breathing human beings; and Yigal (Michael Moshonov), the naïve driver.
- 8/6/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
The nominations for the Israeli Film Academy awards (The Ophirs) were announced this week and as expected, Nir Bergman's "Intimate Grammar" is at the top of the leader board with 12 nominations, but there are a few more surprises worth noting: Dover Kosashvili's "Infiltration" continues to divide audiences - his film was excluded from the final list of Best Picture nominees, but Kosashvili himself received a Best Director nomination, plus 5 other mentions for a surprising tally of six. Snapping up the Best Picture nom away from Kosashvili is "Mabul" (Flood) a surprise entry by first time director Guy Nativ. This film was warmly received by Academy members, but since this was a directing debut by Nativ, the 6 nominations (including best picture) are much more than what could have been expected. Moshe Ivgi's "And on the Third Day" is another film that divided academy members. None of them were indifferent to it,...
- 8/1/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
With nominations being announced tomorrow, here are a pair which I've yet to see, but who should nab some mentions. Nir Bergman's Intimate Grammar Eight years after his hugely successful drama Broken Wings, Nir Bergman return to feature filmmaking comes via the big screen adaptation of David Grossman's novel. It tells of a young boy in 1960's Israel, who's physical growth mysteriously comes to a sudden stop. Starring Orly Zilbershatz Banai (who also appeared in "Broken Wings" and in "Walking the dog", a TV mini-series Bergman directed in 2006), Evelyn Caplon, and a cast of unknowns. Most critics who've seen the film state that Intimate Grammar is a moving drama, with the last 20 minutes of the film elevating it to a masterpiece status. It won Best Picture in this year's Jerusalem Film Festival, and is likely to receive the biggest amount of nominations, making him the frontrunner for an award.
- 7/26/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
One of the most horrifying aspects of humanity is his/her ability to wage war. Also, One of the most bloody wars began in June 1982 in Lebanon and lasted until September of that same year. This battle would leave 5,000 civilians killed and 20,000 wounded, with director and writer Samuel Maoz in the heart of the conflict. Now, Maoz tells a tale of his own experiences "serving in the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War" in the feature film Lebanon (Melbourne). Lebanon will show at the 2010 Melbourne Film Festival, which begins July 22nd. The film's trailer is below and the clip shows the battle through the tank crew's eyes alone. Get set for Lebanon in Melbourne and many more films as this film festival gets set for a summer run.
The plot summary for Lebanon here:
"The First Lebanon War – June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that...
The plot summary for Lebanon here:
"The First Lebanon War – June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that...
- 6/29/2010
- by 28DaysLaterAnalysis@gmail.com (Michael Ross Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
This is the trailer for Lebanon, directed by Samuel Maoz and stars Reymond Amsalem, Ashraf Barhom, Oshri Cohen, Yoav Donat, Guy Kapulnik, Michael Moshonov, Zohar Shtrauss, Dudu Tassa and Itay Tiran. Lebanon is a personal film, a film about four boys who had never been involved in anything violent before and found themselves killing people. A film about survival against a palpable threat of death, a situation in which the conflict between their basic instincts and human conscious claims its victims.
- 5/16/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
To build up the release of Lebanon, Pure Movies looks at other films where the main character 'loses it' including Apocalypse Now, Shutter Island, The Beach, Kids, Falling Down, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Shining. Lebanon is directed by Samuel Maoz and stars Reymond Amsalem, Ashraf Barhom, Oshri Cohen, Yoav Donat, Guy Kapulnik, Michael Moshonov, Zohar Shtrauss, Dudu Tassa and Itay Tiran.
- 5/15/2010
- by Georgie Hobbs
- Pure Movies
Lebanon (15)
(Samuel Maoz, 2009, Israel) Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov. 93 mins
You can see why they made Top Gun about jet fighters. This is set entirely within the confines of an Israeli tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it's not much of a recruitment ad. The gimmick is both the movie's strength and its weakness. The space and visibility restrictions make this a neat minimalist thriller and a nervy, unpredictable combat experience, but it's one safely insulated from the questions – and victims – of the real-life conflict. Despite the sweat and grime, you feel like the really dirty stuff is going on elsewhere.
Robin Hood (12A)
(Ridley Scott, 2010, Us) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Mark Strong. 140 mins
Scott attempts to pull another Gladiator, ditching the familiar tights and tropes and reimagining the legend through a combination of mangled history, epic set pieces and deadly earnest heroism. It's more of a prequel,...
(Samuel Maoz, 2009, Israel) Yoav Donat, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov. 93 mins
You can see why they made Top Gun about jet fighters. This is set entirely within the confines of an Israeli tank during the 1982 Lebanon war, and it's not much of a recruitment ad. The gimmick is both the movie's strength and its weakness. The space and visibility restrictions make this a neat minimalist thriller and a nervy, unpredictable combat experience, but it's one safely insulated from the questions – and victims – of the real-life conflict. Despite the sweat and grime, you feel like the really dirty stuff is going on elsewhere.
Robin Hood (12A)
(Ridley Scott, 2010, Us) Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, Mark Strong. 140 mins
Scott attempts to pull another Gladiator, ditching the familiar tights and tropes and reimagining the legend through a combination of mangled history, epic set pieces and deadly earnest heroism. It's more of a prequel,...
- 5/14/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
Last week, we got to interview the director of new movie, Lebanon which is released in cinemas 14th May. The movie is a hard hitting tale about the men inside one of the tanks and almost all of the film is shot from their claustrophobic story within the tank itself. What makes this movie all the more impacting is that it’s based on the real life experiences of director Samuel Moaz who has experienced the war first hand. The movie stars Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov, Zohar Strauss and Dudu Tassa.
Our interview will go up next week but in the meantime, here’s some images and the trailer from the movie which will tell you a little more about it.
Synopsis: The First Lebanon War – June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that has already been bombarded by the Israel Air Force.
Our interview will go up next week but in the meantime, here’s some images and the trailer from the movie which will tell you a little more about it.
Synopsis: The First Lebanon War – June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that has already been bombarded by the Israel Air Force.
- 5/3/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
There's been talk of an Israeli film set almost entirely in a tank today.. especially by Alex over at Firstshowing, and while I at first discounted it, our friend pokerface over at Cinema Beacon (who will be going back to Israel soon and we're going to be rooting for him to start a new film site there!) pointed the way to the trailer which looks damn fine. He even conjectured it will be Israel's submission to the Oscars and I'd bet he's right.
Description from Tiff website:
It's June of 1982, and four young Israeli soldiers are assigned to operate a single tank. Their first mission is to enter a civilian Lebanese village to clear it of possible Plo terrorists. Something goes horribly wrong, however, and the ensuing panic leads to miscommunication, death, destruction and hostages. All hell breaks loose around these young men as they face the perennial question: kill or be killed?...
Description from Tiff website:
It's June of 1982, and four young Israeli soldiers are assigned to operate a single tank. Their first mission is to enter a civilian Lebanese village to clear it of possible Plo terrorists. Something goes horribly wrong, however, and the ensuing panic leads to miscommunication, death, destruction and hostages. All hell breaks loose around these young men as they face the perennial question: kill or be killed?...
- 9/10/2009
- QuietEarth.us
- #3. Lebanon Director: Samuel Maoz Cast: Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Michael Moshonov, Zohar StraussDistributor: Rights Available. Buzz: Another Golden Lion option at Venice this year, there are obvious comparisons between this debut and such recent examples as Beaufort and Waltz with Bashir, the difference is this first time filmmaker actually remembers the war. If he didn't make the film, Moaz's torture would have continued to god knows where. There is a lot of good product coming out of Israel this year - and this could be the country's selection as Best Foreign Language film. The Gist: "I had just turned 19 in May of 1982. Life was beautiful. I was in love. Then I was requested to go to a military base. They assigned me to be the gunman of a tank, the first one to cross the Lebanese border. It was supposed to be a one day mission. It
- 8/22/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
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