Still from Strangers
Sometimes religion creates identities that divide us against each other more than connecting us with God. Witness seven gripping minutes inside a train that will make you think about identity, religion, fear and freedom with Strangers.
The entire story of Strangers is told through silence, eye contact and symbols. While a train races within the subway walls of Paris, sitting inside peacefully is an Arab man reading a newspaper. Another man gets into the train and gives the Arab a cold shoulder. He is wearing a locket with a Jewish symbol. Both men have formed their biases by now. While the Jew and the Arab exchange cold glances, a bunch of scary looking men occupy seats around the two men. One of them sprays the symbol of Nazism on the Muslim’s newspaper. By now the audience realizes that the grizzly men are Neo-Nazis (skinheads). They start troubling the Arab.
Sometimes religion creates identities that divide us against each other more than connecting us with God. Witness seven gripping minutes inside a train that will make you think about identity, religion, fear and freedom with Strangers.
The entire story of Strangers is told through silence, eye contact and symbols. While a train races within the subway walls of Paris, sitting inside peacefully is an Arab man reading a newspaper. Another man gets into the train and gives the Arab a cold shoulder. He is wearing a locket with a Jewish symbol. Both men have formed their biases by now. While the Jew and the Arab exchange cold glances, a bunch of scary looking men occupy seats around the two men. One of them sprays the symbol of Nazism on the Muslim’s newspaper. By now the audience realizes that the grizzly men are Neo-Nazis (skinheads). They start troubling the Arab.
- 5/15/2012
- by Archana Iyer
- DearCinema.com
[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
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
The Nw Film Center along with the Institute for Judaic Studies brings you the 17th Annual Portland Jewish Film Festival.
The big film this year might just be another chance to see Waltz with Bashir on the big screen. Some feel this was the best animated film of 2008 … yes, even better than Wall-e. Others think it was the top documentary.
Here’s a complete list of films … each is single admission.
April 16 Thur 7 Pm
Max, Minsky And Me
Germany 2007
Director: Anna Justice
Nelly, a precocious 12-year-old, lives in Berlin with her German Christian dad and American Jewish mom, who is very eager for Nelly to crack down on her bat mitzvah studies. But her twin obsessions—astronomy and her distant fantasy heartthrob, 16-year-old Edouard, Prince of Luxembourg and fellow stargazer—occupy all of her time. Nor is she much interested in the simple-minded girls’ basketball team, which fills the lives of her schoolmates.
The big film this year might just be another chance to see Waltz with Bashir on the big screen. Some feel this was the best animated film of 2008 … yes, even better than Wall-e. Others think it was the top documentary.
Here’s a complete list of films … each is single admission.
April 16 Thur 7 Pm
Max, Minsky And Me
Germany 2007
Director: Anna Justice
Nelly, a precocious 12-year-old, lives in Berlin with her German Christian dad and American Jewish mom, who is very eager for Nelly to crack down on her bat mitzvah studies. But her twin obsessions—astronomy and her distant fantasy heartthrob, 16-year-old Edouard, Prince of Luxembourg and fellow stargazer—occupy all of her time. Nor is she much interested in the simple-minded girls’ basketball team, which fills the lives of her schoolmates.
- 4/2/2009
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Written and directed by filmmaking duo Ezen Tadmor and Guy Nattiv, Strangers is the short story of a Muslim and Jew who encounter each other on a subway and find themselves putting their religious difference aside to overcome a common enemy. It's a very simple story, but told without dialogue using an unmistakable visual mood. This film was part of Fox Searchlight's Searchlab program and won the Online Film Festival Viewers Award at Sundance 2004.
- 12/17/2008
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor are pulling back the curtain on a piece of Mossad history, writing an untitled project centering on the Israeli intelligence agency for "La Vie en Rose" producer Alain Goldman. The duo also might direct.
The film will follow the true story of the investigation into the disappearance of a 9-year-old boy from the streets of Jerusalem in the early 1960s. The case, known as the Yossele Case, took on major importance in Israel -- still in its nascent stages as a country -- which was making its mission to be seen as a country that would provide a safe haven for Jews throughout the world. The police proved to be ineffectual, and the prime minister called on the Mossad to step in.
Goldman is hoping to move fast on the project, with a spring shoot being eyed.
"It's a Mossad story and will be entertaining,...
The film will follow the true story of the investigation into the disappearance of a 9-year-old boy from the streets of Jerusalem in the early 1960s. The case, known as the Yossele Case, took on major importance in Israel -- still in its nascent stages as a country -- which was making its mission to be seen as a country that would provide a safe haven for Jews throughout the world. The police proved to be ineffectual, and the prime minister called on the Mossad to step in.
Goldman is hoping to move fast on the project, with a spring shoot being eyed.
"It's a Mossad story and will be entertaining,...
- 12/15/2008
- by By Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- One more case of a short film successfully serving as a template for a feature length project, IFC Films have taken the domestic rights to Strangers – an import that played well at Sundance and will get a second viewing at the Tribeca in a couple of days from now.Following in the footsteps of a slew of dramas that demonstrate how Israeli and Palestinians can co-exist but there are always tensions that prevent life from being simple, this uses the Romeo and Juliet type tale of a romance to describe the story of an Israeli man (Liron Levo) and Palestinian woman (Lubna Azabal from the head spinning road trip movie Exils and the critically acclaimed Paradise Now ) with on-the-nail observations of the tensions created by a common but conflictive Mideast background. Co-directors Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv saw their short film (going by the same name as their feature-length
- 4/24/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- There were 983 submissions from 15 countries in this category and apart from a couple of names, I know not one of the final selections below. World Cinema Dramatic Competition"Absurdistan" (Germany), directed by Veit Helmer, written by Helmer, Zaza Buadze, Gordan Mihic and Ahmet Golbol, about a sex strike by village women that threatens a young couple's first night together."Blue Eyelids" (Mexico), directed by Ernesto Contreras, about the ramifications of a single woman's winning of a beach trip for two."Captain Abu Raed" (Jordan), directed and written by Amin Matalqa, concerning an aging airport janitor who relates tall tales to local kids who think he's a pilot."The Drummer" (Hong Kong), directed and written by Kenneth Bi, the story of a young man who matures from reckless gangster to serious grownup due to the influence of Zen drumming."Elite Squad" (Brazil), directed by Jose Padilha ("Bus 174") and written by Braulio Mantovani and Padilha,
- 11/28/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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