Best of Israeli Cinema

19 November 2008

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With the release of Waltz with Bashir this week and the support that it has been gathering on the festival circuit, which could see it nominated for an Oscar, Israeli cinema has once again been put under the spotlight.

Soldier turned filmmaker Ari Folman, as part of his national service, invaded South Lebanon following years of Palestinian bombardment from their territory, planning to occupy the country and appoint Bashir Gemayel as President.

The film goes on to depict the massacre of the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps but Ari cannot remember a thing about this period in his life.

To celebrate the release of this remarkable film that has all the critics punching the air and animation fans at last being able to get excited over a film that is so different from the generic stuff that has filled cinemas this year FemaleFirst looked at some of the best Israeli movies.

The Band's Visit

The Band's Visit is the debut feature from writer and director Eran Kolirin. A small Egyptian police band arrive in 1990s Israel to perform in Petach Tikva at an Arab culture centre.

But when no one greets them on their arrival in the country they try to make their own way to the city but become stranded in the similarly named Beitha Tikva.

With no transport until the following morning the local cafe owner Dina takes them under her wing providing the bandmaster with lodgings and finding other places to stay around town for the rest of the band. The film highlights that in this night where the band are lost in a strange country they learn more about each other and about themselves.

The Band's Visit was Israel's original Foreign Language Film submission for the 80th Academy Awards, but was rejected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because it contained over 50% English dialogue.

Sallah Shabati

The Band's Visit may have been overlooked but 1965's Sallah Shabati was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

Israeli stage and film favourite Chaim Topol tops the cast of Sallah. Topol plays a Jewish refugee who moves his family to Israel shortly after the official establishment of that "promised land. Unlike his hard-working new neighbours, he is shiftless and lazy, forever finding the easiest, most painless means to support his family.

He is given a broken down, one room shack in which to live in with his family and spends the rest of the movie attempting to make enough money to purchase adequate housing.

Amazingly, Sallah becomes a hero when, while wheeling and dealing, he uncovers misappropriations and corner-cutting in Israel's housing industry.

It is widely regarded as one of the best Israeli movies but lost the Oscar to Italian picture Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

Beaufort

Released this year Lebanon War veteran Joseph Cedar directs a harrowing, often haunting account of Israel's 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon and the Beaufort ("Good Fort") mountain fortress. Built by Crusaders in the 12th century, the fort was captured by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in 1982 at the start of the Lebanon War.

Eighteen years later, increasing criticism at home and abroad has led to Israel's decision to withdraw completely from Lebanon. Charged with managing the fort's defence and its evacuation is 22-year-old commander Liraz Liberti (Oshri Cohen).

Eager to lead but emotionally untested, Liraz must maintain his bare-bones troop's discipline between bouts of claustrophobic tedium and increasing harassment by Hezbollah mortar attacks.

That tenuous balance threatens to unravel with the arrival of bomb-disposal specialist Ziv (Ohad Knoller), as well as an unexpectedly sophisticated Hezbollah strike that reveals the limits of Liraz's abilities.

The war film received widespread critical acclaim and made it to the final five movies in the running for the Best Foreign Language Film as well as winning the Silver Bear in the Berlin International Film Festival for directing.

James' Journey to Jerusalem

Directed by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz James' Journey to Jerusalem is a offbeat social satire that follows a Christian African tribe who send James (Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe), the noblest young man of their village, on a spiritual sojourn to Jerusalem.

Apparently unaware of the Middle East's political and economic situation, James is baffled when Israeli police at the airport mistake him for just another immigrant looking for work, and toss him in a detaining cell.

His fervent prayers for salvation result in James' release into the care of Mr. Shimi (Salim Daw) an Israeli cleaning service owner who billets the young seeker at an overcrowded apartment and puts him to work as part of his migrant labour pool.

At first James is horrified by his new life (he only wants to get to Jerusalem) but once he starts making money and shopping at the local mall, James starts to see the positive aspects of sinful capitalism.

After getting some counsel from Shimi's old rascal of a father (Arie Elias), James learns to "play the game" and prosper financially behind Shimi's back, but in the process his divine glow grows tarnished and his trip to Jerusalem becomes permanently postponed.