While Israel is a nation that has been in the center of the public eye ever since its birth, its national cinema has received relatively little attention, and only a handful of Israeli films have received extensive distribution outside the country. Raphael Nadjari at once addresses the story of filmmaking in Israel, the politics and aesthetics behind Israeli cinema, and how the nation's film industry has grown outside the interference of the west in this documentary. A History of Israeli Cinema is divided into two parts; the first half covers the years 1932 to 1978, beginning with Zionist films shot in Palestine by Jewish directors from Europe, and the second part is devoted to 1978-2005, when filmmakers embraced what locals critics called "The New Sensibility" and features with brave and defiant Sephardic heroes gave way to more nuanced fare dealing with the spiritual, political and ethical grey areas of a nation of immigrants. Along with extensive clips from a broad variety of key films, the documentary also includes interviews with noted film critic, actors and directors who talk about cinema and its role in a nation whose story is still being written. A History Of The Israeli Cinema received its world premiere at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
