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Blogs -> Artists and Producers -> Isaac Zablocki discusses the Other Israel Film Festival
The first annual Other Israel Film Festival
opens on the 8th and the buzz around the city is growing strong. Our posters
just went up and TV ads start soon. This past Thursday we had a "behind the
scenes" event which allowed us to present to the public how this festival came
about, our goals for the festival, some insights on the program, and take
questions from the public. We had a nice turnout and even had to bring in extra
chairs. The panel included Carole Zabar, founder and executive producer who
spoke about how the festival came about, Rabbi Joy Levitt - Executive Director
of the JCC in Manhattan who spoke about the JCC's devoted
partnership and the importance of celebrating Israel's diverse democracy
-- including its challenges. Gary Springer of Springer Associates PR, spoke
about the PR outreach and the groundbreaking efforts to reach outside the usual
suspects box and make this festival relatable to a mainstream NY audience. I, as
executive director of the festival spoke about some of the highlights of our
diverse program.
We chose the films out of over 100 options
that fit our very specific topic of day to day lives of Arab citizens of Israel, but more importantly, the cinematic quality was crucial
for our choices. We ended up with a collection of amazing films of the highest
quality, and on diverse topics. There are features, short films and
documentaries on a variety of subjects and in a multitude of styles. Our opening night film is an international
premiere of "On Hold" which tells the story of a young Arab couple considering
leaving Israel for a life in Spain. Their dilemma is a unique
story that effects many in a generation feeling torn between two nationalities,
but also has a universal sentiment expressed through a story of people seeking a
home.
Throughout the festival we are also
presenting some classics such as "Behind the Walls." Muhamad Bakri, Israel's
most famous Arab actor will be a guest of the festival and will be presenting a
special screening of this Oscar nominated masterpiece, as well as his latest
film "Since You Left." On Saturday, November 10th, we have a full
day of events, including educational panels such as Arab-Israeli 101, as well as
a panel about Arab's and Jews working together in the film industry. We will
also present writer Adam LeBor, author of "City of Oranges," in
conversation with Isaiah Sheffer.
There are programs for the whole family,
such as "Ringo and Taher" the story of a boy who wants a pet dog. This film
will be shown along with a short film "The Red Toy" which follows a toy that
gets passed from hand to hand throughout Jerusalem's quarters.
Saturday night will be a hot night where we
will present top films such as the award winner "Atash" and a premiere of the
Druze suspense thriller "Maktub," as well as a special presentation of the Arab
hip-hop band DAM, as part of a director presentation of scenes from the upcoming
film "Sling Shot Hip-Hop."
Isaac
Zablocki
Director of Film and Literary Programs
The JCC in Manhattan
Permanent link: http://www.symphonyspace.org/blogs/artists_producers/19
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