A History of Israeli Cinema
This engrossing documentary offers a first-hand reflection on Israel's history and ongoing legacy and covers the evolution of Israeli cinema from its earliest days to its present-day renaissance.
The beginnings of the modern Zionist movement were practically simultaneous with the invention of the cinema itself, and filmmakers in what was then Palestine documented the development of Jewish communities and institutions.
Since the founding of Israel in 1948, filmmakers have continued in this effort of cinematic nation building, only now in a more reflective and often critical mode. Israeli films have confronted the complex and often painful issues that have shaped the nation's first sixty years with a sobering and, for some, upsetting candour.
Dividing his film chronologically, Nadjari has crafted an assemblage of fascinating interviews with leading Israeli actors, producers, film critics, scholars and filmmakers, laced with film sequences spanning early silent films to the present-day renaissance.
It is a must see for anyone interested in Israel or Israeli cinema, and a fabulous introduction for the uninitiated.
