Israel Cinematography

The honored guest of the 38th International Film Festival FEST 2010 is Kartiel Shory, the Director of the Israeli Film Fund, a main film foundation in Israel, that supports, and encourage Israeli feature films and important international coproduction. Shory was a guest of FEST in previous years, where he’s been financially supporting film „Babylon“, shown to a Belgrade festival, as well as other films. Israeli Film Foundation is a main institution to encourage film investment and production of not only an Israeli films but also big international coproduction. In a last 8 years this Foundation supported over 30 coproduction with French Film, about 20 with Germany, Canada etc...And this years FEST 2010 honors the „Lebanon, which is Israeli –French-German coproduction, with 3 other films coming from Israel. So the criteria for the lucky project to be financed by the Foundation is a good screenplay, as very important sequent, but not the only one, then the director of project, and eventually producer. The Fund finds powerful and strong stories, talented directors and skilful producers that will realize film in a frame of given deadlines and given budget.

What cinematography today is most developed, we asked: “I believe that story and energy are coming from the countries like Israel, and Serbia, stories with heavy element, turbulent circumstances with a great power. Stories of such have a great energy and spirit, passion, which is extraordinary for film. If we look back on a Berlin Festival will realize that the Turkish film is the winner. In a past few years we can see that the winners were coming most from the Turkey and Romania, there is a great future there, “commented Shory.

 Beside other films coming from Israel on 38th International Film Festival FEST 2010, in Belgrade, Serbia the greatest success had the film “Lebanon” directed by Samuel Maoz shown the last night in Sava Centar. This film won the Golden Lion on the Venice Film Festival 2009. “Lebanon” is based on a story from Maoz’s past, where director was a soldier in the Lebanon War. “I simply had to make it. I wanted to show the bare face of the war, without heroism and similar stuff. I have tried to understand war, to find responsibility. In “Lebanon” you can see that a soldier’s fate depends on someone’s responsibility. Finally, I believed I had a responsibility to show all the horrors that the war brings and causes. I took part in the First Lebanon War in 1982. In the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the soldiers were of another generation. Among them were my children. It was too much for me and I understood all the senselessness of war. My memories came back and I simply had to make this film,” stressed out the Maoz.   Often in films we get a romantic vision of what fighting and battle. As soon as we begin to see the other side as the enemy, when we justify our own violence as a necessary antidote of a dehumanized other side, this is it. The entire film is happening inside of tank that goes through different territory, killing everyone ahead.  For several reasons he wanted to make a film that will be entirely authentic. Where there’s only one truth inside the tank for the people inside. That is important, a young people, their fears, among which the most important one, is fear of death. All the events in the film represent a consequence and not the cause of what the soldiers are undergoing during the war. The director showed their mental condition and in certain moments the film may seem simple, but if you consider the powerful message, the only way he could reach the truth was so touch the hearts of people and to experience what the soldiers went through. The film vividly conveys the ways in which war can leave the scars on soul and the mind. The war is never over for many of those who fight and experience fear.