Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School Retrospective
Curator: Renen Schorr
The novel by the great S.I. Agnon, “And the Hill Shall be the Plane”, is a guiding theme of the JSFS, and of the conflicted short films of its students over the last 30 years. These films, often autobiographical, are insightful “acts of faith”. They foresaw “the outing” of the search for identity searing through the Israeli dream vs. Jewish origins and religious practice. These selected award winning filmmakers are irreligious and Haredi, traditional, Sephardic, graduates of yeshivas, questioners and seekers; those who daringly left the fold and those who have turned inward, secular and heretics alike. They bend the plane, curve that which is flat.
Bonfire Night, Sharon Amrani, 19 min. 1998
As they prepare for the wedding, a traditional Sephardic family dreads the embarrassing unpredictable behavior of their mentally challenged brother.
Shabbat Entertainment, Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun, 21 min. 2003
The sanctity of Shabbat is shattered as an observant, rebellious teenager gets into a car accident and breaks all the other rules.
Tateh, Yaniv Linton, 24 min. 2012
The clash between a kibbutznik father and his religious Hassidic son, whom up till now the father did not accept.
The Rabbi, Uriyah Hertz, 20 min. 2016
A closeted rabbi is shaken to the core, and begins to question his own path after a revealing confession from a favorite student.
Shabbos Kallah, Aleeza Chanowitz, 15 min. 2017
One offers her non-politically correct advice – and is consequently exiled from the group as best friends gather with the bride for a pre-wedding celebration.