The second annual Israeli film series opened this past Monday night at the Goldsmith Family Cinema with a screening of the critically acclaimed, 2006 Israeli box office blockbuster film “Aviva My Love.” Following the screening was a brief lecture and Q&A session given by visiting Professor Dr. Miri Talmon-Bohm, currently teaching a class on Israeli cinema.
Each week there will be a 7:30 p.m. screening followed by a presentation/discussion by a guest speaker, including a film critic, a composer and a filmmaker.
“I plan to go basically every week. I think the series is too good of an opportunity to pass on,” said Michelle Katz ’09.
Others agreed.
“[I liked] the mix of expert opinion and amateur opinion, felt I learned something about the culture, not just entertainment and I learned a little about visual arts,” said Ray Irrizary, who came up from Portland to see the screening.
According to Talmon-Bohm, many of the films relate to the direct experiences of the filmmakers, and thus the films engage in a personalized identity discourse.
“There is no one set of values that Israelis share except they want to discuss what Israeli means,” said Professor Talmon-Bohm
According to Jewish and Israel Studies Professor Dalit Katz, who selected the films presented in this year’s second annual Israeli film series, Israeli cinema is not Hollywood, nor does it aspire to be.
“I picked films that are artistic, innovative, fragmented — films that talk to me, that say something unusual,” Katz explained.
“You can describe [the films] as completely egocentric,” she added.
The bookshelves of her office are lined with DVDs and videocassettes of Israeli films. She has also avidly kept a collection of Israeli film posters from previous screenings at Wesleyan.
“Aviva My Love” was shot on location in Tiberias, the director’s hometown. Similar to other selections in this year’s series, the film aims primarily to represent everyday life in Israel, centering around Aviva’s struggle to become a published writer while simultaneously holding her family together. With this focus on the domestic sphere, politics remain present in the background, underlying but not overtaking the events of the film.
Middletown resident Nate Olshin plans to attend more of the Monday night screenings. “[I like these films] because they’re not about violence; there is a dialogue you can follow, and the soundtrack doesn’t overwhelm,” she explained. “Also, I am Jewish. I connect with Israel.”
2007 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner “Sweet Mud” is the next selection in the film series and will be screened this Monday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Goldsmith Family Cinema, followed by a discussion with film critic Laura Blum.
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