‘I have a story to tell’
BHAWANI CHEERATH
|
Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman’s take on Israeli Cinema and his films.
|
Setting standards: Dan Wolman;
Filmmaker Dan Wolman is the face of Israeli cinema, which traces the chequered past of the nation. His films delve into the angst of individual lives and touch on the personal and the political. Wolman studied Film at New York University. Since his maiden film in 1968, he has produced short films, documentaries and television dramas too. He will inaugurate the Trivandrum International Film Festival (TIFF’08) today, which also features a Retrospective on his films. The filmmaker speaks about his films and the facets of Israeli Cinema in an e-mail interview.
‘Tied Hands’(2007), the inaugural film at the Festival, is a complex film about a mother-son relationship. Could it also be said that while you handle a very personal angle the film carries with it the shadows from the past?
Yes, the film carries with it shadows from the past... The past meaning, Israel’s past also. To my mind Israel of the 50’s and 60’s was a somewhat militant, ‘macho’ and intolerant country.
‘Hide and Seek’(1979) and ‘My Michael’(1975) earned plaudits. Looking back how would you describe the films and the standards you set for yourself?
It’s difficult for me to speak of ‘standards’ I set for myself. I see myself more as a painter or a writer. Most of my films are very personal, the process of my filmmaking is very simple.
I have a story to tell. I try and tell it with whatever means I have. I am not trying to make a ‘masterpiece,’ or create a great film. Just another film...
Israel at 60 – shifting geopolitics, social and cultural tensions continue. Yet, it is said we are seeing a renaissance in Israeli cinema, could you tell us a little more on the trends.
Yes, something quite wonderful is happening in Israel cinema today. In previous years there have been some good Israeli films, but in the last five years there have been many excellent films, winning top prizes in important film festivals and some doing very well commercially, not only in Israel but also in the United States (U.S.) and in Europe.
The funny thing is that even I, (already in my mid-sixties) am enjoying this new renaissance. My film ‘Tied Hands’ was shown at some film festival in the U.S. and a critic wrote ‘Here is another very good example of the NEW WAVE of Israeli Cinema....’
Stills from ‘Tied Hands’
How is the Palestinian-Israeli content in the society used in your films in particular and Israeli films in general. A second generation has come of age in this new land so the approach to the Holocaust would differ, less of rancour, openness in relationships … are all this seen on celluloid.
With High Definition, Red and other new shooting formats, very soon it will be celluloid no more!
Israel’s political issue, our relationship with the Palestinians and with our other Arab neighbouring countries is a major factor in the life of every Israeli. It is the main subject of many Israeli films. Take for example, this year’s unusual, original and powerful Israeli film – ‘Waltz with Bashir’ (in competition at Cannes this year), and ‘Beaufort,’ which won Best Director at Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
My films such as ‘My Michael,’ ‘Hide and Seek’ (which I’m bringing to TIFF) and my next film project, ‘A Poet in Jerusalem,’ deal with it in different ways. To live in Israel and to ignore the problem and not make films about it – would be for me – like a poet who has cancer and writes poetry only about the pink clouds...
Nationality, ethnicity, gender, collective memory do these come as themes in popular viewing culture or are they kept within the art house and festival circuit?
I don’t think one can generalise. In my mind the best Israeli film ever was ‘Atash,’ (Thirst) which received the Fipresci Award at Cannes was made by Israeli Arab, Yusuf Abu Weil. It was strictly an art house film. On the other hand ‘Late Marriage’ by Dover Kozashvili (Un Certain Regard at the Festival ) about the Israeli Georgian minority, was a big hit and was shown everywhere, including the U.S. and Europe.
Documentaries and their emergence as something more than newsreels in your land is a well-known feature. Your comment on this genre in Israel.
I might sound ‘over nationalistic’ in praising Israeli Cinema the way I do. But those who have known me over the years can testify that for years I was a harsh critic.
Stills from film ‘My Michael.’
Today, Israel’s documentaries are among the most interesting that one can find anywhere. Filmmakers not only deal with the political problem but are telling more personal stories, and turning their focus on to broader issues of identity within Israeli society. Again, the only way one can judge is in comparison – through the many prize winners at important film festivals and sales to international television stations.
Could you briefly describe your journey as a filmmaker?
I was always attracted to storytelling. At 14 I became a counsellor in a youth movement and twice a week I would find myself sitting in a circle with a group of about 10 children, telling them stories. Even today I recall the sweetness of those times, sharing with these children the stories I loved – O. Henry, Guy De Maupassant, Anton Chekhov, Edgar Allan Poe and others. After some time I was looking for new stories and soon I started inventing my own. At one point I remember two blind children joined my group. Paradoxically, telling them stories with all the effects and the acting of the principal characters – was for me like making a movie.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
