A History of Israeli Cinema

Raphaël Nadjari’s three-and-a-half-hour long film on the history of Israeli cinema is a sinuous montage of film clips and interviews with directors, producers, film critics and scholars. The insights Nadjari provides into the currents and developments in Israeli cinema also reflect the history of this still-young nation, caught in a state of constant crisis.While the different phases of political change have had a major impact on filmmaking, certain films have also played an active role in changing social circumstances: Otto Preminger’s film “Exodus”, made in 1960 at the behest of Ben Gurion, Israeli prime minister at the time, received international acclaim and went on to win an Oscar, thus attracting attention and support from all over the world for Israel. The detached analysis of a country where particularly at present it is almost impossible to remain unemotional and neutral is a refreshing change. The film delivers an interesting portrayal of the changing intellectual trends in the Israeli film industry over the course of several decades. More than a collection of cinematic documents Nadjari’s film is also an appeal for further reflection.