Shikun

A diverse cross-section of Israeli society converges in a single multi-use building, the Shikun. As people of different languages, origins and generations come together in highly theatrical encounters, they grapple with the current state of affairs. In a poignant metaphor inspired by Eugène Ionesco’s famous play “Rhinoceros”, some begin to turn into rhinoceroses, while others resist.
by Amos Gitai
with Irène Jacob, Hana Laslo, Yael Abecassis, Bahira Ablassi, Menashe Noy, Pini Mittelman, Attalah Tannous, Minas Qarawny, Naama Preis
Israel / France / Switzerland / Brazil / United Kingdom 2024 French, Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish 84’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Irène Jacob
  • Hana Laslo
  • Yael Abecassis
  • Bahira Ablassi
  • Menashe Noy
  • Pini Mittelman
  • Attalah Tannous
  • Minas Qarawny
  • Naama Preis

Crew

Director Amos Gitai
Screenplay Amos Gitai
Cinematography Eric Gautier
Editing Yuval Orr, Simon Birman
Music Alexsey Kochetkov, Louis Sclavis
Sound Design Ronen Nagel
Sound Stéphane Thiebaut
Production Design Arie Weiss
Make-Up Revital Darom
Producers Amos Gitai, Laurent Truchot, Ilan Moskovitch, Catherine Dussart, Shuki Friedman
Executive Producer Jeremy Thomas
Co-Producers Alexandre Iordachescu, João Queiroz Filho, Gilles Masson, Nathalie Varagnat, Moshe Edery, Alan Terpins, Marcello Brennand, Lisabeth Sander, Luiz Simões Lopes Neto

Amos Gitai

The filmmaker was born in Haifa, Israel. He made his debut feature-length film in 1980 with the documentary House and has since directed numerous films that have brought him international recognition and have been invited to festivals including the competition at Cannes and the Venice Film Festival. His work has featured at the Berlinale in the Forum several times since the 1980s; his feature film One Day You’ll Understand screened in the Berlinale Special section in 2008 and, most recently, Law of the Pursuer was presented in Forum Expanded. He also works as a theatre director and has designed installations and exhibitions in many international museums.

Filmography (selection)

1972 Arts and Crafts and Technology; short film · Details of Architecture; short film · Black Is White; short film · Textures; short film · Geography According to Modern Man and His Control of the Environment; short film · Souk / Dialogues de femmes; short film · Windows in David Pinsky no.5; short film · Souvenirs d’un camarade de seconde Aliya; short film · Waves; short film 1973 Fire Eats Paper, Paper Eats Fire; short film · Talking About Ecology; short film · Shosh; short film 1974 Arlington USA; short film · Images of War 1, 2, 3; short film · Images After War / Après; short film · Water; short film · Memphis USA: Faces; short film · Memphis USA: Suite; short film · Pictures in the Exhibition; short film · The International Orthodontist Congress; short film · Blowing Glass; short film · Lucie; short film 1975 My Mother at the Sea Shore; short film 1976 Charisma; short film 1977 Dimitri; short film · Border; short film · Political Myths; short film · Public House; short film · Singing in Afula; short film · Under the Water; short film 1978 Architectura; short film · Wadi Rushmia; short film 1979 Cultural Celebrities · Wadi Salib Riots 1980 In Search of Identity · House 1981 American Mythologies Part 1: Rituals · American Mythologies Part 2: Elsewhere (aka Selling Time) · Wadi; short film 1982 Field Diary 1983 Pineapple 1984 Bangkok-Bahrain / Labour for Sale · Reagan: Image for Sale 1985 Esther 1987 Brand New Day 1989 Berlin-Jerusalem 1990 Birth of a Golem 1991 Wadi, Ten Years After · Golem, the Spirit of Exile 1992 Metamorphosis of a Melody 1993 In the Valley of the Wupper · Queen Mary '87 · The Petrified Garden · The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness 1994 In the Name of the Duce · Give Peace a Chance 1995 Devarim 1996 The Arena of Murder · Milim · Munio Weinraub Gitai Architect (1909-1970); short film 1997 War and Peace in Vesoul · Kippur, War Memories 1998 Orange · A House in Jerusalem · Zion: Auto-Emancipation · Yom Yom 1999 Kadosh 2000 Kippur 2001 Wadi Grand Canyon 2001 · Eden · Surgeon General’s Warning; short film 2002 September 11 – 11'09''01; short film · Kedma 2003 Alila 2004 Promised Land 2005 Free Zone · News from Home / News from House 2007 Disengagement · The Dybbuk of Haifa; short film 2008 Plus tard, tu comprendras... (One Day You’ll Understand) 2009 The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness · Carmel 2010 Roses à crédit 2011 Lullaby to My Father 2012 The Book of Amos 2013 Ana Arabia · Architecture en Israël : conversations avec Amos Gitai 2014 Tsili 2015 Rabin, the Last Day 2016 Reflections on Architecture 2017 The Law of the Pursuer 2024 Shikun

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024