A gaggle of Hollywood stars is expected to show up at this month’s Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles, from Sacha Baron Cohen of “Borat” fame to veteran actor Jeff Goldblum.
Their turnout reflects
not only the festival's growing reputation, but also highlights a transformation in Israeli filmmaking. For years Israeli films were of generally low quality -- mediocre production value, poor lighting, slow moving and often boring (and I'm the kind of guy who tends to like stuff -- music, chips, etc. – just because it's Israeli).
Israeli filmmakers couldn’t exactly be blamed -- budgets like those thrown around in Hollywood are simply unavailable there. And over the years a few gems managed to sneak through, from “Sallah,” with the unbelievably great Chaim Topol, to the hysterical “Givat Chalfon Lo Onah,” to “Late Summer Blues.”
One of my favorites, “Operation Thunderbolt,” tells the story of the famed 1976 Israeli commando raid on Entebbe. Folk singer Yehoram Gaon is in the lead role of Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Bibi, who commanded the raid and was killed in action at the Uganda airport. But that movie is worth watching more because the actual story remains amazing even 40 years after the fact than because it’s particularly good.
Still, over the course of the past eight years or so, Israeli films have taken a turn for the better. Starting with “Kadosh” in 1999 by Israel’s best-known director, Amos Gitai, Israeli flicks have been improving steadily. As a result they've been gaining a stronger foothold in the United States and elsewhere.
In 2004, the Mossad drama “Walk on Water” received a relatively wide release in the U.S. And last month, director Joseph Cedar won the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin Film Festival for "Beaufort" .
Israeli films still derive more from European cinema than from Hollywood, and can still feel to American audiences like they're dragging. But in the age of “Gigli,” maybe taking a page from Europe isn't such a bad thing?
“Sallah” received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film in 1964; “Thunderbolt” got one in 1977. In all, Israel has received six Best Foreign Film nods, though it has never won. Still, if things keep up the way they're going now, there's likely to be another nomination soon.
The last time Israel was nominated was in 1984 for “Beyond the Walls” – when Yitzhak Shamir was prime minister, for God’s sake. Only God knows who’s going to be prime minister when Israel is next nominated. Hell, only God knows who's going to be prime minister next month.
