Ushpizin

[Gremal]

Ok, I will seek this out and give it a chance. It seems humorous and insightful. No doubt all of Amos Gitai's films are insightful as well, but they make me very nervous. Having lived in Israel (I've only visited) you know what most people there are like and you are familiar with everyday life there and the issues facing the country. You need to remember that most people do not know what Israelis are like; most people are not familiar with everyday life in Israel; most people do not understand the issues facing the country.

Films like Gitai's cast Israel in a bad light. You and I know better and can put it in the proper perspective, but I assure you that 99.9999% of the public cannot. As such, Gitai is not doing any favors to Israel's image which has enough problems without movies that essentially demonize certain groups of Israelis (many viewers will misinterpret this and apply it to all Israelis). Then you have films like Time of Favor and Kippur that manage to focus on arab-Israeli tension without ever addressing the arab side. Instead they again demonize Israelis. Isn't enough of the world and media engaged in this type of demonization? Do we really need Israeli films contributing to the stereotypes and negative images?

I understand that it's important to shine a light on problems, but it seems Israel's problems already get more than their fair share of attention.

[Yeha-Noha]

I both appreciate and admire your concern over people getting the wrong impression about Israel. You are probably aware after visiting there, that most Israelis are not much concerned over world opinion. I don't see these films having that great of an impact. The biased news media tarnishes Israel's image far more than these films do. Israelis know how to take care of themselves and will take whatever action is necessary to defend themselves.

Originally Posted by Gremal

Films like Gitai's cast Israel in a bad light.

Have you seen The Band's Visit yet? That is one funny movie that I know you'll enjoy. And this one does a good job of bridging the Arabi/Israeli cultural divide. Eran Kolirin did a marvelous job directing this great film. The only thing I didn't like was that it was too short.

Originally Posted by Gremal

You need to remember that most people do not know what Israelis are like; most people are not familiar with everyday life in Israel; most people do not understand the issues facing the country.

Ok, I recommend that they see the recent Israeli film, Close to Home, directed by Vardit Bilu and Dalia Hagar. It will give a realistic taste of what it's like being an Israeli. It zeros in on Arabi/Israeli issues too, as well as the need for extremely tight security and what happens when that slackens.

I think you are bringing up some very good issues that need discussing. Thanks!