Israel’s Oscar© 2023 Submission for Best International Feature: ‘Cinema Sabaya’ by Orit Fouks Rotem

 

Israel’s Oscar© 2023 Submission for Best International Feature: ‘Cinema Sabaya’ by Orit Fouks Rotem;Orit Fouks Rotem

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera”— — Dorothea Lange

A young filmmaker teaching a video workshop in a community center puts cameras into the hands of eight women, Arab and Jewish, and asks them to film their lives. As they share their footage, the group dynamic breaks down barriers and challenges beliefs. As the women learn more about each other, it changes them.

Under Israel’s Oscar entry selection process, the work that wins the Best Film Ophir (Israel’s Oscar) is automatically submitted to the Academy. Not only did Cinema Sabaya win for Best Film, it also won Best Director for Orit Fouks Rotem, Supporting Actress for Joanna Said, Costumes by Rachel Ben Dahanand Casting by Emmanuelle Mayer.

Cinema Sabaya is Rotem’s first feature after a trio of award-winning shorts Veil, Voice Over and Staring Match.

The film grew from Rotem’s real-life experiences over eight years. It began just after finishing film school when her mother was in such a group. She began creating similar groups for research as she was writing the script. Plus her life went on which included having two children. By necessity, the script was only a blueprint for action, experiences in which much of the acting was performed in real time for the camera without rehearsals. It was about 60% scripted.

Cinema Sabaya creates a world within a world. While all except one of the women in the group of eight were professionally trained actors, the exercises in filmmaking they were assigned within the film were watched by them as they were being filmed in real time on camera. Within the group setting of the workshop, there was plenty of improvisation going along with the scripted action.

Working with cinematographer Itay Marom in giving each of the in-film videos different styles, from fake documentary home movies to more restrained, artfully composed shots, each exercise reflects what the women directors wanted to express to the rest of the group. However common the events which have been experienced by all the women on both sides of the camera, tension mounts when the intentions of the teacher and the effect of the group dynamics are called into question by members of the group. The discussions about their home lives are calm and sometimes amusing but become more jarring when more intimate personal issues or politics arise as subjects. How this plays out in the film is not so much describable to readers as it is felt emotionally while witnessing it. It is not high drama in any way, but it is deeply affecting emotionally and the audience remains on alert throughout the film.

The ensemble acting keeps the film together, as characters’ personalities mix together into a cohesiveness that the world could use more of to build bridges across cultures.

Joanna Said

To hear from one of the outstanding actresses, Joanna Said, winner of the Best Supporting Actress Award by the Israeli Film Academy, reading the script did not reveal how the film itself would go. It depended upon the director. The actors really bonded. Each had a back story which informed the moments they were on camera. Though their stories were never revealed, the audience sensed the depth of the characters. In her case, no one expected her actions; even the woman in dialog with her was taken by surprise and reacted equally spontaneously. But, she said, she encouraged the other, played by the only non-professional, Liora Levi, to keep goading her on to uncover the emotion to the point of her reacting as she did.

She also said that the actors all met for the first time on set and were not allowed to mix at all off the set. That kept it tight and contained all the acting out of real emotions as they were felt.

For the director, it was difficult to make it as if it were a documentary while in reality, it was all fictional.

The Director, Orit Fouks Rotem

The director, Orit Fouks Rotem, clarified that the issues covered had come up in her research groups and she had to be careful of how they were set up. She took counsel with her cast and was careful not to step too far over lines that she was aware of, particularly in the Arab-Israeli domain. The actresses were free to express themselves as they wanted. The film was well received by both Arabs, Muslims, Christians and Jews who watched it in the festivals and theaters. It also played well in Turkey, the only Moslem country it played thus far.

“I want to make pictures that are meaningful to people,” Rotem said. She is currently working on a TV series, developing the lives of the characters more fully.

Written and directed by Orit Fouks Rotem, the cast includes Dana Ivgy, Aseel Farhat, Khawlah Hag-Debsy, Joanna Said, Amal Murkus, Marlene Bajali, Yulia Tagil, Ruth Landau, Liora Levi, and Orit Samuel.

International sales are by Memento. The U.S. distributor is Kino Lorber who will do an exceptional job in theaters, streaming and with the non-theatrical markets. Many groups will be eager to show this film and in fact, remaking it to cross other cultural lines, e.g., Black, White, Latino, Asian, etc. would be very effective.