Cinema is arguably the most reliable and comprehensive entree into contemporary Israeli culture. But the twin challenges of language and location (particularly with the classics: if there is anyone than can help me track down a subtitled disc of Dizengoff 99, I’d be more than grateful…) often hinder accessibility. These barriers lend the forthcoming Israeli Cinema Series, the latest initiative of the Tel Aviv Arts Council, an especial relevance.
The first screening in the series, the genre-breaking Yossi & Jagger, will set the template, Jay Schultz hopes, for a new and welcome paradigm for engagement with the arts. “We’re hoping to connect the next generation of arts patrons in Tel Aviv with the best of Israeli creative culture, both established and emerging” he says. Shultz, a transplanted American who describes the Tel Aviv Arts Council as a “non-profit PR agency for Israeli culture” argues that for non-Hebrew speakers – Olim, diplomats and NGO staff, and professionals working in Israel – an important contextual component for appreciating what Israel is actually about is missing from the non-Hebrew conversation. “It’s important to appreciate that the (much-vaunted) creativity of Israel’s high-tech industry, for example, grows from arts and culture.”
It’s a valid point. Israel has a diverse, imaginative arts scene, intertwined with the fabric of Israeli identity. But much of this depth and subtlety can be lost to the non-native Israeli, and there are few opportunities to broaden one’s scope. The Tel Aviv Arts Council has tried to change this by organising a series of cultural encounters over the last year, introducing patrons to the best of Tel Aviv and Israeli arts culture – recent events include a reception at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and a performance of the Batsheva Dance Company – but also the opportunity to featured artists to place creative impulses within a broader context, what Shultz describes as the “value added” component of the initiative.
Yossi & Jagger, which kicks off The Israeli Cinema Series, is an exemplar in this respect. Screenwriter Avner Bernheimer will join the screening to talk about his 2002 film (directed by Eytan Fox, who went on to direct Walk on Water and the recent Bananot) about the ill-fated love affair between two soldiers serving in the Israeli Army. It gives interesting insight into social mores about homosexuality, especially given the dominant “don’t ask, don’t tell” imperative of the time. Shultz expects the series to slot into a monthly routine, with the next screening scheduled to be held in conjunction with May’s DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival. “Film can give a deep insight into the fabric of Israeli society,” Shultz says. This particular viewer couldn’t agree more.
Yossi & Jagger will be screened at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on 24/4, at 8.30pm. Tickets and more information at http://telavivartscinematheque.eventbrite.com. More information about the Tel Aviv Arts Council can be found on Facebook, and at www.telavivarts.com.
