I am happy to announce that the "Israeli" movie Ajami lost its bid for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film to some other film.
Why am I happy that Ajami lost? I don't even know anything about it (though IMDB says it is about a mixed community of Muslims and Christians in Tel Aviv), so why should I care, let alone be happy for the loss?
Well, the producer, Scandar Copti, made a statement that he and his film are not representing Israel. He said this despite the massive support the Israeli government had given him in financing and promoting his film.
So I am happy he lost, and I hope Israel stops giving money to people who reject Israel as an entity and State.
Rafi,
ReplyDeleteI agree about his statement. So if we didn't support Arabs making films we'd be 'apartheid' but since we DO then there has to be a different reason not to like us. OK, it's a free country and this should if nothing else, prove that.
We did see the movie and though I'm no movie maven, it was not bad. I think it had a real message about this Catch-22 country we live in. I certainly liked it better than last year's Waltz with Bashir which I couldn't sit through.
I guess it's time to encourage someone to make a good Jewish movie about Israel.
Any takers???
Other than Ushpizin?
ReplyDeleteNot to mention You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
ReplyDeleteFROM JPOST.COM
ReplyDeleteBeit Shemesh woman suspected of indecent acts with minors
By ABE SELIG
08/03/2010 16:14
A 28 year-old Beit Shemesh woman was arrested on Monday on suspicion of engaging in indecent acts with a number of minors over the past two months, a Jerusalem police spokesman said.
The woman, whom police said was likely mentally ill, was thought to have threatened her victims with a knife, although during her initial questioning the woman said that the minors had consented to the acts.
Some of the minors, police added, were being interviewed by workers from the Welfare and Social Services Ministry. The woman's remand was extended for four days, until Friday, pending the ongoing investigation.
I agree with you, Rafi. It's an embarrassment for Israel (not to mention fodder for the antisemites) that the so-called "Israeli" film director hates his country. What idiocy--he should move somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteRisa, I, too, saw Waltz with Bashir, and was bothered by the fact that Israeli soldiers were shown having nightmares about their part in the Lebanon war, with no understanding of why there was a war to begin with. It was the same BIG MORAL DILEMMA of the TERRIBLE ISRAELIS murdering poor innocent Arabs. I'm just sick of it. (Hey, do the Arabs have nightmares about murdering innocent Israelis? We don't see movies about that, do we!)
Ushpizin (or "ha-Ushpizin," in the Israeli version) was great: positive, full of faith and hope, and very well acted.
Rafi I agree with you, although I can understand the frustrations of a member of a minority in a Jewish state, who does not feel part of the consensus.
ReplyDeleteIt does not mean that he should spit in the face of those who financed him.
Actually, this feeling is eerily similar to the haredi feeling, stronger 30 years ago (when haredim were happy when Maccabi lost)of being not part of the society and not wanting to be identified with the State in any way.