Quoting Scandar Copti on cultural appropriation and filmmaking beyond Israeli constraints: "Israelis live in a bubble and are unaware of the reality on the ground"

Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti discusses the cultural appropriation he experienced representing Israel with his film "Ajami," which led to his move abroad and the creation of his latest film, "Happy Holidays," a Palestinian production filmed in Haifa. He emphasizes his connection to his cultural and historical roots, the limitations he felt working under Israeli funding, and his desire to create films that explore universal human experiences and encourage critical thought, rather than being confined by political narratives.

Referring back to Israeli cinema, from which he distanced himself following the Oscars incident with then-Culture Minister Limor Livnat, considered liberal compared to the current government, Scandar Copti states,

[...] "I think Israelis live in a bubble and are unaware of the reality on the ground. They only absorb the narrative they are fed, without questioning it. They don't try to understand who these Palestinians are who have lived in Jaffa for years. Where did they come from? Did they come from Europe or North Africa like most of the Israeli public, or are they an indigenous population? The story of 'Ajami' shattered that bubble. I think Israeli cinema should strive for more introspection. There are some documentary filmmakers who do this wonderfully, but when it comes to narrative cinema, it returns to the bubble, and people deal with personal matters disconnected from issues they should be critical about. This requires courage, and I would be happy to see more courage. There are some such creators, like Eran Kolirin for example, but I don't want to sound naive. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and we need more brave people."

Hebrew https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/bycmmbwiyg

Binding / Blinding

Scandar Copti is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and Associate Arts Professor of Film at NYU Abu Dhabi. He is known for his work with non-actors, and his film "Ajami" received a Camera d'Or Special Mention at Cannes and an Oscar nomination. His film "Happy Holidays" premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay.

In the interview for FRED (attached video clip) he expresses the difficult duality of premiering his film "Happy Holidays" at the Venice Film Festival while grappling with the "heavy cloud" and "grief" caused by the ongoing situation back home in Palestine and Israel. He mentions the challenges of finding the right words to describe his feelings during this time. Later in the interview, while discussing the themes of his film, he touches upon the indoctrination and moral choices within Israeli society that contribute to the "militarization of society" and the "sustaining and maintaining" of the occupation.

[...] I started looking at into it and I understood that it's about moral choices and how our morality is designed it's true we say you know morality binds us as a group, but it blinds us, it blinds us to the option that there could be other forms of moral choices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BUFhFccqWM

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https://invidious.private.coffee/watch?v=RPYjVkmSCeE

#film #Lyd imagines an alternate #history of the #Nakba

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