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Screening of Tsili with Director Amos Gitai

The extraordinary director Amos Gitai, Guest of Honor at the 12^th FICM, presented his most recent film, Tsili (2014), at the Cinépolis Morelia Centro.

Amos Gitai belongs to the first generation of children born after the creation of the state of Israel, a fundamental aspect of the particular stylistic and thematic mark of his work. His films are characterized by the exploration of the history of the Middle East, through issues like homeland, exile, social control and utopia. His work also includes audiovisual, literary and theatrical production.

The feature film presented is based on the work of the same name by Israeli writer Aharon Appelfeld and tells the story of a young Jewish woman who flees from the Nazis after the deportation of her family to concentration camps. It recently premiered at the 71^st Venice International Film Festival.

Renowned film critic Nick Roddick and the director attended the screening and said:

Nick Roddick on Amos Gitai:

“Amos’ films always talk about a gap between two worlds – this one in particular emphasizes this theme more. It is a film that talks about being suspended between two worlds that practically have nothing in common with each other. It is fascinating to find Gitai’s works that are both tragic and optimistic at the same time.”

 Amos Gitai on his work as a filmmaker:

“Most of my films use human simplicity as a theme and how the story is dissected. I come from a region where there is a lot of material to deal with this human dimension. I reflect in my films an intimate part of my life.”

Amos Gitai on Tsili:

“In this film I touch on something that I had not done before with such precision: the Second World War. I had not addressed it because it is a topic that had been dealt with a lot, but I suddenly felt the need to make my contribution. So I decided to do it in a somewhat different way, so that it would be a valuable contribution.”

Amos Gitai on the music in Tsili:

“There are many sounds of war, explosions, shooting, but there are also sounds of nature, rain, lightening. When people survive, the orchestra music is a representation of survival. For the music, we relied on the virtuous people of Tel Aviv who, along with my musical designer, worked splendidly together. Tsili is a film based on music.”

Amos Gitai on the interpretation of his work:

“I can’t explain all the decisions I make in my films because I’m very intuitive. I think the public is in a better position to interpret what I do. The only thing I look for is to achieve a change. I’m tired of the trivial, what happens in commercial film. For me it is a privilege to be able to do what I do with the freedom I have.”

With Tsili, the activities on the work of Amos Gitai, Guest of Honor at the 12^th FICM, end. These included a conversation with the public about his life and work, and a retrospective of his latest films: Carmel (2009), Roses à crédit(2011), Lullaby to my Father (2012) and Ana Arabia (2013).

Coverage by Jaime Garba (@jaimegarba)