As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in virtual worlds, I can’t help but draw parallels between my experiences and Shemi Zarhin’s journey as a filmmaker. Like him, I too have found myself navigating complex narratives that reflect real-life struggles, albeit within the confines of a video game.
Israeli author and filmmaker Shemi Zarhin is preparing to debut his newest film, “Hemda (Bliss)“, at the Toronto Film Festival. However, the certainty in both his life and career has been disrupted due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza that erupted following the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel.
Zarhin stated to The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday that he finds it challenging to articulate the complexities of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians within his own films, as well as in the broader context of Israeli cinema.
In a subtle critique of Israel’s divided society, Zarhin created and filmed Hemda prior to the Israeli-Gaza conflict that erupted towards the end of last year, resulting in widespread destruction in the area, and it is not a politically charged film as it primarily focuses on an elderly couple, Sassi and Efi, portrayed by Sasson Gabay and Assi Levy.
Juggling multiple part-time jobs, they face daily struggles and concerns, particularly as two unexpected young men reappear, potentially jeopardizing their already delicate marriage. Meanwhile, Zarhin found himself nearing the final stages of film post-production when the events of October 7 unfolded in Israel.
All of a sudden, he felt compelled to halt his involvement in the project. “I was heartbroken by the circumstances and had lost all enthusiasm for the movie,” he recalled. “However, I couldn’t abandon the team of dozens who relied on it for their livelihood. This was their means of earning a living, so we persisted with our work.
Filming the movie proved challenging due to scenes shot in northern Israel, a region where Zarhin spent his childhood. Regrettably, these locations were later targeted and damaged by missiles launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. As he put it, “The places we filmed now appear changed from how they were before. Many of them have been emptied of people, making them resemble old Western towns.
The local community center, complete with a swimming pool, that was a significant landmark in Hemda, was completely demolished. Looking at your unfinished movie, it feels as if you’re capturing a piece of history that might never be restored to its original state again, as Zarhin put it.
Regardless of the fact that Hemda resembles pre-9/11 films depicting the World Trade Centers in the distance, the Israeli director refuses to accept that his family drama based on observations has any role in mirroring real life or providing an explanation for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In Zarhin’s perspective, films don’t need to adhere to reality; instead, their role is to transcend the boundaries of what’s real and make the impossible, possible. As for Hemda, he keeps himself distant from the political, ethnic, and religious disputes in his homeland.
The response from theatrical audiences towards Hemda has undergone a significant shift in contrast to the feedback received for earlier films directed by Zarhin, such as Passover Fever, Aviva, My Love, The World Is Funny, and The Kind Words, which were screened at TIFF in 2015.
He recounted the first Israeli premiere of Hemda with an theater filled with local residents from where the film was shot in northern Israel. “They just sat there and cried, because they looked at their homes. And it was a message from a very, very old past which doesn’t exist anymore,” Zarhin said.
Zarhin acknowledges that movies from his homeland aren’t being warmly received by cinema-goers, which leaves him feeling annoyed due to what he perceives as a lack of understanding or hasty judgments. In his words, “Choosing between political ideologies is simpler than choosing where to dine,” he stated.
It came as quite a shock for the director and his team that Hemda was accepted into TIFF for its international debut, considering many film festivals today prefer to avoid the contentious politics of October 7 and subsequent events in Gaza, fearing they might disrupt their events.
As a gamer, I can’t help but feel hopeful; this TIFF invite might just be the key to lifting our curse. The buzz around TIFF’s programming for Hemda has sparked some unanticipated attention from international distributors and festivals.
All of a sudden, numerous customers started contacting us, requesting a movie link and proposing business deals,” Zarhin explained.
The Toronto Film Festival runs through to Sept. 15.
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2024-09-11 00:24