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Cinema Sabaya

Still 1 - Credit_ Ella Barak and Green Productsions.jpg

(Cinema Sabaya)

95 mins

Year of Production: 2021

Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

Written and directed by Orit Fouks Rotem

CREW

Producers: Maya Fischer, Roi Kurland, Gal Greenspan

Co Producers: Aurélien Bodinaux, Rhian Vialva

Director of photography: Itay Marom

Editor: Neta Dvorkis

Executive Producers: Moshe Edery, Ori Eisen 

Co Producer: Roni Shamiss

Associate Producers: Adi Bar Yossef,

Rena Cohen Kopelman

Script Editor: Ayelet Menahemi

Casting Director: Emmanuelle Mayer

Original Music: Karni Postel

Supervising Sound Editor: Shahaf Wagshall 

Sound Design: Julien Mizac

Sound Mix: Jean-François Levillain

Art Director: Hefi Bohem 

Costume Design: Rachel Ben Dahan

Make Up Artist: Orly Ronen

Look Development: Tomer Bahat 

Color Grader: Gregor Pfüller

Post Production Supervisors: Ayelet Michaeli Walk,

Shiran Yalovich Sheleg

Head of Development: Yael Benaya, Gili Zolty

Production companies: Green Productions (Israel) Neon Rouge (Belgium)

CAST

Dana Ivgy 

Joanna Said

Amal Murkus

Ruth Landau

Yulia Tagil

Marlene Bajali

Aseel Farhat

Orit Samuel

Liora Levi

Khawlah Hag Debsy

 

Synopsis

A young filmmaker teaching a workshop in a community center puts cameras into the hands of eight women, Arab and Jewish, and asks them to film their lives.

As they share their footage, barriers are broken down, beliefs are challenged, and the women learn more about each other... and themselves.

Winner of five Ophir Awards including Best Picture and Best Director and Israel’s Official Submission to the 95th Academy Awards.

Director's Biography

Orit was born in Israel in 1983. She graduated from the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel School with honors in 2012, winning her class’ ‘Promising Director’ Award. Her diploma film "Staring Match" was screened in festivals all over the world, including: San Sebastian, Montreal, Munich and won the Grand Prix award at the Hangzhao Festival in China, Best Screenplay Award at Tel Aviv Student Film Festival, and an Honorable Mention at the Jerusalem Film Festival. After graduating, Orit co-directed a documentary series for the Israeli Channel YES Doco; worked as a film facilitator and director for Israeli NGO, making films with at-risk youth; worked as a filmmaking teacher of groups of women in Acres and Givat Haviva. She also conducted research for a documentary by the Oscar-award-winning director Alex Gibney, and wrote and directed two short fiction films – "You Remain Silent", that was a part of the Abraham Heffner tribute "Voice Over" and premiered in Sarajevo and Jerusalem Film Festival 2018 and The MOMA, and "Veil" that that was selected to various festivals around the world including The Oslo Short Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival and Brussels Short Film Festival. Cinema Sabaya is Orit’s debut feature film.

Filmography

2012 - Staring Match (Drama, 20 min) – the film was screened in festivals all over the world, including: San Sebastian, Montreal, Munich and won the Grand Prix award at the Hangzhao Festival in China, Best Screenplay Award at Tel Aviv Student Film Festival, and an Honorable Mention at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

 

2018 - You Remain Silent (Drama, 10 min) – The short was part of the Abraham Heffner tribute film, "Voice Over" and premiered in Sarajevo and Jerusalem Film Festival 2018 and the MOMA.

 

2019 – Veil (Drama, 20 min) – Selected to The Oslo Short Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Brussels Short Film Festival and various other festivals around the world. The film was also nominated to an Israeli Academy award.

Festivals

The Jerusalem Film Festival 2021 – Winner of Best Israeli Debut and Audience Award

Weil Bloch Award for 2021 - Best Film

Warsaw IFF 2021 - Jury Special Mention & NETPAC Award

FICER 2021 - Audience Award

Toronto Jewish Film Festival 2022 - Micki Moore Award

Warsaw jewish film festival 2022 - Camera Of David for the Best Feature Film

Nice Israël Film Festival 2022 - Mimosa d'or Award

Israeli Academy Awards -  The Ophir Awards

1.  Best Film- Green Productions

2. Best Director - Orit Fouks Rotem

3. Best Supporting Actress - Joanne Said

4. Best Costume Design - Rachel Ben Dahan

5. Best Casting - Emmanuelle Mayer 

 

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