Israel Prize Ram Loevy

loevy (left) @ symposium in tel aviv university @ delivered talk on film wasn t.

the newspaper yediot ahronot reported that, israel prize winner making film secret service s torture chambers. loevy s project, film wasn t, two-part documentary on interrogation methods in israel, both within green line (episode 1) , in occupied territories (episode 2). in 1987, official commission headed former president of supreme court moshe landau ruled moderate physical pressure might necessary interrogation tool. second episode investigated being defined moderate physical pressure. 2 episodes scheduled aired 1 week apart in october–november 1993.

while first episode aired planned, kirschenbaum, director-general of israel broadcasting authority, reluctant screen second episode until 3 groups interrogated prisoners—the police, shin bet, , military—responded allegations against them. both police , shin bet did, idf refused respond charges of anonymous young reservist, claimed on camera have been involved in physical , mental abuse of prisoners. when agreed respond, refused ensure whistleblower s anonymity protected. second episode aired 8 months after first, on 14 june 2004.

some people claimed loevy should have been denied israel prize. others came defense, 1 critic writing: israeli establishment had no choice embrace loevy , grant him israel prize in 1993, did not succeed in silencing penetrating voice , lightening uncompromising perspective on israeli society.

this view echoed in citation of jury explaining why selected loevy:

equally worthy of special mention persistent struggle show themes regarded unacceptable, though touch on fundamental truths israeli society.... given context, work marked boldness , @ same time great sense of responsibility. 2 films made [barricades , khirbet khize] had first television screening delayed.... in struggle bring these films before viewer despite fact treated controversial topics—a struggle more once led impugning of personal , professional credibility—loevy proved not merely maker of documentary films first , foremost artist point of view strives bring before viewer him grapple with.

over next few years, loevy embarked on 4 major projects. first of these child dreams (1994), adaptation of new play (1993) noted israeli playwright hanoch levin. play remarkable achievement, inspired saga of saint louis, transformed on time operatic metaphor death , loss of faith in messianic redemption transcends historical setting. in words of theater critic michael handelzaltz, moving play, evoking compassion , identification. shocking, farcical, warped, grotesque, , amazing.

this followed loevy s adaptation of mr. mani, best-selling epic saga israeli author a.b. yehoshua, script longtime collaborator gilad evron. novel based on 5 conversations tell story of 5 generations of turkish–greek-jewish family, in larger sense, story of jewish , israeli identity on past 2 centuries. originally, loevy hesitant adapting book television, , asked author: have book. why need movie?

in book, 5 distinct mono-dialogues , term loevy himself used in personal correspondence, used tell story of family assumed listening partner, neither seen nor heard. each of these mono-dialogues different, , given different people in different languages or period-appropriate forms of hebrew. loevy captured in film, creating new television vocabulary. mono-dialogue technique eliminated fourth wall taboo of television , film, according audience absolves of traditional neutrality , assumes role of character in story. in loevy s own words, television demands text, television viewer used getting complete text. every question has answer.... in mr. mani, role of respondent filled camera and, extension, audience itself. speaker turns camera—in other words, audience, speaking directly in way demands answer, if speaker stepped out of screen, in woody allen s purple rose of cairo. viewer shaken up. artificial nature of situation in mr. mani screams presence. . characters in luigi pirandello s 6 characters in search of author, characters cease being subjects of scrutiny external viewer. external viewer, i.e., audience, becomes partner in dialogue actors , active participant in story.

loevy later said that, person responsible artistic aspect of production, eulogized on 1 hand , derided on other. since first screened in 1996, mr. mani has won considerable acclaim way redefined medium of television transforming viewer active participant. mr. mani critical success, , represented israel @ input (the international public television screening conference) 1998.

life around hiriya, former garbage dump

in 1999 loevy expanded scope tackle new issue rising forefront of israeli consciousness: environmentalism. fourteen footnotes garbage mountain documentary film hiriya, once israel s national garbage dump, on outskirts of tel aviv. israelis, however, hiriya more dumpsite. physical landmark—a flat-topped mountain (87 m)—towering on heavily urbanized coastal plain , ayalon river. loevy succeeded in capturing world of hiriya in final days, transformed dump recycling center , national park. documented life around site, , art sprouted role—once mocked—as national compost heap.

loevy s next documentary film, letters in wind (2001), tribute noted israeli actor yossi banai, 1 of country s noted performers , scion of well-established theatrical family. banai particularly close nisim aloni, plays featured prominently in loevy s films, , close friends yaakov shabtai (crowned) , hanoch levin (the child dreams), 2 artists work loevy adapted screen. making film banai, if loevy had captured artistic pulse of entire generation had dominated israeli theater.

banai, however, known singer, , interpretations of chansons of jacques brel , georges brassens in hebrew (translated naomi shemer) had endeared him wider public. banai s music featured prominently in film, pulse captured turned 1 reviewer termed metronome of yossi banai s life.