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BaMidbar - Diptych Teudi: Halomo shel Avidan

In The Desert - A Documentary Diptych: Avidan's Dream
Avner Faingulernt
Israel, Kanada 2018
105 min
V'18

Anders als Omar im Schwesterfilm dieses dokumentarischen Diptychons über zwei Schafzüchter im Westjordanland hält der junge Familienvater Avidan nicht mit seiner politischen Meinung zurück: „Ich bin hier geboren, die Araber auch, aber der Platz reicht nicht für beide.“ Er würde gern wie eine biblische Figur mit seinen Tieren frei über die kargen Weiden ziehen – und wirkt dabei eher wie der Akteur eines selbstauferlegten Reenactments auf konfisziertem Land. Bald schon muss die Herde verkauft, der unausgereifte Lebensentwurf in Frage und die leeren Weinflaschen in die Ecke gestellt werden. Draußen fällt Schnee. (Stephan Settele)

 

IN THE DESERT – A DOCUMENTARY DIPTYCH is an astonishing endeavor, to say the least. As this is most probably the first catalogue entry one will get to read on it – if only because A (as in Avidan) precedes O (as in Omar) – a few words about the project proper seem in order here; but mind: Both films are essentially stand-alone works that gain in depth when seen together, whatever the order. IN THE DESERT – A DOCUMENTARY DIPTYCH is set in the Hebron Governorate (Muhafazat al-Halil/Nafat Hevron) of the West Bank (ad-Diffah al-Garbiyyah /haGadah haMa’aravit), since 1979 considered by various international entities as Palestinian territory while still under control of Israel which defines it as an occupied and/or disputed area. Some 2.8 million Palestinians live there, as well as some 600.000 Israelis of Jewish faith, of whom about two-thirds are settlers. As a card at the beginning of both films states: This is an invitation to dive into the daily reality of two families. One film is about a Palestinian Arab family; the other is about an Israeli Jewish family. Living on opposite hills, they never meet, nor do they accept one another. This here is the story of Avidan, a settler’s son, who wants to build a sheep farm not far from his place of birth. (Olaf Möller)

Credits
  • Avidan and his family
  • Avner Faingulernt
  • Hagar saad Shalom
  • Avner Faingulernt
  • Myriam Magassouba
  • Lev Goltser (additional Editor)
  • Peter Venne
Skene Border Films, Entre Deux Mondes Productions, Deux Beaux Garcons Films

Ruth Films

DCP
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