THE VOICE OF AHMAD

THE VOICE OF AHMAD

THE VOICE OF AHMAD 
(Kolo Shel Ahmad)

Directors: Avshalom Katz, David Ofek & Ayelet Bechar, Shadi Habib Allah, Doron Djerassi, Noam Kaplan, Dan Geva, Mamdooh Afdile & Iddo Soskolne / Israel 2019

Creator and Curator: Renen Schorr

Category: Creative Documentary

Production Company: Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School, Pardes Films

Production: Stav Meron & Renen Schorr; Supported by The Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, Israel

Language: Hebrew, Arabic

Subtitles: English

Length: 81 minutes

”I Am Ahmad”, a 1966 13 min. revelatory short, was originally censored before its stormy release. In the film, a naïve Arab manual laborer from the periphery of pre-1967 Israel tries again and again – and is repeatedly refused – to rent an apartment in Jewish and liberal Tel Aviv.
Fifty years later, top Arab and Jewish alumni of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School conduct a poignant dialogue about “today’s Ahmad”, contending with questions of the impossible coexistence between Palestinian citizens of Israel and Jews that is rapidly deteriorating. Comprised of six chapters, the feature film is political, activist and fistful, mirroring a torn Israel. Yet, Voice of Ahmad is at times also funny, poetic and sarcastically utopian.

Synopsis (French): Le film ‘Moi, Ahmed’ est le premier long metrage israélien qui mettait en scène et qui surtout donnait la parole à un israélien arabe, il a été fait en 1966 par des cinéastes juifs israéliens. Une première. Plus de 50 ans après, les diplômés de la célèbre école de cinéma Sam Spiegel ont imaginé une suite à ce film : The Voice of Ahmad.

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Festivals & Awards:

Movie Reviews:
* « It’s impossible not to be struck by the poignancy and relevance of “The Voice of Ahmad,” an anthology of seven short films about working Arabs in Israel, revolving around the first one of the collection, 1966’s “I Am Ahmad.” » New anthology of short films charts trajectory of Arab-Jewish relations / Jessica Steinberg / Times of Israel

* « This project, which was curated by Renen Schorr, Sam Spiegel’s founding director, and Ayelet Mehahem, presents a fascinating snapshot of how Israeli-Arab relations have and haven’t changed over the years, and encourages viewers to look at people and aspects of life they would generally ignore. It is the third in a trilogy of re-imaginings of Israeli films by Sam Spiegel graduates and its release marks the 30-year anniversary of the school. » / 'The Voice of Ahmad’ presents short films on Israeli reality / Hannah Brown / The Jerusalem Post

video:
Video reportage / French Television i24News (French)
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