Festivals and Awards:
- ''Days of Cinema'' Documentary Film Festival, Israel 2024
Movie Reviews:
* « In days when kibbutzim are back in the headlines due to the atrocities committed there, it's heartwarming to watch a documentary movie which follows the rather unique Kibbutz Samar - a movie portraying problems and tensions, as well as beautiful moments of brotherhood and mutual support. » The Israeli dream, repeatedly cracked, yet unbroken / Yael Shuv / Time Out (Hebrew)
* « A glimpse into a utopian community whose principles dictate constant grappling with crisis after crisis and continuous clarification of lifestyle and conduct. This is an interesting look at life in absolute freedom, which can bring out the beautiful sides of human behavior.» Gili Izikovich / Haaretz (Hebrew)
Director's Statement:
A place like no other in the whole world. A real cooperative community, where there is no rule, everyone does only what they want. For almost fifty years. 40 years after I left Samar, I return to the village we built in the Israeli desert. We dreamt of building a community in which there is real partnership, in which there is maximal personal freedom. We imagined a better place than anything we knew. I meet old friends and new members. The cashbox, which at the time was a wooden box, turned into a common bank account with 100 credit cards. Each member still decides about everything according to his or her own conscience. The settlement suffers from economic crisis which brings up tensions concerning the continuation of the system. The surprise that the idea we conceived still works is replaced by curiosity, even worry. Will expenses be limited? how long will this miraculous mode of living go on?
Amir Har-Gil
