Bethlehem (film) explained

Bethlehem
Director:Yuval Adler
Starring:Tzachi Halevy
Cinematography:Yaron Scharf
Runtime:99 minutes
Country:Israel
Language:Hebrew
Arabic
Gross:$384,670[1]

Bethlehem (Hebrew: בית לחם Bet Lehem) is a 2013 Israeli drama film directed by Yuval Adler. It was screened at the Venice Days section of the 2013 Venice Film Festival where it won the top prize.[2] It was shown at the Telluride Film Festival and 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was selected as the Israeli entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards after winning six Ophir Awards including Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Film, but it was not nominated.[3]

Cast

Development

The screenplay was written by Yuval Adler and Ali Waked from 2007 to 2010. The script went through multiple drafts and was heavily influenced by research that the two conducted concomitantly to writing it, interviewing both Israeli Shin Bet operatives and Palestinian militants from Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas.[4] At the time of writing the screenplay, Ali Waked was a correspondent for Ynet covering Palestinian affairs. Many incidents described in the film were directly influenced by actual events from the period.[5] In 2010, the screenplay was included in the Berlinale co-production market[6] which helped attach Belgian producers Entre Chien et Loup[7] and German producers Gringo Films[8] to the film. In January 2011, the Israeli Film Fund and the Jerusalem Film Funds gave their support to the project. English sales agent WestEnd[9] picked up the film.

The casting process took almost a year.[10] The three lead actors in the film, Shadi Mar’i who plays Sanfur, Tsahi Halevi who plays Razi and Hitham Omari who plays Badawi, were non-professionals who had never acted in a film before. Omari, a Palestinian from Kafr 'Aqab, was discovered accidentally during a location scout. Halevi was discovered just weeks before filming began; he was an aspiring singer who had just finished appearing on the first season of Israeli singing competition show The Voice Israel, where he had reached the final four. Mar'i, who was not even 17 at the time of the shoot, was discovered after hundreds of teenagers were auditioned. Many of the extras and bit players (both Israelis and Palestinians) were reenacting in the film scenes they experienced in their own lives.[11]

Filming

The film was shot digitally on Arri Alexa. Principal photography began November 2011 and lasted 29 days. The film was shot in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramla and Jaffa with a few additional days of reshoots in early 2012.[11] Post production work was done in Belgium and Germany.

Reception

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bethlehem (2014) - Box Office Mojo. 3 January 2016.
  2. Web site: Rosser . Michael . Bethlehem wins Venice Days; Class Enemy tops Critics' Week . . 6 September 2013 . 10 December 2013.
  3. Web site: Israel's Oscar entry on Mideast conflict cleans up at local 'Academy Awards' . 29 September 2013 . The Jerusalem Post.
  4. Web site: Frucht. Leora Eren. Defending 'Bethlehem': Filmmaker Ali Waked on betrayal in the West Bank. haaretz. 22 October 2013. 13 December 2013.
  5. Web site: Herel. Amos. All quiet on the West Bank front, for now. haaretz. 27 July 2013. 13 December 2013.
  6. Web site: Blaney. Martin. Berlinale's Co-Production Market reveals line-up (Free subscription required). Screen Daily. 18 January 2010. 13 December 2013.
  7. Web site: Bethlehem - ECL. 3 January 2016.
  8. Web site: "Gringo Films" . 13 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131213174028/http://gringo-films.com/en/films/bethlehem.html . 13 December 2013 . dead .
  9. Web site: Bethlehem. 3 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213185241/http://www.westendfilms.com/films/current/bethlehem. 13 December 2013. dead.
  10. Web site: Dagan. Mike. Making 'The Wire' in the West Bank: Yuval Adler's long road to his critically acclaimed movie (subscription required). haaretz. 27 September 2013. 13 December 2013.
  11. Web site: Wells. Jeffrey. Bethlehem Guys (audio interview) . Hollywood elsewhere. 3 November 2013. 13 December 2013.
  12. Web site: Bethlehem: Venice Review. Dalton. Stephen. The Hollywood Reporter. 28 August 2013.
  13. Web site: Bethlehem, review. Collin. Robbie. The Telegraph. 29 August 2013.
  14. Venice Film Review: 'Bethlehem'. Felperin. Leslie. Variety. 30 August 2013.
  15. News: Pushing Into the Little Known. Conway Morris. Roderick. The New York Times. 30 August 2013.
  16. Web site: 'Bethlehem' is yet another Israeli propaganda film. Levy. Gideon. Haaretz. 6 October 2013. 22 November 2014.
  17. Web site: Truth and lies in 'Bethlehem'. Ronen. Ruth. Haaretz. 5 December 2013. 13 December 2013.
  18. Web site: Occupation on film: 'Bethlehem' hits high notes but fails to transcend entertainment value. Klein. Uri. Haaretz. 24 September 2013. 13 December 2013.
  19. Web site: 'Bethlehem': An Israeli Agent and His Palestinian Informant. Ginat. Gitit . Almonitor. 27 September 2013. 13 December 2013.
  20. Web site: Acclaimed Israeli Film 'Bethlehem' Brings the Occupation Back Into Our Homes. Gavron. Daniel. Thedailybeast. 3 October 2013. 13 December 2013.

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