EPOS – The International Art Film Festival, will take place from March 11 – 14, 2015 at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Bringing the beauty, mystery, intrigue and technical wonders of all the arts to the big screen, the festival offers an abundance of films to excite the curiosity, whether your interests are in music, literature, dance, theatre, or film itself. The 6th edition of Epos will open with The Hebrew Superhero, directed by Shaul Betzer and Asaf Galay. Exploring the Israeli hero and Israeli identity as expressed in comics, the film covers the chronicles of Israeli comics from Uri Muri, created in 1936 by Aryeh Navon and Leah Goldberg, to Dudu Geva’s giant yellow duck. Artists interviewed include: Zeev Engelmayer, Dudu Geva, Daniella London Dekel, Shay Charka, Michel Kichka, Asaf Hanuka and author Etgar Keret.
A taste of the cultural feast:
Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, directed by Thomas Allen Harris, explores the role of photography in shaping the identity of African Americans from slavery to the present.
This Boy is Me is a documentary film, participating in the Israeli Films Competition, that looks at changes in Israeli culture through the prism of children’s songs. Directed by Tom Shinan, the film tracks the shift from the “collective identity” fostered in the early days, to the emergence of the “me” generation, with home movie footage, archival materials and featuring Yehonatan Geffen, Yoni Rechter, Yehuda Atlas, Chava Alberstein and Matti Caspi.
Saul Leiter studied to become a rabbi, but instead became one of the most important photographers in New York of the 1950s. A pioneer of color photography, Leiter passed away at the age of 90, just after the film was completed. In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter is directed by Tomas Leach, and will be screened together with a film on David Hockney.
Altman, directed by Ron Mann, observes the life and work of the film director whose repertoire of 39 films includes: “MASH,” “Nashville,” “Short Cuts,” “Gosford Park,” “The Long Goodbye,” “A Wedding,” “The Player” and “Vincent and Theo.” Interviews with many actors who worked with Altman, such as Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin, Bruce Willis, Elliott Gould and Julianne Moore, shed light on the director’s methods and his impact on American film.
Dylan on Dylan, directed by Andrew Sinclair, is a reconstruction of the life of poet Dylan Thomas, who lived and wrote intensely, before dying at the very young age of 39. The film uses photographs and dramatic re-staging to convey a portrait of Dylan’s life in Wales and London.
Liv Ullmann directs an adaptation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie, with a wonderful cast of actors: Jessica Chastain as Julie, Colin Farrell as Jean and Samantha Morton as Kathleen.
Written by Mrs. Bach, directed by Alex McCall, delves into the mystery of Anna Magdalena, Johann Sebastian Bach’s second wife. A singer and copyist, it is clear that she took part in her husband’s work, yet what was the extent of her role? Was she a composer in her own right? Researcher Martin Jarvis devoted 25 years to answering these questions, and finding proof to support his theory.
The Need to Dance, directed by Petra Lataster-Czisch, focuses on the internationally renowned choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. A behind the scenes look at rehearsals and performances is accompanied by the dancer/choreographer’s reflections on his life and art.
The full program and schedule is available in English on the Epos website. To purchase tickets, call: 03-6077020.
