Varied Genres in Israeli Cinema
The interesting aspect of a discussion on genres in Israeli cinema is that one can immediately guess what they may be.
Therefore, it is adequate to simply mention the heads and elaborate on the work pertaining to that particular genre to explain Israeli films and their content.
· Silent films This genre was prevalent in Palestine, before the establishment of Israel as a state in 1948.
Most of them were made with the concept of documentaries on various issues relevant to the political atmosphere of the time.
They were mainly showcased in cafes and warehouses.
Bourekas films One of the most popular genres of Israeli films Bourekas films dealt with German Jews (Ashkenazi) and traditional Jews (Mizrahi) who were at loggerheads with each other constantly.
The 1960's and 70's marked the period of this genre of film making in Israel.
Here, the Mizrahi Jew assumed the role of the poverty-stricken hero while the Ashkenazi was usually cast in the negative role.
· New Sensitivity films Some of the notable films of this genre include I love you Rosa and The House of Chelouche Street, both of which were nominated for Academy Awards in the Foreign Film category.
These movies were more modern than the Bourekas and concentrated on getting the aesthetic aspect of film making right.
· Docudrama Following the new sensitivity films came the docudrama which amalgamated documentaries which were once popular during the pre-1948 days and drama which is universally relevant at all times.
These films concentrated on social and political issues and portrayed the Israeli people's opinions in the form of traditional documentaries.
Scripts of most of these docudramas were taken from historical documents already existing in Hebrew.
War and Military films Since war and military issues were prominent subjects in Israeli history, many a films were based on these topics and shot as docudramas, comedy and even romance.
These movies depicted the obstacles faced by Israelis in their fight to gain establishment as an independent state in the world.
· Holocaust Being probably the most significant and sensitive incident in the history of the Israeli people, many an Israeli film has been made on the Holocaust, its victims and survivors.
Some of the significant works in this genre include Tel Aviv-Berlin, HaMartef and Me'Ever Layem.
Despite such works, Israeli cinema is known to have avoided making movies on the Holocaust, mainly to uphold the Zionist ideology of the negation of exile and the consciousness of Diaspora.
Therefore, it is adequate to simply mention the heads and elaborate on the work pertaining to that particular genre to explain Israeli films and their content.
· Silent films This genre was prevalent in Palestine, before the establishment of Israel as a state in 1948.
Most of them were made with the concept of documentaries on various issues relevant to the political atmosphere of the time.
They were mainly showcased in cafes and warehouses.
Bourekas films One of the most popular genres of Israeli films Bourekas films dealt with German Jews (Ashkenazi) and traditional Jews (Mizrahi) who were at loggerheads with each other constantly.
The 1960's and 70's marked the period of this genre of film making in Israel.
Here, the Mizrahi Jew assumed the role of the poverty-stricken hero while the Ashkenazi was usually cast in the negative role.
· New Sensitivity films Some of the notable films of this genre include I love you Rosa and The House of Chelouche Street, both of which were nominated for Academy Awards in the Foreign Film category.
These movies were more modern than the Bourekas and concentrated on getting the aesthetic aspect of film making right.
· Docudrama Following the new sensitivity films came the docudrama which amalgamated documentaries which were once popular during the pre-1948 days and drama which is universally relevant at all times.
These films concentrated on social and political issues and portrayed the Israeli people's opinions in the form of traditional documentaries.
Scripts of most of these docudramas were taken from historical documents already existing in Hebrew.
War and Military films Since war and military issues were prominent subjects in Israeli history, many a films were based on these topics and shot as docudramas, comedy and even romance.
These movies depicted the obstacles faced by Israelis in their fight to gain establishment as an independent state in the world.
· Holocaust Being probably the most significant and sensitive incident in the history of the Israeli people, many an Israeli film has been made on the Holocaust, its victims and survivors.
Some of the significant works in this genre include Tel Aviv-Berlin, HaMartef and Me'Ever Layem.
Despite such works, Israeli cinema is known to have avoided making movies on the Holocaust, mainly to uphold the Zionist ideology of the negation of exile and the consciousness of Diaspora.
