Art & Apathy Shoot – More Interviews
We interviewed Rami, a member of the Family Circle, an organization for Israelis and Palestinians who’ve lost loved ones to war and terrorism. They meet to heal, to teach in schools about the devastation of violence, to remember, and to move forward positively. This is a terribly simplistic explanation of what they do. Being in Rami’s presence, hearing his story, was another lesson for me personally. The director and the producer took his interview to heart.
The next day, we met Ram’s friend Khallid, who is also a member of the Family Circle. Both men have lost family to the violence in Israel. They met at a talk Rami was giving several years ago. Khallid is a quiet, reflective man. Both men. one Israeli Jewish, one Palestinian Muslim, have great respect and affection for each other, and mutually agree the violence must stop.
Each day we are in Jerusalem, we feed and give fresh water to the four kittens and their mama cat who live wild outside our building. I am grateful for their presence, for their cuteness, to the joy they bring with their antics. They are a buffer to the oppressive patriarchal nature of the immediate world around us.
That evening, we fill up the water bowl, pour out half the bag of cat food, and drive off to spend four days in Tel Aviv. We have an evening shoot at the Left Bank. Eyal of Rectangle performs an experimental set with saxes, clarinets and various squeeze toys. It reminds me of Eyewash events, without the video.
Very interesting day. Lots of interviews with Israeli Army Refusers – both of the initial service and the reserve service, that runs until the age of 45.
But I’m tired – long days, the set needs better organization, I need more time off and I am finding the lack of technical knowledge frustrating. How can I shoot a film to the best of my abilities if the crew doesn’t have respect for the technical and artistic process of shooting?
I’m also afraid of what what we are hearing and the places we’ve been going. Israel is not an easy place. My heart breaks for both sides.
We’re going to Lod tomorrow to shoot D.A.M – a Palestinian rap group.
:) melissa
