Israel / Belgium
CINEMA SABAYA
92 MIN
2021
Synopsis
Nine women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop hosted by Rona, a young film director, who teaches them how to document their lives. With each raw homemade footage shot by the women and shared with the others, the group dynamic forces them to challenge their views and beliefs as they get to know each other and themselves better.
Awards
Haggiag Competition for Full-Length Israeli Feature Films – Best Israeli Debut, Jerusalem FF, 2021; NETPAC Award, Special Mention, Warsaw IFF, 2021; Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Israeli Film Academy Awards, 2022
Cast & Crew
Producer(s): Maya Fischer, Gal Greenspan, Roi Kurland
Director: Orit Fouks Rotem
Script: Orit Fouks Rotem
Director of Photography: Itay Marom
Production Designer: Hefi Bohem
Sound: Julien Mizac, Jean-François Levillain
Edit: Neta Dvorkis
Cast: Dana Ivgy, Joanna Said, Amal Murkus, Ruth Landau, Yulia Tagil, Marlene Bajali, Aseel Farhat, Orit Samuel, Liora Levi, Khawlah Hag Debsy
Production: Green Production, Neon Rouge
Nine women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop hosted by Rona, a young film director, who teaches them how to document their lives. With each raw homemade footage shot by the women and shared with the others, the group dynamic forces them to challenge their views and beliefs as they get to know each other and themselves better.
Awards
Haggiag Competition for Full-Length Israeli Feature Films – Best Israeli Debut, Jerusalem FF, 2021; NETPAC Award, Special Mention, Warsaw IFF, 2021; Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Israeli Film Academy Awards, 2022
Cast & Crew
Producer(s): Maya Fischer, Gal Greenspan, Roi Kurland
Director: Orit Fouks Rotem
Script: Orit Fouks Rotem
Director of Photography: Itay Marom
Production Designer: Hefi Bohem
Sound: Julien Mizac, Jean-François Levillain
Edit: Neta Dvorkis
Cast: Dana Ivgy, Joanna Said, Amal Murkus, Ruth Landau, Yulia Tagil, Marlene Bajali, Aseel Farhat, Orit Samuel, Liora Levi, Khawlah Hag Debsy
Production: Green Production, Neon Rouge
Orit Fouks Rotem
Born in Israel in 1983. She graduated from the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel School with honours in 2012, winning her class’ ‘Promising Director’ Award. Her diploma film Staring Match was screened in festivals all over the world, including: San Sebastian, Montreal, Munich and won the Grand Prix award at the Hangzhou Festival in China, Best Screenplay Award at Tel Aviv Student FF, and an Honourable Mention at the Jerusalem FF.
After graduating, Orit Fouks Rotem co-directed a documentary series for the Israeli Channel YES Doco; worked as a film facilitator and director for Israeli NGO, making films with at-risk youth; worked as a filmmaking teacher of groups of women in Acres and Givat Haviva. She also conducted research for a documentary by the Oscar-award-winning director Alex Gibney, and wrote and directed two short fiction films – You Remain Silent, that was a part of the Abraham Heffner tribute Voice Over and premiered in Sarajevo and Jerusalem FF 2018 and The MOMA, and Veil that was selected to various festivals around the world including The Oslo Short FF, Jerusalem FF and Brussels Short FF. Cinema Sabaya will be Orit Fouks Rotem’s debut feature film.
Filmography
Staring Match (short, 2012), You Remain Silent (short, 2018), Veil (short, 2019), Cinema Sabaya (2021)
Born in Israel in 1983. She graduated from the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel School with honours in 2012, winning her class’ ‘Promising Director’ Award. Her diploma film Staring Match was screened in festivals all over the world, including: San Sebastian, Montreal, Munich and won the Grand Prix award at the Hangzhou Festival in China, Best Screenplay Award at Tel Aviv Student FF, and an Honourable Mention at the Jerusalem FF.
After graduating, Orit Fouks Rotem co-directed a documentary series for the Israeli Channel YES Doco; worked as a film facilitator and director for Israeli NGO, making films with at-risk youth; worked as a filmmaking teacher of groups of women in Acres and Givat Haviva. She also conducted research for a documentary by the Oscar-award-winning director Alex Gibney, and wrote and directed two short fiction films – You Remain Silent, that was a part of the Abraham Heffner tribute Voice Over and premiered in Sarajevo and Jerusalem FF 2018 and The MOMA, and Veil that was selected to various festivals around the world including The Oslo Short FF, Jerusalem FF and Brussels Short FF. Cinema Sabaya will be Orit Fouks Rotem’s debut feature film.
Filmography
Staring Match (short, 2012), You Remain Silent (short, 2018), Veil (short, 2019), Cinema Sabaya (2021)
PHOTOS/TRAILER