The war in Lebanon is over.
Another horrible 30 days that reminded everyone that life in the middle east is hard.
Like everyone in Israel I was glued to the internet trying to learn every detail possible, hoping it will make some sense, but it didn't.
The worse war ever.
We were humiliated
We were in total chaos.
There was a strong feeling that we could not trust the leaders in this war.
More death and destruction to both sides.

Sadly I discovered that even in the web, Israel was defeated. In Mytube.com lots of sad films and film clips about the destruction to Lebanon and it's people.
Nothing equivalent to Israel.

Where has our brains gone?
What has happened to us.
At the same time- The president of Israel has legal problems due to harrasement.
Two leading ministers have legal problems - one of corruption one of harrasement.
And the chief of staff was selling his stocks when the war broke out.
A feeling we the people were abandoned.

Feeling more alone than ever.
Especially here in the US.
I feel I am different, as I can't just focus on partying, and fashion.
At the same time, I feel so sad from what's happening in Israel that I'm detaching from it all.
I still have so many wounds from my own army service. So many open scars. So much feeling of anger . So many years have passed, and still it all feels the same.

More people dying for no reason.
One of the saddest things was that the son of Grossman one of our national authors died in the two days before the cease fire took effect. Grossman wrote a few days earlier in the press that the cease fire should start as the bloodshed is pointless. Everyone read his article. Everyone also read about the death of his son.
How horrible it must be for him.
How much pain, for so many families.

Pain. More pain. More pain.

I want to be like the people here in LA, who've not tasted this type of pain. But I can't.
I'm addicted to the news. I'm addicted to the pain of my country, my people, my culture.
I'm addicted to the need to be a part of the place that will always be my home. The state of war.

Good morning to everyone out there.

Dan

San Francisco International Jewish Film Fest souvenirs:
My boring life.
I don't want to sound like I'm a Festival junky. But since the new film is starting to tour, the images I have that make up my life do consist mainly of showing up at film events with large amounts of people, in historical screening venues.

A second before the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, becomes but one more memory, and with it the US premiere of my film, I decided to record a few last souvenirs from that trip.
Among those souvenirs are pictures from the festivals website that were posted on FLICKR.
As for the pictures themselves and whose in them :
The fabolous Castro Theater inside and outside.
Ravit Markus, my producing partner.
The wonderful people running the festival : Peter Stein and Nancy Fishman.
Me at the Shabbat dinner that was quoted in the Chronicle and Peter Stein in the center.

Another souvenir that will always be there in cyber space, is my quote in the San Francisco Chronicle.
I was a little pissed in that interview. It was supposed to be a very simple interview about the Shabbat dinner.
But I was shocked from what I had seen before I got to the dinner and so gave a piece of my mind to the reporter there.
Israeli's are getting killed in a war for survival, 200 rockets a day are landing on the north of Israel. Yet people in San Francisco allowed their self hatred to kick in and use the opportunity to bad mouth our soldiers battling in Lebanon and in Gazza for the safety of our people .
I know it wasn't the most tactical thing to say. But what could I do. Being an artist means allowing yourself not only to say what is politically right, but also what is honest and what one feels is the moral thing to say.
Here's a link to the article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/24/DDGJ1K3K6I1.DTL&type=movies

As was obvious from the article, All the other artists talked about their films, while I talked about the reality of war, and what disturbed me most, hypocracy. But it seems the reporter didn't lik my answer, cause she didn't even bother to write the name of my film, unlike all the other filmmakers whose films were mentioned.
Doesn't matter. I feel good about giving her a piece of my mind.
My two cents, to the effort to make the world a more truthful place.
May the real war, the war for truth continue.


XOX
Dan

The article itself:


Jewish film festival captures the spirit -- and the reality -- of Sabbath dinner
Ruthe Stein, Chronicle Senior Movie Writer
Monday, July 24, 2006

Gathered around a very large challah Friday evening at the Sabbath dinner put on by the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Before the traditional breaking of the bread, everybody was asked to say something about themselves.

When it was Israeli filmmaker Yoram Honig's turn, he said, "I came here on a Hezbollah rocket.'' His line drew a lot of laughs, but also brought up a deadly serious subject that can't help but impact this year's festival: the heavy fighting in the Middle East.

Honig, who is a major in the Paratroopers Reserve in Israel, wasn't sure if he would be called up before he was scheduled to be in San Francisco with his documentary, "First Lesson in Peace.'' Ironically, the film is about an experimental school for Jewish and Palestinian children where he sends his daughter. Classes are taught in Arabic and Hebrew, and understanding between the two nationalities is stressed.

"In times of conflict, there is always a sneaking doubt that putting on a film festival is somehow trivial,'' Peter L. Stein, executive director of the festival, acknowledged. "But when I look at the films that help us gain insight not just into the conflict right now, but into human stories, I feel that a festival like ours is crucial particularly for this moment.''

Of the 10 directors from Israel who were to be here, only one, Vidi Bilu, dropped out at the last minute, for a reason unrelated to the escalating combat. A new project of hers suddenly got a green light.

Her co-director, Dalia Hager, made the trip to represent their festival entry, "Close to Home," which addresses the Israeli-Palestinian issue in an understated way, through a story of two Israeli army buddies who happen to be women.

"I came, but I'm in a bad mood,'' Hager said.

It was hard to stay glum for long with all the goodwill floating through the room. The Sabbath dinner brings together not only filmmakers and festival board and staff members, but also their families.

A dozen or so children, some still in their parents' arms, stayed remarkably quiet through the lighting of the Shabbat candles and a series of prayers. The one over the wine is supposed to be said over red vino. But it was a condition of getting a spiffy new space this year in the Hills Bros. Coffee building on the Embarcadero that white be used instead. The older kids participated in breaking off a piece of challah, which they gnawed on as they headed for a bountiful buffet table.

"This is so different from many typical film festival parties, where it's often as much about whom you can't get close to and what list you are not on,'' said Stein, who's been going to these suppers since they were at someone's house. For the secular Jews attending "marking the Sabbath is a very unusual thing,'' he added.

In observance of the holiday, no films were screened Friday, which for other festivals is a big night at the box office.

The San Francisco festival inaugurated the Sabbath dinner 22 years ago, and the idea has since been co-opted by a few other Jewish festivals. "There's such a loving family atmosphere,'' said Rex Bloomstein, who, like other directors at the party, is a veteran of the film festival circuit but had never before been invited for Sabbath dinner. "To create that at a time like this is unusual and touching.''

For filmmaker Dan Katzir, it was a perfect antidote to a conversation he had overheard on opening night that still upset him. "People were saying they wanted to boycott the festival because of what Israel was doing,'' he related. Katzir, whose great uncle, Ephraim Katzir, was the fourth president of Israel and whose grandfather was killed in a terrorist attack, said he was "ashamed for San Francisco'' to hear expressed that kind of attitude, which he finds narrow-minded.

Many of the films being shown are on personal subjects far removed from the politics of the day. Doug Block brought his father and stepmother, the subjects of his revealing documentary, "51 Birch Street,'' to the Shabbat observance.

Block's perception of his parents' marriage as happy was shattered when his mother died unexpectedly at 78, and he discovered from her diaries that she had a lover. His father, Michael Block, quickly started seeing his secretary from 40 years ago, who is now his wife.

"Hi, I'm the wicked stepmother,'' Kitty Block said, introducing herself with a broad smile.

Michael Block said he doesn't at all mind his son spilling the family beans. "He had a good reason. He wanted to show that dysfunctional families like ours are really representative of what's going on in America.''

In an elegant black sheath and high espadrilles, Tanaz Eshaghian was the most stylish filmmaker to break bread on Friday. You wouldn't think anyone with her looks would have a hard time finding her own dates. But in "Love Iranian-American Style'' she documents her family's numerous attempts to set her up.

"My Iranian family is obsessed with getting me married before it's too late,'' Eshaghian said, explaining that "too late'' for them means age 25.

As a condition of going on these fix-ups, the men had to agree to talk into a camera.

On Saturday, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival was back in full swing with her film and several others. But, Stein said, it felt right that on Friday night "we paused.''

E-mail Ruthe Stein at rstein@sfchronicle.com.

So the Moondance film Festival's pictures are finally up on their website.
I got a few, but I decided to put only the ones I liked.
Moondance was a great festival, in the famous Raleigh studio in the heart of Hollywood, across the street from Paramount Studios.
Their link is : http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/MD-06-Pictures.html

Finally an official US premiere for the Yiddish Film. We were very fortunate to have it at the San francisco International Jewish Film Festival.
The largest Jewish Film Festival in the world.
The first screening was at the Castro theater, shown above.
An amazing screening that 500 people attended.
They loved it and the festival organized that Yiddish Diva- Chayale Ash will come to the stage and do a Q and A with the audience.

At the same time, one of the largest Jewish Film Funds in the world sent us a letter informing us that our film was not selected to receive finishing funds. Funds that would have helped us a lot get our film out there in a better condition - fix some of the sound problems and have more funding for publicity. The head of that organization told me a year earlier, he thinks Yiddish theater is dead and there's no point in making a film about it.
I told him my film is not only about Yiddish theater. It's a film about the spirit of Jewish actors - and any actors. Mine was about some of the most colorful Jewish actors on stage today. People who survived the holocaust by working in their profession. The eternal wanderers. Unvelievable people who's story is that of survival. My film is also about growing old and still wanting to stay relevant. About being an older artist in a society that only worships youth.

So the film will not have the perfect sound. It will be what it is.
Even more painful is that once again, I will have to go at it alone.
As always.
Like the older Yiddish actress in my film said to me :
"Don't seperate yourself from the world. "

Unfortunetaly in Israel there's a war, so most of the critics in San Fran preferred to focus on political films about the conflict in Israel.
My film got no coverage in the press.

That said, I was on Channel 4, in a morning show, and was interviewed by the charming Jan Wahl.
I also got a small quote in the San Fran Chronicle.
I talked about my shame of some of the Jewish community members in San Fran who wanted to buoycott the festival because what Israel is doing in Lebanon and Gazza.
I didn't understand how Jews want to buoycott an ultra left wing film festival because Israel is trying to protect itself from over 100 missiles that are falling on their civilians daily.
Have some of the Jews in San Fran reached an all time low of self hatred ?

Like most of the people in the planet- I too had issues with self hatred. But I think I'm growing up.
I've realized that one cannot be loved by everyone, and so, one has to be careful from the haters. Those who hate themselves and fill us with hate as well.

That's it.
Onward with the fight not to seperate myself from the world.

Dan

So today I got an email that my new script - Children of September, went up the ladder in the Sundance script competition. It's been a good week.
We've gone up the ladder in the AAA script competition and now Sundance.
It's a story about growing up in the US of A. Living in a country where money has become the ultimate substitution for love.
A country where young people learn by example, from their parents - that the most important thing is to be in full control- and the more money one has - the more control possible.
Almost a brilliant philosophy. Only problem is money can buy most things but not emotions.
No matter how much gold, diamonds, and property one has- they can only help to impress others - not really influence their hearts.
That is, if one wants to affect their hearts.
Unfortunetaly I've noticed most people want to keep every thing not personal. Perhaps because personal might also hurt. Perhaps because personal cannot be controlled or bought.
Money can buy another persons limited trust- very limited most of the times.

So that's what this story is about. It's about the one girl who learned on the first week of college, that life can be different and that she doesn't have to listen to all she has learned from her mom, cause parents aren't always right.
She learns that since we only live once, it's better to live it in a truly exciting way and not just let life go buy, secured in a mansion\prison of diamonds.

XOX

Dan

So July 4th is behind us.
The new Superman did ok at the box office, but not stellar.
Guess kids didn't understand the complex world Brian Singer tried to depict.
Seems like when I grew up, the world looked a little less scary, cause grown ups didn't want to show us how complicated the world really is.
Now, artists , not wanting to grow up themselves, want to persuade the rest of us, why we should be afraid of growing up and allow them to stay infantile.
Seems like all the latest kids films have much darker themes than ever before.
Even Superman, the man of steel, the simplest story of them all now gets much more 21st century undercurrents.
Lois Lane is now an unmarried mom with a young child.
How will middle America see this film, I wonder?
Then again, I lately read that almost 50% of the US population is divorced, so perhaps that's becoming the norm.
As Bob Dylan once sang : "The time's they're a changin'"

This American Independence day, I've felt stronger than before the feeling of exile.
Feeling misplaced, feeling a stranger in a strange land.
Don't know why.

I talked to several Americans at the beach party I went to, and I realized everyone, even the ones who have been in this country feel they're don't belong.

The curse of the 21st century is the feeling of not belonging. Feeling there are two kinds of people. The shiny happy people, living in fantasy land, in People magazine. And all the rest of us, on planet earth, living the normal life.

I used to feel more a feeling of belonging until I went into film, and realized I have a sensibility, that connects to the public, but not to the heads of our film industry.
Will I ever go home?
I hope so, but at this part of the journey I remember the title of that classic American book ; " You can never go home again."

Come on Dorothy, find the Wizard, so we'll all learn the secret how to return home.

Happy Fourth.
Happy Independence day, my fellow strangers.

Dan

So the new MYSPACE.COM for the Yiddish film has just passed the 500 friend list.
It's gaining new friends on a daily bassis. It's so cool to see the response and how so may people are adding comments and are emailing us, so happy to be friends with this film.
It's also cool to know, after press in San Fran didn't want to help us with our big premiere there, that we decided to continue going the indie route, and find friends for our film in alternative means.

A film about an old diva looking for an audience in a society that worships youth is finding friends, just like her, underground.

Long live the independent scene.

Dan


Here's the URL to our myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/yiddishtheateralovestory

Here's the first part of the Myspace, for those too lazy to link to it :

General WE ARE NOT ASHAMED ANYMORE. WE LOVE YIDDISH AND WE'RE PROUD !( EVEN IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT) There's something sad and ironic that Jews throughout history have helped save every dying culture. From Kabuki to ancient Chinese cultures. Yet time and again in the 20 and 21st centuries they've done everything to kill their own culture. It seems Jews are ashamed of this culture which is softer and gentler than many other cultures. An old culture that worships the importance of family might be looked down on in a society that has over 50% divorces. A society drugged on VICODIN, ZANAX, and PROZAC to the point of making life one big numb experiene- perhaps can only mock a culture that focuses on feelings- and always mixing all of them- from love, to hate-from laughter to tears, sometimes in the same sentence. Yiddish is a culture which is not afraid to mix laughter with tears and tears with laughter. A culture which has the power to look at people in a loving and forgiving way, with self humour. It was created in a different time, when people didn't take themselves so seriously, and didn't think they're the center of the universe. Yiddish is a culture which is very warm, which is the opposite of the cold culture, which seems to be prevelant today. Perhaps the Jews have realized that love, family and warmth are not popular in the new age- Which seems to worship, greed, evil, and above all poker face coldness.__________________________________________________ Several young filmmakers have missed the warmth of the old days, and realizing that if no one will do anything this warm and wise culture will not survive they set out to make their voice heard for the need to keep this beautiful culture alive. Well it's time, Jews stop feeling the shame and look at their MAGICAL old culture. It's existed for 1100 years for a reason. So stand up and listen to the music people. Don't be afraid to feel the love, the tears running down your cheeks, or the warm fuzzy feelings fill your body. The tough Israeli filmmakers, felt these strong feelings, and they didn't even understand the Yiddish language, which is an old Germanic dialect. So it means anyone who still has a few open corridors in their hearts will feel the same. Grandma, this one's for you. We're fighting back... We're no longer ashamed and hopefully we'll find a few more people to come with us on this amazing journey.
Music ARTISTS’ STATEMENT: Dan Katzir was vacationing in New York in December 2000 when he stumbled across Zypora Spaisman. If she would have been 60 years younger, he probably would have fallen madly in love with her. Zypora in her nineties had an amazing energy – forcing him to see her show in Yiddish. For him it was a first, since Yiddish represented for him something he had always been ashamed of, because for him Yiddish represented an old world that he never liked or cared about. However, by the end of the show, Dan had fallen in love with Yiddish, Yiddish Theater, and the actors who were struggling to keep their show from closing. They asked him if he could help in some way, and he suggested documenting their show. He lived for one week with this fascinating group of actors in a show that kept getting more and more positive reviews by the major press, yet got less and less audience. He was shocked that no one had come to see the show, even when they were voted one of the top ten off Broadway shows for 2000. Thus it became a journey not only into our grandparents’ culture and heritage – but also into the real meaning of art. As young artists it was an intense journey into every artist’s nightmare in which there are no more people who speak the language of their art. In that week we learned the meaning not only of perseverance, but also of the love of art for art’s sake, even when there may be no audience for it.

About me:
'Yiddish Theater: A Love Story" A New Film By Award winning director Dan Katzir ("Out For Love...Be Back Shortly") __________________________________________________________________ SYNOPSIS : THE COOLEST MOVIE EVER MADE ABOUT YIDDISH CULTURE !!! Enter the funny, larger-than-life world of Yiddish Theater through this magical independet film about the amazing woman who has kept the oldest running Yiddish Theater in America alive. Zypora Spaisman conquers all hearts in her passion for art, life and Yiddish. This heartwarming story of one unique woman's struggle portrays the fight of both an old art form to stay relevant and an old actress to find meaning and a stage in a society that worships youth. A must see film for anyone who loves theater and has realized Yiddish is HIP not shameful !!!
Who I'd like to meet:
People who believe the words NAIVE and INNOCENCE are strengths and not weaknesses. People who want to go see movies to feel something and not just be desensetized on CGI special effects.