Director146;s Cut

For a country that has grown up in the shadows of war and political conflicts with its Arab neighbours, at the inception of its cinema...

Through his films, Dan Wolman untangles the complex knots of relationships

For a country that has grown up in the shadows of war and political conflicts with its Arab neighbours, at the inception of its cinema, coming up with films that defined the country8217;s identity as a nation striving for its existence is not surprising. But having come of age, Israeli cinema is no more fixated on the story of a nation8217;s strife. And one such Israeli filmmaker who breaks the mould with his series of films is Dan Wolman. A window to his tryst with life, his films, as he puts it, are his personal reflections.

8220;I document my experiences in my films. The larger than life image that these days is very characteristic to new age cinema is not my choice of a film. Why not be realistic when we make films? There is so much to understand and unfold when it comes to the various layers of a relationship. Why not explore that then drifting away from reality?8221;

The director8217;s film Foreign Sister which won the Volgin award at Jerusalem in 2000, offers an incisive glimpse of a woman8217;s quest to rediscover her real self is a film which he says portrays the juncture where two of his experiences meet. The film also brings into forefront the plight of foreign workers. 8220;There was a time when we Israelis did not have a place to go. We roamed around here and there and I feel these foreign workers are the Jews of today. Destiny brought them at an unknown place.8221; Also the protagonist of the film is a character, which he says, came into being because of his wife. 8220;My wife was the inspiration behind this character who in the daily grind of her family life had somewhere completely lost her own self.8221;

The 6th Asian Film Festival, which is showcasing Wolman8217;s Retrospective, will screen four of his films including Tied Hands, which paints the plight of a mother who is destined to witness the painful death of her ailing son.

Regarding Indian cinema, Wolman, who headed the 10th MAMI International Film Festival8217;s jury earlier this year, says, 8220;I really felt great when I saw some Indian films breaking the stereotypical formula.8221; All praise for Tingiya, which was adjudged the best film at the MAMI festival, he says, 8220;It was because Tingya was not based on the typical film formula with all the acts of the film being timed. The reason Taare Zameen Par lost to Tingya was because in the end Taare Zameen Par somewhat contradicted the message it was giving.8221;