The Hebrews - Brenner / Buzaglo

This Israeli documentary series delves into the lives of the seminal Hebrew cultural figures of the 20th century. Skilfully blending animation, archival footage and contemporary interview, director Yair Qedar has constructed an invaluable and timeless resource that brings to life a trove of influential Jewish writers and their works.

Director and producer, Yair Qedar, will be a guest of the festival.

The Awakener: The Story of YH Brenner / 55 MIN

In 1921, six dead bodies were found near the Red House between Tel Aviv and Jaffa - one of which was the body of Y.H. Brenner, a brilliant author and sharp critic of his generation. Featuring a recently-discovered official report, along with animated sequences by David Polonsky (Waltz with Bashir), conversations with Brenner scholars, and selections from his works, this documentary weaves together a portrait of the brilliant thinker’s life.

A Song of Loves - R David Buzaglo / 60 MIN

Rabbi David Buzaglo was the greatest Hebrew liturgical poet of the twentieth century. Born in Morocco in 1903, his literary output had a major impact on a community hundreds of thousands of people large. From his prolific period in the Diaspora to the years he spent in a ruptured Israel, Buzaglo’s poetry initiated an abrupt shift in Sephardic liturgical writing. It also served as a vital link between the modern era and a tradition that dates back to Spanish Jewry’s Golden Age. This film is an intimate look at Buzaglo’s life and career, from its roots in the rich tradition of Hebrew poetry in Morocco through the liturgical revolution in Israel.