The Voice of Ahmad (2019)
Origin: Israel | Documentary | Director: Avshalom Katz, David Ofek, Ayelet Bechar, Shadi Habib Allah, Naom Kaplan, Mamdooh Afdile, and Iddo Soskolne | 81 minutes
The Voice of Ahmad
Collection of 6 short documentaries - by Avshalom Katz, David Ofek, Ayelet Bechar, Shadi Habib Allah, Naom Kaplan, Mamdooh Afdile, and Iddo Soskolne.
Dir. Mamdooh Afdile - Ayelet Bechar - Doron Djerassi - Dan Geva - Shadi Habib Allah - Noam Kaplan - Avshalom Katz - David Ofek - Iddo Soskolne
Israel – 2019 – Documentary – 81 min.
An anthology film by graduates of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel School for Film and Television that are reworkings of the 1966 short Israeli film, ‘I Am Ahmad’ made by Ram Loevy and Avshalom Katz, which is included in this anthology and was the first Israeli film to present an Arab who, as Noam Kaplan puts it in his short film, I Am Hummus, was “not a terrorist, he’s just an ordinary guy.”
1. I Used to Be Zvi by David Ofek and Ayelet Bechar, is a compelling look at an
experiment by Kibbutz Yakum that the original Ahmad was part of, where Arab youth in pre-1967 Israel were taken and educated on the kibbutz, taught Hebrew and included in the kibbutz work details. They were given Hebrew names and taught Israeli folk songs. “We believed wholeheartedly in the values of equality and sharing that were instilled in us and together we built the kibbutz,” says Masrawa. But that feeling of brotherhood evaporated when he tried to build kibbutzim for other Arabs and was surprised at first that he got no support from the kibbutz movement.
2. Sky of Concrete by Shadi Habib Allah, follows Masrawa today as he eulogizes a friend who died in a construction accident and explores the hopes and dreams of construction workers who have to contend with hazardous conditions and who dream that their children will have better lives. It’s a sad film that shows how little has changed for Israeli Arabs in the more than 50 years since the original release of Ahmad.
3. The Dead of Jaffa, follows director Loevy today as he works on his 70th film, The Dead of Jaffa, offers a positive spin as he speaks about the formation of a joint Arab-Jewish film industry in Jaffa.
4. I Am Hummus by Kaplan presents a challenge for the director as he tries to forge personal and professional relationships in his neighborhood on the border between Tel Aviv and Jaffa.
5. Ecclesiastes by Dan Geva presents a impressionistic vision of the prophet (played by Ashraf Barhom, who was the evil brother on the series Tyrant) as he walks through the beaches, shopping malls and construction sites of Tel Aviv today, set to a soundtrack of biblical verses. It may sound unbearably pretentious but it works well due to the beautiful cinematography.
6. The Helsinki Accord by Mamdooh Afdile and Iddo Soskolne, tells the story of two friends, one Israeli and one Palestinian, who have left Israel for Finland, and joke about creative ways to solve the conflict. These include getting everyone – Israelis and Palestinians alike – to leave and then starting over in 100 years, and microdosing the water with LSD.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-anthology-of-short-films-charts-trajectory-of-arab-jewish-relations/
Trailer: https://youtu.be/_22B5fxMR3k
https://youtu.be/XGNSGCFDbuY
View trailer