JOIN USIn Israel, filmmakers are completely free and there have been some very extreme treatments of sexual and other subjects, which are considered taboo in India,” says Israeli filmmaker Dan Wolman, who was recently in the City for Delhi International Film Festival (DIFF).
“DIFF is a new festival and it opened in a very dramatic week in Delhi which was marked by protests and demonstrations post the gang rape incident. So there were some last minute changes but I feel the festival has great potential to grow and become an important entity.”
“The one thing common between India and Israel is passion and love of the people for cinema,” he says. However, what disturbs him is the disregard shown by the Indian audiences for films. “As a filmmaker and film lover I must say that I am very disturbed by people who use mobile phones while a film is in progress. Sometimes we have this problem in Israel too, but the public doesn’t tolerate it.”
Is the cinema industry in Israel similar to the Indian film scenario? “The population of Israel is only 70 lakh so it’s very difficult for a local producer to recoup his investment. Israeli films rely heavily on backing from the government and television unlike Indian films which are backed privately. India has a great, perhaps the greatest, film industry in the world.
Israel is a modest and upcoming film industry where we have talented actors and commercial filmmakers but the success of our films does not depend on stars as it does here. A big difference is that in Israel they make much more low budget risky and experimental films which you hardly find in India.”
After enjoying the screening of films during the festival, Dan also got a taste of the warm Indian hospitality. “The people I meet at Indian film festivals, are warmer and more friendly as compared to places elsewhere.
Indians are less formal and many times I have been invited into their homes which helps me understand your culture better. This time I visited Cochin and Rajasthan. The scenery of the latter was new to me and still resonates in my memory.”