The Dreamer, directed by Kobi Farag and Morris
Ben-Mayor, opened this week at the Jerusalem Film Festival. The film is about
the actor, writer and activist, Yosef Shiloah (1941-2011). Born in the part of
Kurdistan that is part of Iran, he came to Israel with his parents at the age
of 9. Shiloah appeared in dozens of films, both in Israel and abroad. He is known for his roles in bourekas films (ethnic
comedies), but my absolute favorites in which he appears in major roles are Passover
Fever (directed by Shemi Zarchin) and Desperado Square
(directed by Benny Torati).
Shiloah was also a writer, and much of what he has written
is read to us by one of his daughters during the film. He felt strongly that he remained a refugee
all his life, an outsider due to his belonging to the Mizrahi ethnic group.
According to Shiloah, since Mizrahi Jews came from Arab
lands and spoke Arabic, they had a certain affinity to Arab culture and a
responsibility to working in the vanguard of bringing about a peace between the
Palestinians and the Israelis. His
activism in this area was during the period of the 1st and 2nd
intifadas and he was ostracized as a result, forcing him into exile with his
family.
The Dreamer (documentary, 105 minutes) is an
important document about a man who was brave enough to speak up for peace even
though it impacted severely on his life.
The film is available from Ben-Mayor & Farag Film Studio, benmayor.farag@gmail.com
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