Short Films from the Sam Spiegel Film School

I always find it fascinating to see what subjects are on the minds of our young filmmakers.  The latest crop of graduation films from the Sam Spiegel Film School are all professionally produced, compelling films on a wide variety of subjects.  There is one film that deals seriously with the issue of military service and post trauma, but just as our society is moving from national issues to issues of the individual, most of the films offer engaging glimpses at the lives of young people today, stories that emphasize the individual rather than the collective, the human rather than the national.  

Here are a few lines on some of the films –

This Film is a Reminder, directed by Rotem Dimand, offers a troubling look at a young woman and her relationships (16 minutes).

What Has Changed, Mah Nishtanah , directed by Salomon Chekol, which takes place on Seder night, is about the poverty of an Ethiopian family (16 minutes).

Storyboard, directed by Gil Ishai, is a humorous animated story about a high school teacher (5 minutes).

Vacant Space, directed by Shmueli Cohen, is a very hard-hitting film (30 minutes) about a bunch of army buddies who get together on zoom, catching up, telling stories about a friend who died from their unit, and eventually sharing with each other stories of their own grappling with post trauma.

Capsule, directed by Snir Aznovich, offers a sensitive depiction of a young woman’s thoughts and worries when the piano tuner arrives (14 minutes).

The Soloist, directed by Noga Tempkin, is a compelling film about a young woman dancer who is stressed before her performance and she decides to trade places with another performer (19 minutes).

Stagnant Water, by Coraline Zorea, is about a teenage girl from a kibbutz, who is a school drop-out, working at the nearby fish farm (18 minutes).

Distribution:  Cara Saposnik, Director of International Relations & Distribution at the Sam Spiegel Film School, cara@jsfs.co.il