January 12, 2009

Israeli anti-war filmmaker too overcome by memories to be anti-war


Israeli director Ari Folman's 'Waltz with Bashir' won best foreign film at the 66th Golden Globes ceremony in Hollywood Sunday night, adding to the awards the animated film has picked up so far this year.

Folman's critically-acclaimed film traces the author's journey to put together his memories from his time as an Israeli soldier during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and later the massacres at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Beirut. ( Haaretz )

Folman was so engrossed in desublimating the difficult memories of the 1982 war that he just couldn't avoid repressing his knowledge of the slaughters that Israeli soldiers are committing in Gaza now, which he did not mention in his speech or in his interviews, preferring the banal comment that "My film is anti-war, and therefore would, sadly, always be relevant."

Describing his emotions at winning the Golden Globe, Folman said
"It felt like one big wedding."

Perhaps his next film should be called "one wedding and 900 funerals."

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