Heading to Venice. 'Z32'
Documentary by Israeli director to compete in Venice festival
Officially selected for acclaimed Venice International Film Festival's competition, tragic musical film 'Z32' portrays IDF soldier's guilt-ridden testimony as partner to act of vengeance
Israeli director Avi Mugrabi’s new film, “Z32,” will be screened as part of the Orizzonti competition at the 65th Venice International Film Festival, which is considered one of the most prestigious platforms for cinema in the world.
Mugrabi’s film is the only Israeli movie participating in the festival’s official competitions, which will open its doors on August 27 and close on September 6. “Z32” will compete against 17 films from Italy, the US, Mexico, France, Brazil, the Philippines, India and China.
The Orizzonti competition aims to provide a wide look on the trends taking over the international silver screen, hosting both feature films and documentaries.
“Z32” is an Israeli-French co-production and a tragic musical documentary. The film unravels the testimony of a former elite unit soldier, who had participated in a retaliation act to avenge the murder of six Israeli soldiers, in which two Palestinian policemen were killed. The soldier confesses the incident to his partner and friends on camera, talking about his part in the killing and the emotional burden he has been carrying with him ever since the incident.
“At first I thought this testimony is enough to raise all the questions regarding moral behavior and personal responsibility,” Mugrabi said. “The more I delved into the film, the more I realized it deals with murder, touching on the confrontation with the knowledge of the murder.”
Scene from 'Z32.' A tragic musical documentary (Photo: Phillip Blaish)
As in Mugrabi’s previous films, which flow from the filmmaker’s subconscious and thought unto the screen, this film too is a self-reflexive “Making Of.” “The dilemmas it (the film) surface stem from its very making,” Mugrabi said, explaining: “I vowed not to disclose the identity of the film’s protagonist. This is not a simple task, showing the hero of the film without focusing on his facial expressions or revealing his identity.
“I came up with some digital solutions, but the another dilemma popped up, because when the disguise worked, I realized I was essentially giving shelter to a murderer. You ask yourself; maybe I should just turn him in and not make an artwork out of it.”
Mugrabi further said about his film that “this is a film I like a lot and its admission into such an important framework as the Venice festival is very heartening. The biennale is a meeting place for cinema lovers and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it and receive such credit.”
The film, co-written by Avi Mugrabi and Noam Inbar and shot by cinematographer Phillip Blaish was co-produced by Mugrabi and Serge Lalou of the French production company Les Films d'ici, which also produced the award-winning animated feature film, “Waltz with Bashir.”
