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New York, NY, USA - For Giddi Dar, making a film like "Ushpizin" was like being a stranger in a strange land. Though he's a native Israeli, the ultra-observant Hassids are co-religionists of another ilk that few meet up close and personal, let alone make a fiction film about. And yet, thanks to his friendship with his male lead Shuli Rand (an actor who became a Hassid), he had an opportunity to make a movie that steps into this world and brings the audience with him.
G21: Were you intrigued by Hassidism?
GD: Until this movie, I wasn't specifically into Hassidism. I was interested in Kabala and mysticism because the main [subjects] that [interest] me are fiction and people's imagination. I believe that we all live an [imaginary] world where we have no access toreality -- whatever it is, if there even is such a thing.
Hassidism, Kabala and Mysticism deal with that all the time in all sorts of ways. Psychology is very similar to Kabala, but different. That's what I'm really interested in -- it's my main language, in a way.
I've felt, as a filmmaker, that we have a big problem with our history and tradition. As a person, I felt that I'm in a big problem because if you look at all the other filmmakers around the world that I admire, they all live in continuous history. They're not cut out of it: [Martin] Scorsese, [Francis Ford] Coppola, Federico Fellini, Pedro Almodovar -- they all constantly speak about their own culture ... You know what you're talking about, you're not ignorant about it, and that's part of your creation, your creativity.
Art in the West was controlled by the Church for 1500 years -- much longer than modern art. Even modern art keeps on dealing with it all the time. No matter how you deal with it, you're in contact with your history. History is a high story and you're part of the story. We're talking about storytelling. In Israel, you have a big problem because, on the one hand, you have the longest history and the base for all other traditions in the West. On the other hand, Israelis themselves are completely cut off from it. The reasoning for that is ve ry deep. It begins in Zionism, trying to create a new Jew, a warrior, [completely] removed from a [normal] Jew.
By accepting anti-Semitic stereotypes on it, they really took it on themselves. The problem with that, above the specific issue of accepting anti-Semitism, is that you spill the water with the baby -- you cut tradition. It's a very hard tradition to relate to because the texts are really hard to [understand]. When people study philosophy in universities, 90% is [based on] Christianity. Nobody thinks about Jewish materials -- very rarely. We are not in dialogue, so that's a big problem. That's what I'm looking for.
G21: How did you come by this story?
GD: Shuli [Rand, the screenwriter] and I worked together on the movie in our own perspectives -- he's from the religious perspective and I'm from the psychological perspective, following the mind of a believer rather than being a believer. When we talked about doing the movie, we said, "Okay, let's try."
He replied, "Well, okay, but what are we going to write about?" and I said, "Let's write something about life." In real life, Shuli was actually in the role of Gabbay, the man whose Sukkah was being taken away from.
G21: Were the actors Hassidic?
GD: What you see is what you get. It's the real thing. The more substantial roles are real actors. Everyone of the main actors are real actors -- [not extras]. The rabbi used to be a martial artist actor! We based [his character] on Shuli's rabbi. He's the only rabbi who stepped forward and said, "I really want you to do this movie. It's a great movie." [He's] so open-minded. Step-by-step, he helped to build the movie.
G21: Will Shuli continue to pursue acting?
GD: Yes. His rabbi told him that's what God wants him to do [it].
G21: What about non-actors?
GD: The inspector of the citron in the beginning is a non-actor. The central one was very famous in an Israeli TV series. When he became religious, they made him commit suicide in the series. This movie opened a door that nobody opened before. We opened a window that now many people can come in through.
G21: What were your obstacles in making this film?
GD: I had to face a lot of rules and sign a very draconian contract. It's hard anyhow. I didn't see [insurmountable] problems. I felt that's the way this film should be done.
G21: Do people have expectations about your religious leanings?
GD: Some are completely surprised that I'm totally unorthodox. They're shocked [when they ask] if I'm religious and I say, "no."
G21: Do they have expectations about Hassids?
GD: Yes, but after they see this movie -- this movie says so much about it -- that they're not using so many stereotypes. They all say they were surprised to see how different it is from what they expected -- how human it is.
G21: How has people's interpretation of Hassids changed?
GD: Not very much. This society is very isolated by [its] own choice. We can't ignore that. This actually brought a lot of problems [regarding] that. People don't like if you're isolated. They don't understand you, they're afraid of you, [and] they hate you. That's the way it goes. They say you have satanic desires and stuff like that. But that's also what kept them together for 2,000 years.
G21: What would you say is the problem with Israel and the religious?
GD: Just think about the story [that] brought [Israel] together. It's all coming out of this huge culture. You're just a branch in it. One of the great things about this movie is that it doesn't fall into the trap of politics. It bypasses it by looking at the human side. The problem [with] Israel is that it's supposed to be a leader. There's a great narrative of the nation. The people of Israel, from the Bible until today, have a main role: the big guys change, but Israel [barely changes]. We don't lead -- we're always waiting for Europe to take the first step because we are not even connected to [ourselves].
G21: Was it a box-office success in Israel?
GD: It was a huge hit -- both left and right. The left was freaked out by this movie. Everybody saw it. I was so shocked that they can like these people.
G21: What does this movie address?
GD: If you talk about the role of Israel in the nations, this movie does something special in that it addresses the main conflict of the 21st century, which is fundamentalism. Everywhere you touch, there's a huge polarity. We [might even] be heading into World War III. Fundamentalism is a monster.
This movie says, "Wait a minute. Put the conflicts aside and remember that these are human beings that are very similar to you." The basic desires, fears and weaknesses are all the same. The story forces you to identify with them. Once you go through that story and accept that their point of view is legit, then you can say, "Wait a minute, they're not so bad."
G21: How does this film make you feel?
GD: I feel proud to open the door and to be the first to walk on this land. I'll let other people go through this route -- I'll find another.
G21: What other filmmaking opportunities have you received?
GD: I got a lot of American offers for movies. I will definitely look into it.
G21: Does this make you more tempted to work on others' stories or your own?
GD: It depends on the project.
G21: What do you feel about current Israeli films?
GD: The main problem with Israel is that the Zionistic center has collapsed. The country is dispersed to all directions like all trends. Suddenly we find this power of variety, so there's a big question about where this culture is headed to, which is bad for this country, but good for art. For me, Israeli films go in many different directions. They don't deal with the center of politics because [it] collapsed.
G21: Do you think this film is universal?
GD: You can't get more specific than "Ushpizin," yet, still, it becomes very international. It then becomes universal.
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