Farewell Column [OmeU] Israel, 2024, R: Ron Ninio mit Dror Keren, Ilanit Ben-Yaakov, 77 Min

Deutschland Premiere Q&A mit dem Regisseur Ron Ninio

Tel-Aviv during the Covid lockdown. It is the beginning of the dark reign of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was then that Netanyahu began systematically to stroke fears as a strategic governing policy and disseminate partial or false information.

Karmi is a journalist writing for a liberal newspaper. After writing yet another article against the Prime Minister, Karmis mobile is flooded with hateful messages. Meanwhile he tries in vain to get to his autistic son at the hostel, while his parents, sick of the lockdowns and of each other, are looking to him for help. Later on, his daughter, who is at an anti Netanyahu protest turned violent, wont pick up her phone, sending him and his wife on a drive to Jerusalem to look for her. On the way they are forced to face their relationship issues. Late that night, Karmis family is finally reunited and he finds some consolation while his beloved country is in turmoil. Needless to say, the film echoes both the constitutional coup that Netanyahu instigated in early 2023 and the debacle and crisis of October 7th and its tragic consequences to the Israelis and the Palestinians in Gaza. The demonstrations against Netanyahu and his government are being held every week in cities all over Israel. The protesters demand that Netanyahu will end the merciless war in Gaza and bring back all the hostages after more than 600 days in the Hamas tunnels

Directors statement:

"I made an independent film amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, during which Israel went through political turmoil and protests against Prime Minister Netanyahu. It is a documentary-style feature film shot with a small crew, two small cameras and no makeup, aiming to reflect the harsh reality we as Israelis found ourselves in. The possibility of assassinating a journalist, a protester or a politician arose periodically during this troubled time, and we as citizens felt helpless against this chilling possibility. This film is the story of a journalist in distress and his fight against a dangerous head of state who acts as a dictator. What needs to happen for the warring political parties to lower their weapons and truly start talking to each other? How can self-reflection serve as a catalyst for change? The actors and crew members responded enthusiastically to this challenge and readily volunteered to be part of this project as it provided them a feeling of protest. It was a defining moment for all of us. "- Ron Ninio

Trailer: