People use the word “special” to describe many things, but the Soundtrack Tel Aviv Festival, which will take place at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque from September 17 to 21 is truly special, an incredibly diverse collection of events and rarely shown, high-quality movies featuring outstanding soundtracks.
The movies that will be shown range from the best of the mainstream to the esoteric, in the following genres: jazz, folk, alternative rock, experimental Krautrock, Mizrahi music, Israeli rock, Cuban music, classical Indian music, reggae, and more.
Many of the events are free, and some of the movies will be screened outdoors at the cinematheque plaza.
The festival was founded in 2022 by actor/director Amit Itzcar, and the planned second edition, which was scheduled for November 2023, was postponed due to the war. A number of films and special programs will commemorate the war and the lives lost in it.
Indie City is a series that focuses on presenting the vibrant independent Israeli music scene in different locations. Its latest program, Indie City – Gaza Envelope, focuses on the tragedy and the music of the Supernova music festival, where Hamas massacred and kidnapped about 400 participants and staff on October 7. Eight music videos will be presented, seven of which were filmed in the Gaza border area and one in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
The artists taking part include Chava Alberstein, Lola Marsh, The Backyard (Hachatzer Ha’achorit), Teapacks, Jimbo J, and Amanei Ha’Otef (a group comprised of musicians from the Gaza border communities. The videos combine interviews in which the artists talk about their personal experiences from October 7.
The opening-night film will be Once Upon a Time: Michel Legrand by David Hertzog Dessites, a look at the life and work of the iconic French composer, musician, and arranger, best known for his scores for classic movies, both from France and Hollywood. He wrote such diverse songs as the lush and romantic “The Windmills of Your Mind,” which appeared in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), as well as “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” from Yentl, and the scores for Hollywood movies such as Summer of ’42 and Lady Sings the Blues. He was a major force in French cinema and wrote the scores for French movies for the Jacques Demy films The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. He also wrote the score for Agnes Varda’s New Wave movie, Cleo from 5 to 7, which will be shown at the festival.
Master classes and acclaimed creators
For those who are serious about music, the festival will provide the opportunity to take master classes with several acclaimed creators, both from Israel and abroad. These include Michael P. Aust, a German curator, organizer of cultural events, and film producer, who focuses on the relationship between music and movies.
Another master class will be led by Didi Erez, one of the founders of Israeli rock band Girafot, who composes music for film, television, dance, theater, and animation, as well as being a singer-songwriter.
Teapacks fans won’t want to miss the premiere screening of the movie Shawarma Beach, a musical comics film by the famed Israeli band and acclaimed illustrator Uri Fink, which includes a dozen new songs animated for the big screen and which presents “a sarcastic look at Israel before October 7,” according to the festival catalogue. There will be a live acoustic performance by the band, as well as a selection of merchandise, including books, for sale.
Families with children eight and up might want to consider taking the Live Soundtrack Composition Session – Master class for Children and the Entire Family, with Yotam Aloof. Aloof is a musician and film composer who will create a soundtrack for a film scene in real time in front of the children, while explaining the musical concepts that go into it.
Another program for kids will be a workshop that will teach the elements of breakdancing.
Other programs children will enjoy include a screening of the beloved Disney musical The Aristocats, as well as screenings of The Great Muppet Caper from 1981, starring Miss Piggy, of course, but also featuring John Cleese, and Muppets Most Wanted from 10 years ago with Tina Fey.
The breakdancing workshop is part of a focus on hip-hop, which will include some extremely inventive programming. One program is called “If the Lool Gang Made Hip-Hop,” and will include a screening of the classic movie Lool, which comprises sketch comedy and songs by Uri Zohar, Arik Einstein, and the other members of the “Lool Gang” from the early 1970s. There will also be a performance before the screening by the band Boaz Davidson, which not coincidentally is also the name of the veteran director who made Lool and many other classic Israeli films of that era. Musician Shay Tra Litman will perform after the movie.
Hip-hop/movie buffs will want to take the opportunity to see Wild Style, the 1982 movie that was the first feature film to explore the New York hip-hop scene on the big screen. It features appearances by such legends as Rock Steady Crew. Wild Style’s director, Charlie Ahearn, will take part in a Q and A via video after the screening.
Indian classical music, specifically in the films of the late Satyajit Ray, will be part of the program, and Ray’s The Music Room, about a music-loving aristocrat who has seen better days and who clings to the memories of the great concerts he once hosted, will be shown.
Ron “Schpatz” Cohen will speak about the music and the social history of India before the film, and afterward there will be a musical performance by Tavor Ben Dor on sitar and Tamar Klopper on tabla, in which they will play traditional Indian music.
One of the great music films of the 1980s, Purple Rain, starring the artist who will always be known as Prince, will be shown, and it features some of his biggest hits, including the title tune, “When Doves Cry,” and “Let’s Go Crazy.”
Reggae fans will want to see No Place Like Home, the follow-up by director Perry Henzell to The Harder They Come. The negative for this film was lost before it was completed, and the film was not released for decades. It features performances by Bob Marley, as well as Etta James, Carly Simon, Toots and the Maytals, Marcia Griffiths, Desmond Dekker and The Aces.
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes, by Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro, looks at the life and career of the great jazz drummer/composer, including a focus on his activism.
These are just some of the festival’s highlights, and all music lovers will find something to interest them in this carefully curated festival.
For the full program and to order tickets, go to cinema.co.il