The 12th Annual Israel Film Center Festival, which will run this year from June 4-10 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, announced that its opening-night film will be the world premiere of Gidi Dar’s Legend of Destruction, which features the voices of Oscar Isaac, Evangeline Lilly, Elliott Gould, and Billy Zane. The festival is run by the Carole Zabar Center for Film.
Dar, who made the film Ushpizin with Shuli Rand, will attend the premiere and do a Q&A afterwards. Legend of Destruction tells the story of the internal conflicts within ancient Israel that led to the destruction of the Second Temple during the Roman Empire’s rule over the land. This timely story is told through thousands of paintings by David Polonsky and Michael Faust, who were part of the team that created the visuals in Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir.
Isaac, the star of such high-profile films as the recent Star Wars movies and the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis, voices the hero, Ben Batich. In a promotional video, he said, “I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that this was all going to be told in just still images... After a few minutes, I didn’t realize that they were still images anymore. I felt like they were [the epic historical action film] Gladiator.... The paintings themselves, there’s something about them, they’re just incredibly visceral. They feel alive. It’s this epic war film that is also a meditation on the nature of God and belief.”
Evangeline Lilly, who was in Lost and The Hurt Locker, plays Queen Berenice. “This is a style of animation that is completely original,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before; I don’t think anyone’s ever done it before.” Gould, the star of such classics as M*A*S*H and The Long Goodbye, voices Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai, and said he sees parallels between the film and today’s world: “It’s more than just frightening.” Noted Isaac: “I think it’s terrifyingly relevant.”
Other films taking part this year
Among the other films taking part this year are Matan Yair’s A Room of His Own, Ayelet Menahemi’s Seven Blessings, and Adar Shafran’s Running on Sand. Most of the directors will be present at the screenings, as will Reymonde Amsalem, who won Ophir Awards both for Best Actress and for the screenplay she co-wrote for Seven Blessings. Amsalem will also attend the screening for Noam Kaplan’s The Future, in which she stars. Shmuel Vilozny, the star of the The Road to Eilat by Yona Rozenkier, will also take part.
“Our selections show the cinematic quality and diversity coming out of Israel’s film industry,” said Isaac Zablocki, Israel Film Center Festival director and founder. “These films give the opportunity for our community to go beyond the news, and into the stories of a society.”
This year, in the wake of protests and antisemitic incidents, Zablocki said that he feels that the festival is especially important: “At this time of censorship, polarization and divestment, we find it more important than ever to elevate the arts and keep these voices and stories unsanctioned. The arts need to remain a safe space that goes beyond the politicians... We are keeping our fingers on the pulse and have heightened security throughout this period. We are taking all measures to make sure the program is safe and that these conversations, which are so crucial now, can go off without a hitch. We’ve actually gotten no pushback and more support from the audience than ever.”
To see the full program and to order tickets, go to https://ifcf.eventive.org/welcome