Embassy of Israel

A compilation of videos attributed to a supposed collective of ex-Soviet artists at odds with the values around them, THE BURIED ALIVE VIDEOS centers on a group of cultural zombies who have retreated into isolation and secrecy to make a statement against the present socio-political system. Assembled in a pseudo-documentary fashion, the film fictionalizes reality in order to convey essential truths, through a mix of cynical and absurd humor. Directly attacking capitalism and consumer society, Rosen exposes history as nothing more than a construct, wittingly tackling the taboo around topics such as sexuality and religion. (Diana Mereoiu, BIEFF)

The year is 1991. Young Misha together with his family and his aunt Roza migrate from the Soviet Union to Israel. Using a home-video camera, the 12-year-old boy documents this journey and more than 20 years later, he recreates in Welcome and... Our Condolences, the emotional state and the reactions generated inside himself by the whole immigration process. Merging original and staged shots, director Leon Prudovsky pushes the account of the traumatic experiences of immigration towards the absurd, as Aunt Roza’s passing away in the aeroplane, during the flight to Israel, triggers a series of tragicomic episodes, which convey the feelings of confusion, helplessness and senselessness experienced by the director at the age of 12. (Andreea Udrea, BIEFF)

Of all -isms that govern our lives, the one suffixing the concept of love opens the way for virtually unbounded philosophical investigation. Inspired by Erich Fromm’s book The Art of Loving, choreographer Mor Shani embarked upon a long-term study of intimacy, seeking answers to questions related to caring for and depending on another human being weighed on a scale that ranges from sin to sacredness. The collaboration with video artist Paul Sixta resulted in the project Love-ism, a blend of documentary material and honest tales of inter-human togetherness. In the ambiance of sterile white rooms, the camera records with a thorough yet empathic eye, lovers, family members, and dancers as they come close to each other, the increasing degree of their intimacy capturing the human experience of meeting a significant 'other'. (Adina Marin, BIEFF)