France

Synopsis

Suburbs of Tel Aviv. Bnei Brak, world capital of the Haredim, the ultra-Orthodox Jews.

When he was a kid, Menahem Lang was known for his kindness, his commitment to Talmud school and especially his golden voice, which made him a renowned performer of liturgical chants. But he was hiding a secret: for years, he was raped by members of the community that worshipped him.

After 20 years, Menahem returns to the scene of the crime. It is also a return to the places he loved, a path of initiation sprinkled with incredible encounters, recovered rituals … a reconciliation.

Director's Biography

Born in Paris, Yolande Zauberman graduated in art history and economics and started to work on films with director Amos Gitaï. In 1987, she made her first documentary on the apartheid in South Africa, CLASSIFIED PEOPLE, which won the Grand Prix at the Paris Festival. Her second film, CASTE CRIMINELLE (1989), shot in India, was selected at the Cannes Film Festival. Three years later, she directed her first fiction with I IVAN, YOU ABRAHAM, which won the Youth Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
A multi-disciplinary artist, alternating between documentary and fiction, feature film and short film, video art and narrative art, Yolande Zauberman invented her own voice of expression through films that have always sparked lively debates and sometimes controversy. Yolande Zauberman’s films investigate the shadows, break the taboos, incite free speech and force people to listen; they attack places of power, whether religious or economic; she confronts us with realities kept in silence; she stands near the abandoned, marginalised, sacrificed and transforms them into heroes ...
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Yolande Zauberman

Written by: Yolande Zauberman

Produced by: Charles Gillibert

Cinematography: Yolande Zauberman

Editing: Raphael Lefèvre

Sound: Selim Nassib

Cast: Menahem Lang (himself)

Nominations and Awards

  • Documentary Selection 2019