A 1st person feature documentary. Land examines the four main components that are needed to create a nation, four components that forged the Zionist vision and ideology ingrained in the filmmaker and that of her generation from birth – children born early on after Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948.
To create a homogeneous identity, the Jews in Palestine in the 20th Century focused on four main strategies: 1. Develop the concept of a “new Jew” and the enforcement of Hebrew as the single national language; 2. Contiguous land acquisition; 3. Excavations searching for historical evidence of Jewish existence in Palestine two to three thousand years ago. 4. Develop a national army composed of all civilians. These strategies served both to validate ownership of the land, and to inspire a unifying sense of connection and purpose.
Each one of the above activities was spearheaded, developed or at least influenced by, four of the filmmaker’s ancestors.
How did the Zionist project impact all inhabitants of this land? How does its legacy still do this? These layers are gradually revealed, in parallel to the filmmaker’s ideological and political transformation as an adult.
Land will be composed of home movies and other archival materials, animated sequences and voices of current citizens of Israel – Jewish and Palestinian.
Writer/Director – Orly Yadin
Cinematographer/Editor – Nora Jacobson
Land is currently seeking financial support to complete the film. Land‘s fiscal sponsor is VTIFF. If you’d like further information, please send your query in the Contact form below.