Well–known Isreali filmmaker Amos Gitai was born on 11th Oct, 1950 in Haifa. He graduated as an architect from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and acquired a PhD in architecture at Berkeley University in California. He fought in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, during which he was injured. Attracted by directing, he became a professional filmmaker in 1980 with House. From that point he created many films, both fiction and documentary that brought him considerable international recognition. 46th IFFI is paying a Retrospective Honours to Amos Gitai. Opening with Screening of Rabin – The last Day, 10 of his films are being screened under this section. Other films include Alia, Berlin -Jerusalem, Devarim, Esther, Golem, The Spirit Of The Exile, Kadosh, Lullaby To my Father, Tsili and Yom Yom.
In an interaction Amos Gitai opined that, “The power of cinema as a medium lies in its capacity to go beyond borders and to communicate across cultures. The films need to be both passionate and critical when need be. I am originally an architect and believe in ideas as ideas are important and strong, capable of moving planets.”
He further added, “Films need to have a social context and should not be just entertainment. Filmmakers like Satyajit Ray are called great because they care for their country and use art and films to shape public opinion.”
Expressing disappointment, Amos Gitai averred, “There is too much recycling in the field of cinema. The new generation of filmmakers should feel free while expressing themselves to bring out their originality and creativity.”
