ILAN AVISAR CV

transcript

ILAN AVISAR

Address: 36/18 Daniel Moritz, Tel Aviv, Israel

Work: Film & TV Dept. Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel

Tel. 972-3-6408-403 (w); 972-3-6429877 (h); Cell. 972-54-6700269

E-mail: avisar@post.tau.ac.il

EDUCATION

Ph.D.: Indiana University, Dept. of Comparative Literature, 1983Diss.: "The Aesthetics and Politics of the Holocaust Film"

MA: Indiana University, Comparative Literature, 1980Graduate Studies, Indiana University, playwriting, 1977-78

BA: Hebrew University, majors: Philosophy and Drama, 1976

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

1989-present, Professor, Film & TV Dept. Tel Aviv University

2002 – 2005 Chairperson, Film & TV Dept. TAU 2007-2008, Visiting Professor, Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, Communication and Theatre Arts, Old Dominion University 2000, the Padnos Visiting Professor, Film & Video, Judaic Studies, University of Michigan 1990 - 1992, Visiting Lecturer, English Dept. Tel Aviv University 1990 (Fall), Visiting Professor, Judaic Studies, SUNY Albany 1983 - 1988, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Judaic and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, the Ohio State University 1978 - 1983, Associate Instructor, Film Studies, Indiana University

PUBLIC SERVICE 2010 –2014: Chairperson of the Second Authority (regulating commercial

broadcasting in Israel)

2005 – present: Member, The Board of Film Reviews (rating films)

2004 –2008: Member, Israel Film Council

1996-2004: Member, the Council for Cable TV and Satellite Broadcasting

1990-1994, 2000-2002: Referee and Lector for the Israel Film Fund

PUBLICATIONS

1. Screening the Holocaust: Cinema's Images of the UnimaginableIndiana University Press, 1988.

2. Film Art: The Techniques and Poetics of Cinematic ExpressionThe Open University Press, 1995, (in Hebrew).

3. Visions of Israel: Israeli Filmmakers and Images of the Jewish State The Jewish Media Fund, c/o Charles H. Revson Foundation, New York, 1997 Second, revised edition, 2002

4. The Israeli Scene: Language, Cinema, and Discourse (in Hebrew)Ramot: Tel Aviv University Press, 2005

ARTICLES

1. “The Israeli Scene – Political Criticism and the Politics of Anti-Zionism,”

in Alvin H. Rosenfeld, ed. Resurgent Antisemitism, Indiana University Press, 2013, pp. 362-381.

2. "Hollywood and Holocaust Memory," Search and Research, Yad Vashem, forthcoming.

3. “Israeli Cinema between 1977 and 1987,” in The Fourth Decade: 1977-1987, eds. Zvi Tzamret and Avi Picar,

Jerusalem: Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi, forthcoming (in Hebrew).4. "Jewish Cinema since 1973,” in Volume X: Contemporary Period, eds. Nurith Gertz and Deborah Dash Moore, in THE POSEN LIBRARY OF JEWISH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION, James E. Young, Editor-in-Chief, Yale UP, 2012.

5."The Holocaust in Israeli Cinema as a Conflict of Survival and Morality," in Miri Talmon & Yaron Peleg, eds., IDENTITIES IN MOTION, Texas UP, 2011, pp. 151-168.

6. “Dancing Solo in the Lebanese Mud,” in The Wandering View: Modern Jewish Experiences in World Cinema,

ed. Lawrence Baron, Brandeis UP,2011, pp. 358-365

7. "Representations of the Holocaust in Film," in The Cambridge Dictionary of Jewish History, Religion, and Culture, ed. Judith Baskin, 2011, pp 251-253.

8. "Time and Representation: Generic Transformations and Historicist Interpretations of Holocaust Films," in Jonathan Friedman, ed. PERFORMING DIFFERENCE, University Press of America, 2009, PP. 213-223.

9. “The National and the Popular in Israeli Cinema,”Shofar, 24:1 (2005), pp. 125-143.

10. “Kinneret – Integrating Educational Activity with Visual Pleasure in Ulpan,”Hed Haulpan 86 (Summer 2004), pp. 18-25 (in Hebrew)

11. “The Evolution of the Israeli Attitude toward the Holocaust as Reflected in Modern Hebrew Drama,” Twentieth Century Literary Criticism,” vol. 94 (2000), pp. 75-85, (rpt. of #24).

12. "Haradot Leumiyot, Siyutim Ishiyim,” In Mabatim Fictiviim al ha-Kolnoah ha-Israeli, eds. Nurith Gertz, Judd Neeman, & Orli Lubin, Open University Press, 1998, pp. 160-179.

13. "Holocaust Movies and the Politics of Collective Memory,"In Thinking about the Holocaust: After Half a Century, ed. Alvin Rosenfeld (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997), pp. 38-58.

14. "National Nightmares, Personal Fears: The Holocaust Complex in Israeli Cinema,"In Breaking Crystal: Writing after Auschwitz, ed., Efraim Sicher (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997), pp. 137-159.

15. "Israeli Cinema and the Ending of Zionism," in Fred Lazin and Greg Mahler (eds), Israel in the Nineties, Florida State

University Press, 1996, pp. 153-168

16. "The New German Cinema and the Politics of Critical Reception,"Tel Aviv Jahrbuch fur Deutsche Geschichte, XXIII/1994, pp. 207-217.

17. "The Historical Significance of DER EWIGE JUDE,"The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, vol. 13, no. 3 (1993), pp. 363-365.

18. "Documentation and formation of Historical Consciousness in Propaganda Films,"Zmanim, vol. 10 (Winter, 1991), pp. 38-47 (in Hebrew).

19. "Die Mischpoche von Hollywood: Juden vor und hinter der Kamera," In Judische Lebenswelten: Essays, eds. A. Nachama, J. Schoeps, E. van Voolen, Germany: Berliner Festspiele GmbH, 1991, pp. 203-220.

20. "The Holocaust As Narrative: Story and Character in the Representation of the Concentration Camp Universe,"Remembering for the Future (Oxford, England: Pergamon Press,1988), vol. 3, pp. 3-12.

21. "The Holocaust in the Israeli Theater in the Fifties and Sixties,"Holocaust Studies Annual, Vol. 3 (1985), pp. 203-228.

22. "Christian Ideology and the Jewish Genocide in American Holocaust Movies,"Holocaust Studies Annual, Vol. 3 (1985), pp. 21-42.

23. "The Theme of the Holocaust in Lea Goldberg's Work,"The Interuniversity Conference Book on Hebrew Literature, Ziva Shamir ed., (Tel Aviv University Press, 1985), pp. 1-4.

24. "The Evolution of the Israelis' Attitude toward the Holocaust as Reflected in Modern Hebrew Drama," Hebrew Annual Review, Vol.9 (1985), pp. 31-52.

REVIEWS

1. "Dancing Solo in the Lebanese Mud," Azure, no. 36 (Spring 2009), pp. 107-155.

2. "Paradise Now," Azure 25 (Summer 2006), pp. 8-10 (review commentary)

3. Claude Lanzmann’s Sobibor, 14 octobre 1943, 16 heures,Hair special Cinema Section, September, 2001 (Hebrew)

4. “Red Lines in the Representation of War” (review of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and THE THIN RED LINE), Zmanim 67 (Summer 1999), pp. 105-109. (Hebrew)

5. “The Jewish State: The Next Fifty Years” (contribution to journal symposium), Azure 6 (Winter 1999), pp. 33-38. (Also in Hebrew, Tchelet, pp. 19-23).

6. “FOR THE LIVING and AMERICA AND THE HOLOCAUST,” (films review)The Public Historian, 18:2 (Spring 1996), pp. 120-122.

7. “One Hundred Years for the Birth of Cinema”Mahshavot, 68 (September, 1996), pp. 20-33 (An interview with journal editor, in Hebrew).

8. "Spielberg's List,"Cinemateque, no. 74 (May-June, 1994), pp. 12-14 (in Hebrew).

9. "Robert J. Lifton, The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide,"Nativ 1:1 (English issue, 1990), pp. 98-101.

10. "The Mysterious Messenger -- Eduard Schulte," Nativ 3:1 (January, 1990), pp. 48-51 (in Hebrew).

11. "Time and Testimony in Claude Lanzmann's Shoah,"Nativ 2:2 (March, 1989), pp. 63-67 (in Hebrew).

12. "L. L. Langer, Versions of Survival: The Holocaust and the Human Spirit,"Canadian Review of Comparative Literature/Revue Canadienne de Litterateur Comparee, Vol. 13:2, pp. 321-27, 1986.

13. "Tom Segev, 1949: The First Israelis,"Shofar, Vol. 5:1, pp. 45-46, 1986.

14. "Alan Berger, Crisis and Covenant: The Holocaust in American Jewish Fiction,"Martyrdom and Resistance, Vol. 12:5, pp. 2, 11, 1986.

15. "Patricia Erens, The Jew in the American Cinema,"American Jewish History, Vol. 75:1, pp. 100-103, 1985.

EDITORIAL WORK

1. "Jewish Cinema: 1973-Present," in Volume X: Contemporary Period, eds. Nurith Gertz and Deborah Dash Moore , part of THE POSEN LIBRARY OF JEWISH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION, Yale University Press, James E. Young, Editor-in-Chief.

2. "Discovering Israel," Jewish Video Collection of the Revson Foundation, 2002. A Film-Based Guide for Young People designed for young people going on group trips to Israel.

Advisor of Academic Textbooks (credited)

1. Ilan Avisar, et als. Israeli Literature and Its Cinematic AdaptationThe Open University, Israel, 1999

2. Ilan Avisar, Dganit Borowski ShiverGenres of the Cinematic ThrillerThe Open University, Israel, 2007

3. Ilan Avisar, et als.The Romantic Comedy: History, Ideology, GenderThe Open University, Israel, 2011

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

1984 THE FIRST INTERUNIVERSITY CONFERENCE ON THE RESEARCH OF

HEBREW LITERATURE, Tel Aviv University

"The Theme of the Holocaust in Lea Goldberg's Work" 1985 4TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE HOLOCAUST, Millersville

University

"Jewish Genocide and Christian Ideology in American Holocaust Movies"

1986 ISRAEL CONFERENCE DAY, University of Michigan

"Recent Developments in Film and Theater in Israel"

1986 THE NARRATIVE POETICS, Ohio State

"History and Narrative: The Problematics of Dramatizing Historical Atrocities"

1986 ISRAEL IN AMERICA/AMERICA IN ISRAEL, Kent State, Ohio

"The Cultural Impact of America on Israel"

1988 WAR IN CINEMA, Boston

"The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Israeli Films"

1988 THE POPULAR CULTURE Annual Conference, New Orleans

"Holocaust Pornography and the Sex Reich"

1988 REMEMBERING FOR THE FUTURE, Oxford, England

"The Narrativization of the Holocaust in Film"

1990 CHARACTER IN LITERATURE AND FILM, Open U. Conference, Tel Aviv

"The Tragic Figure in Theatre and Cinema"

1990 THE HOLOCAUST IN THE ARTS, Pecz, Hungary (first international conference in Hungary on the Holocaust)

"Israeli Cinema and the National Holocaust Complex"

1991 CINEMA AND HISTORY, Tel Aviv University

"Film Propaganda and Historical Misperceptions" 1992 FILM, POLITICS, IDEOLOGY, Hebrew University

"The Jew as the 'Other' in Israeli Cinema"

1992 SOCIETY FOR CINEMA STUDIES Conference, Pittsburgh

"The Eros-Thanatos of Nazi Paraphernalia"

1992 SOCIETY FOR CINEMA STUDIES Conference, Pittsburgh

"The Politics of Israeli Cinema," Panel chair

1992 HISTOIRE ET MEMOIRE DES CRIMES ET GENOCIDE NAZIS Congres International, Bruxelles

"The New German Cinema and the Construction of National Memory"

1992 THE SCREAM IN THE ARTS, Tel Aviv University

"The Quiet Scream and the Poetics of Silence of Holocaust Survivors"

1993 SOCIETY FOR CINEMA STUDIES Conference, New Orleans

"Holocaust Imagery in the Service of National Ideology"

1993 THE ELEVENTH WORLD CONGRESS OF JEWISH STUDIES, Hebrew University

"The Holocaust Complex in Israeli Cinema: The Politics and Psychology of National Memory"

1994 ISRAEL IN THE NINETIES, Association for Israel Studies Conference, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva,

“The Politics of Culture: The Case of Israeli Cinema"

1994 THE HOLOCAUST: PROGRESS AND PROGNOSIS 1934-1994The 24th Annual Scholars' Conference, the Third Biennial Conference on Christianity and the Holocaust, Rider College, NJ

Plenary Speaker "Holocaust and Films: The Politics of Memory, Meaning, and Morality"

1994 SOCIETY FOR CINEMA STUDIES Conference, Syracuse, NY

"Jewish Ideals and the Construction of Arab Figures in Israeli Cinema"

1994 CONFERENCE ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY, TESTIMONY, AND CONFESSION, TAU

"The Immigrant Experience II," Panel Chairperson

1995 WORLD WAR II: FIFTY YEARS LATER, Indiana University

"Postwar Cinema and the Construction of National Memory"

1995 SOCIETY FOR CINEMA STUDIES Conference, New York

“Theory and Practice of Holocaust Representation: On the Making of the documentary film GIRLFRIENDS.” Additional presentations were at University of Michigan (March, 1995), Mount Holyoke College (March, 1995), Indiana University (October, 1995), Vanderbilt University (October, 1995), Emory (October, 1995), SUNY Albany (April, 1996).

1996 THE TEL AVIV INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON CINEMA STUDIES

“Private Space/Public Space” Session ChairTHE 12TH WORLD CONGRESS OF JEWISH STUDIES, Hebrew University

“Cinema without Stars: The Death of the Hero in Israeli Culture”

1997 ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL, Luxembourg

“The Narrative and Dramatic Context of Israeli Cinema”

1998 GERMAN MYTHS: FILM IN CONTEXT, Ben Gurion University of the Negev

"Ostjuden in the Middle East: Inferiority Complex and Ideological Vortex of Israeli Filmmakers"

1998 VISIBLE EVIDENCE 6 (the sixth annual conference on documentary cinema), San Francisco State University

“The Problematics of Holocaust Representation: Theory and Practice”

1998 50 YEARS ARTS RESEARCH IN ISRAEL, Tel Aviv University

“Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism in the Study of Holocaust Films”

1999 PEEPING TOMS, ROSTERS, & OTHER ISRAELIS IN URI ZOHAR’S CINEMATel Aviv University

"The Search for the Hero in Uri Zohar's films", 2000 The Annual Pandos Lecture in Judaic Studies, University of Michigan

“The Future of Israel as a Jewish State”

2000 VISION AND SPECTACLE IN THE ARTS, Tel Aviv University

"Images of Hell and the Apocalypse in Holocaust Works"

2001 The 14th World Jewish Congress, Jerusalem

“History in Film, Film in History”

2002 The International Task Force for Holocaust Remembrance, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France

“Teaching about the Holocaust and Artistic Creation”

2002 WHY WAR, Tel Aviv University

“The Politics and Pleasures of War Films and Military Movies”Also Member of the Colloquium Board

2002 Howard Gilman Conference, St. Moritz, Switzerland, January, 2002

“The Holocaust Film in Historical and Cultural Context” 2004 The Wall, the Bi-Annual Conference for Cinema Research, Dept.

of Film & TV, TAU

Member of the Conference Board, giving opening lecture

2004 Political Assassination, the 9th Anniversary of Rabin’s Death, TAU

Conspiracy Themes in Israeli Cinema

2006 Moving Images – The Morphing of the Real and its Vicissitude, The Bi-Annual Conference for Cinema Research, Dept. of Film &

TV, TAU

Comedy and Atrocity: Generic Transformations in Holocaust MoviesAlso Member of the colloquium Board

2006 Holocaust Representations in Narrative Cinema, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

Hollywood and the Holocaust

2007 Representations of the ‘Other’ in Film and Theater, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, USA

"Time and Representation: Generic Transformations and Historicist Interpretations of Holocaust Films"

2007 Psychological Outlook on the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, TAU

הקולנוע כמראה, הסרט כספה: תסביך השואה והסכסוך הישראלי ערבי ""בקולנוע הישראלי

2008 Popular Culture/American Culture Annual Conference, San Francisco, USA

“Historicizing the Trauma: Holocaust Representations in Cultural Context”

2008 Cinematic Ethics, TAU

“The Ethics of the Holocaust Image”

2008 24th Annual Association for Israel Studies Conference, “60 Years after

1948: Are the Narratives Converging?” NYU, New York

The Holocaust in Israeli Cinema as a Conflict of Survival and Morality

2009 Why War? TAU

The Ethics and Politics of the War Movie

2009 Media World: Goals and Challenges, Orot College, Elkana, Israel

Israeli Films and the National Political Discourse

2010 Suspenseful Times, TAU

Genre, Temporality and the Politics of War Movies Also Member of the colloquium Board

2011 Resurgent Antisemitism: Global Perspectives, Indiana University, USA

The Israeli Scene: Political Criticism and the Politics of Anti-Zionism

2011 The Impact of the Eichmann Trial on Israeli Culture, Yad Vashem

The Eichmann Trial as a Media Event

2013 Association for Israel Studies, UCLA, California, USA

Playing the Global Field: National Identity & Cultural Mobility in Contemporary Israeli Television and Film, Panel Chair

2013 The 16th World Congress for Jewish Studies, Member of the academic council

The End of the Holocaust, chair of plenary session

2014 Cinematic Traces of Things to Come - Appearance, Disappearance, and Change in the Moving Image, Film & TV Dept. Tel Aviv University Member of the Academic Committee

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

1. Yvonne Kozlovsky-Golan. Capital Punishment in the USA – History, Justice and Cinema

Haifa University, 2003, with Prof. Ron Robin

2. Benjamin Ben – David. The Hollywood Romantic Comedy, 1934-2000: Historical Perspective on Power Relations between the Sexes

Tel Aviv University, 2004

3. Altman-Ravid, Zohar. Barbra Streisand – the Star as Creation and the Star as Creator

Tel Aviv University, 2009

4. Dushi, Nava. Texts in Transition: Israeli Cinema in Global ContextTel Aviv University, work in progress

5. Burs, Eyal. The Jew in Dutch Cinema – Images and IdentitiesTel Aviv University, work in progress

6. Toren, Muki. Roman Polanski and the Holocaust Tel Aviv University, work in progress

7. Rivlin, Yuval. German Jewish émigré Directors in HollywoodThe Hebrew University, work in progress, with Prof. Jerry Cohen

8. Chernov, Amihud. The Labyrinth, the Film Noir and the Neo-NoirTel Aviv University, work in progress

9. Florentin, Talma. Food, Knowledge, and Morality in Ancient Myths and contemporary Movies, Tel Aviv University, work in progress

10. Foyerstein, Aharon. Levinas Philosophy and the Art of the Coen Brothers, Tel Aviv University, work in progress

CREATIVE WORK

1. Senior Producer, GIRLFRIENDS (1994)Credits also include script writer and academic adviser.

The 52-minute documentary on women in the Holocaust GIRLFRIENDS won the First Prize in the 1995 Annual Jewish Video Competition, sponsored by the Judah Magnes Museum, The Jewish Museum of the West, Berkeley, California.

2. Associate Producer, PORTRAIT OF A PEOPLE (1979-1980)

An 18-part TV series on Jews and Judaism, produced by the Jewish Studies Program and the Instructional Television of Indiana University, 1979-80.

PORTRAIT OF A PEOPLE was the recipient of the William Haber Award of B'nai B'rith, and the William B. Shroder Award of the Council of Jewish Federations.

3. Academic Editor of 1-hour TV programs in Israel’s academic channel (also participant and anchorperson)

“Calculated Risk: American Education System and Its Representation in Cinema” Fall 2001

Hollywood and American War History --

Program 1: Dramatic Narratives and Imagery of War, Fall 2001

Program 2: American Cinema and the First World War, Winter 2002

Program 3: Hollywood and World War II, Winter 2002

SCRIPTWRITING

Writer, “The Custodian,” sponsored by the Israel Film Fund, work in

progress.

Writer, From the Depths of the Jungle, dir. Yehuda Grovais, 2008

Writer, “Locked Garden,” an adaptation of Suzan Adam’s novel “Laundry,”

sponsored by the Israel Film Fund, 2002-2003.

Script Editor, Comme ton pere (Father's Footsteps), dir. Marco Carmel,

Israel/France, 2007. The script won first prize in the 2003 Albin competition.

Script Editor, "White Panther," writ. Dan Reisfeld, 2005-6.

Script Editor, FACING THE FORESTS, a 90-minute TV drama, based on the

story by A. B. Yehoshua, dir. Danny Waxman, channel 3, 2001.

Script Editor, THE SONG OF GALILEE, d. Danny Waxman, TV drama, 1996.

Script Editor, HAMONEH DOFEK, TV series, prod. & dir. Yaki Yosha, 1995.

Script Editor, BETTI-BEN-BASSAT, an eight episode situation comedy, 1995.

Script Editor, POWER OF ATTORNEY, a 100-minute TV drama, DIR. Uri

Barbash, March, 1994.

COURSES TAUGHT

1. Screening the Holocaust

2. Jewish Cinema

3. High Art and Popular Culture in Israeli Cinema

4. Israeli Films and the Discourse of Nationalism

5. Images and Identities in Film and Television

6. Narrative and Scriptwriting

7. Introduction to the Art of Moving Images

8. The War Film

9. Broadway and Hollywood—Film and Theater in American Culture

A Sample Syllabus

Dr. Ilan AvisarSPRING 2008, COMM495/ ENGL495Tuesdays, 7:10 – 9:50 pmOffice Hours: Wed. 2-4, or by appointment

ISRAELI CINEMA & THE CULTURE OF MODERN ISRAEL

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course offers a study of the complexity

of modern Israel through the mirror of Israeli films. The main issues to

be discussed: past and present -- biblical roots and historical memory of

Israel today; the ideology of Zionism; varieties of Jewish identity;

religion and state in the Jewish state; the place of the Holocaust in Israeli

mindset; class, gender, and ethnicity in Israeli society; the military

experience; the Arab in Israeli culture and politics; the characteristics and

institutions of Israel's democratic system.

Israeli cinema has been a participant, a witness and a critical

commentator of Israeli norms and values. The films viewed in class will

explore the enunciation and discussion of the main issues of Israeli

society, the continuous struggle for cultural identity, and the search for

local cinematic expression in relation to the hegemony of American

audio-visual culture and the models of European cinemas.

REQUIREMENTS

1. CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

Class attendance and participation are mandatory. You will be allowed two (2) absences over the course of the term. Further absences will result in 1/3 overall letter grade drop for every subsequent absence (for example, if your work in the class earns you an A for the semester, but you have 3 absences, your semester grade will drop to an A-). Please keep me informed of any emergencies or unusual situations.

2. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

* 2 (two) 500-600 words summaries of articles or book chapters:

1 on Israeli cinema, and 1 on Israeli culture.* 2 (two) 500-600 words film reviews.

* One 8-10 pages final paper. You will choose from suggested topics or you may propose your own. The paper will be done in stages throughout the semester.Avoid Plagiarism, a form of scholastic dishonesty and a disciplinary offense.

3. CLASS PRESENTATION You will need to talk about the topic of your paper in a 30-45 minute class presentation.

GRADING

2 Film Reviews (500-600 words): 20%2 Article summaries (500-600 words):20%Class presentation: 10%Final Paper: 40% Class Attendance and Participation: 10%

Miscellaneous Rules OFFICE HOURS: My office hours are as stated at the top of this syllabus. You are welcome to come see me during these hours to discuss any aspect of this class. I am here for you to use as a resource and will gladly help you in any way I can.

CONTACTS: You are welcome to contact me via e-mail Email: iavisar@odu.edu;

or phone 683-6760 (o), 757-2273322 (h), 757-390-7702 (cel.)

RESOURCES:

The literature on modern Israel is vast, and you should choose articles

and books that pertain to your chosen topic of research and final paper.

Note the bibliography list on Israeli cinema in the course's website.

However, the required readings include the following sources:

Ilan Avisar, Visions of Israel: Israeli Filmmakers and Images of the

Jewish State

The Jewish Media Fund, c/o Charles H. Revson Foundation, New York, 1997 Second, revised edition, 2002

_________, “The National and the Popular in Israeli Cinema,” Shofar, 24:1 (2005), pp. 125-143.

_________, "National Nightmares, Personal Fears: The Holocaust Complex in Israeli Cinema,"In Breaking Crystal: Writing after Auschwitz, ed., Efraim Sicher (1997), pp. 137-159.

_________, "Israeli Cinema and the Ending of Zionism,"In Israel in the Nineties, eds., Fred Lazin and Greg Mahler (1996), pp. 153-168.

Consult the following websites for background information on Israel:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/Israelsroots.htmlhttp://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA

CLASS SCHEDULE

1/15/2008

Historical background, past and present, national identity and collective

memory

Film: A WALL IN JERUSALEM (Dir. Fredric Rossif, France, 1970,

Reading: Visions of Israel, 1-11;

History and ideology of Zionism – 1882-1948

Class reading and analysis: Israel's declaration of Independence

Ideology and cinematic texts

Films: EXODUS (Dir. Otto Preminger, USA, 1960, excerpts)

ISRAEL: BIRTH OF A NATION (Martin Gilbert, USA, 1996,

The Bible in Israeli culture.

Class reading and analysis: Genesis 22, "the Binding of Isaac."

Introduction to Israeli Cinema: historical survey and modes of production

Reading: Visions of Israel, 12-20

Film: HILL 24 DOESN'T ANSWER (Dir. Thorold Dickinson, Israel,

The view of history from the perspective of the present:

Nostalgia, romance, and revisionism in cinema

Film: EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE (Dir. Moshe Mizrahi, Israel/USA, 1986)

The formation of a new society: ethnicity, class, and religious backgrounds

Film comedy and the characteristics of local humor

Readings: Visions of Israel, pp. 20-34

Film: SALLAH (Dir. Ephraim Kishon, Israel, 1964)

Israel's democratic system and rivaling ideologies

Film: OUT FOR LOVE . . . WILL BE BACK SHORTLY (Dir. Dan

Katzir, Israel, 1997, doc.)

Religion and State

Women filmmakers in Israel

Film: "Get" from TEL AVIV STORIES (Dir. Ayelet Menahemi and Nirit

Yaron, Israel, 1992)

The military experience

Young filmmakers -- student films

Film: DARK NIGHT (Dir. Leonid Prudovski, Israel, 2005)

YOSSI & JAGGER (Dir. Eytan Fox, Israel, 2002)

SPRING BREAK

The sixties and the Six Day war

Modernism in Israeli cinema Reading: Visions of Israel, pp. 91-96

Film: EVERY BASTARD A KING (Dir. Uri Zohar, Israel, 1969)

The Psychological legacy of the HolocaustThe personal film and postmodernism

Readings: "National Nightmares, Personal Fears: The Holocaust Complex in Israeli Cinema"

Film: UNDER THE DOMIM TREE (Dir. Eli Cohen, Israel, 1992)

The fight against terrorism

Genre films and national dramas Film: OPERATION JONATHAN (Dir. Menahem Golan, Israel, 1978)

Reading: Visions of Israel, pp. 37-46

Post Zionism and historical revisionism

The political films of the eighties

Reading: "Israeli Cinema and the Ending of Zionism"

Film: AVANTI POPOLO (Dir. Rafi Bukai, Israel, 1986)

The Arab in Israeli Society

Films of guilt, political critique, or self-hatred

Reading: Visions of Israel, pp. 61-72

Film: FICTITIOUS MARRIAGE (Dir. Haim Bouzaglo, Israel, 1988)

The popular and the national in Israeli culture

Reading: “The National and the Popular in Israeli Cinema,”

Film: WALK ON WATER (Dir. Eytan Fox, Israel, 2004)

Last day: Summary

ILAN AVISAR CV

Documents