While DocAviv has a monopoly over the documentary film festival umbrella, the Epos Festival has won over Israeli and international hearts seven times in a row and are now back for an eighth. The international film festival for arts and culture will take over the Tel Aviv Museum of Art from April 5th to 8th for a long weekend of over 50 fascinating films from around the world as they bring the personal stories of the greatest artists to the big screen.
Artistic Director Miki Laron is entirely devoted to various cultural areas and seeks to give the audience the opportunity to view the best of these new films and exciting activities regarding music, dance, theater, cinema, literature and poetry, visual arts, architecture and more. Here's a sneak peak at what this year's event has to offer:
On Cinema
© PR
'The Family Whistle'
The known Coppola family are the protagonists of this movie, demonstrating the enormous poverty from which they emerged, followed by a group of them emigrating to America in the hopes of finding riches. Thanks to the talent encrypted in the family's genetics – from musical ability to cinematic creation – the family paves its way in American culture of the twentieth century. Francis Ford Coppola, his sister Talia Shirer and other family members, restore the stories that make up the family mythology, including the price of immigration, even when it's successful. And everyone is whistling the same tune, a symbol of warmth, and the loyalty of the family.
On Music
© Duffy Archive
David Bowie was an artist that cannot be summarized in a few words. Before his death at age 69 in early 2016, a spectacular exhibition was curated at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and then traveled around the world. The film visits the exhibition, and includes videos, manuscripts and costumes of this formidable artist that left millions of people with a hole in their heart. Among the participants in the film are writer Hanif Kureishi, designer Knzai Yamamoto, Jarvis Cocker, frontman of PULP, and many more. The extreme range of his talent is exposed in the beautiful exhibition that managed to recreate a period of alternative culture, and Bowie is its undisputed leader.
On Art
An anonymous contemporary artist decides he wants to steal a work of Banksy, because Banksy refused to sign a print the artist bought for 75 pounds. He starts a secret operation to steal the sculpture "The Thinker" by Rodin that Banksy placed in central London, then seeks to do a Banksy-style operation on Banksy himself by removing from the public domain what Banksy puts there. This film is a sensational satire on the art world, crowning kings and creating myths, not always around art itself.
On Architecture
Zaha Hadid, the Iraqi-born woman who died suddenly last year at 65, was larger than life in every aspect – her creativity and technical capabilities burst to new heights as she experimented with architecture in a monumental manner. She spent her childhood in Baghdad, open to the Western world, with an excellent education and the notion that she wanted to be an architect. In 1972, she moved to London where she found her place. Alia Znglis and Ram Kolhaos were the two teachers that sparked her inspiration. Interviews with friends, colleagues, her partner in the office, Patrick Schumacher and a long conversation with Zaha herself, which paints a portrait of a fascinating woman – provocative and influential. The screening will be attended by the director.
On Photography
Rose Hartman, is a photographer of celebrities, fashion people, actors, models and all that glitters. She hides behind dark sunglasses, red lipstick and blonde hair – a unique woman who knows exactly what she is looking for. Colleagues are talking about a combination of respect and rejection, and telling stories about her ability to push everyone to get the photograph she wants. She just wants to catch the celebrities, one second before they pose for the camera. Her beautiful stock of photos always come from real live moments.
On Dance
The New York City Ballet is one of the world famous dance institutions with 91 full-time dancers. One of the dancers is Justin Peck, which at the age of 25, was the only one who got commissioned to create a new ballet for the winter season of 2013. Peck was given only two months to come up with all the costumes, fabrics, lighting and to work hands-on with the dancers. Eventually, he managed to elevate the ballet and is being appointed the Head Choreographer of the company. The second person in the history of The New York City Ballet to receive this honor.