Nationality: Israel

To Be There by Sharon Lenger

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An author-made videopoem from 2008 by Israeli filmmaker Sharon Lenger, offering “Brief glimpses into residential apartments in Tel-Aviv. An attempt to breathe in the life that is there, and feel slightly at home,” according to the description in the ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival’s 2010 archive, where it was part of a program called “Poetic Tel Aviv.” In addition to ZEBRA, the video has been shown in galleries and at festivals around the world, winning first prize in the “Life into Art” show at the Pen and Brush gallery, New York, and second prize at EMERGEANDSEE 2011, Berlin.

Temporary Poem of My Time by Yehuda Amichai

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This is System Error, a film by Guli Silberstein. Here’s how he describes it:

Pixelated, glitchy desert images from the disputed Israeli-Palestinian region and electronic soundscape are integrated with a poem by the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, and read by the actress Gila Almagor, transmitting an urgent message to stop the continuing violence by all sides in the Middle East. The work highlights the absurdity and pain of repeating human patterns of error, turmoil and destruction, and the difficulties of communication in deaf, chaotic world.

The English translation used in the film is by Barabara and Banjamin Harshav.

Zman / Time by Mei-Tal Nadler

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A new poetry film by Avi Dabach with text by Mei-Tal Nadler and music by Harold Robin. Einat Weizman read the poem and Adriana X. Jacobs provided the English translation used in the subtitles.

Nadler won the 2014 Teva Prize for Poetry, whence this bio:

May-Tal Nadler is a poet and doctoral student of literature and Israeli culture at Tel Aviv University. Her first book of poetry, Experiments in Electricity, was published this year.
Nadler has previously won the Ministry of Culture’s award for poets for 2008 and was among the prize winners of the 2008 Poetry Along the Way competition, sponsored by the city of Tel Aviv. Her manuscript won the Leib Goldberg award for literary work.

The Light and the Light by Courtney Druz

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A very effective, author-made poetry book trailer using kinestatis, layering and text animation. The book and video are currently featured on the front page of the author’s website. (Do check out the sample poem, as well.)

Spring 82 by T. Carmi

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A film by Avi Dabach with acrobatics and choreography by Reenat Caidar and sound design by Gai Sherf.

The Altruist by T. Carmi

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A moving tribute to the power of poetry from Israeli filmmaker Avi Dabach and PTSD-sufferer Micha Shalvi, who describes how the poem by T. Carmi — which he reads at the end — saved his life.

Young David by Yehuda Amichai (with discussion by Edward Hirsch)

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http://vimeo.com/24221256

Avi Dabach’s marvelous film interpretation of Amichai’s “Young David” (translated by Abraham Birman) is wrapped within a video introduction and post-film discussion by Bob Holman and Edward Hirsh at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. Hirsch describes his own, elliptical approach to politics in poetry, and says that Amichai was his major influence and model in this regard.

Mountain High by Tal Nitzan

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Avi Dabach directs. The original music and soundtrack are by Anat Gutman, and the reading is from the poet herself. A recent online publication of two poems by Tal Nitzan in English translation, at Writestuff, includes this bio:

Tal Nitzan has published four collections of poetry: Domestica, An Ordinary Evening, Café Soleil Bleu, [and] The First to Forget and won many awards. Nitzan is the editor of the anthology With an Iron Pen: Hebrew Protest Poetry 1984 – 2004.