Garden of EDEN
For a full year – spring, summer, fall and winter, the film will follow the Sakhne national park and vacation site, one of the most popular and beautiful parks in Israel.
The Sakhne, whose official name is Gan HaShlosha (named after 3 settlers in the Yizrael valley that were killed by a Palestinian landmine in 1938), attracts all the elements of Israeli identity year round: Elderly kibbutz members from the surrounding area begin there daily at 6am for a swim in the blue water; Arab families from up north spread blankets on the grass and try to belong; Groups of former Soviet Union immigrants visit the park at night to eat, drink and bathe "just like in the homeland"; The youth groups that visit the park as part of their filed-education activities; And tourists from all over the world, including Evangelist pilgrims, come to pray by "the holy water".
The Garden of Eden is the story of a wondrous, magical and conflicted site, which enfolds diverse identities among the luxurious lawns and the glistening pools, some real, some imaginary. Among the trees not only do the barbeque and the spa crowd come together and bustle, but all the makings of the Israeli story as well. A combination of Ideology, history, archaeology, politics, the pioneer spirit, Zionism, and the criticism thereon.Vacation sites of no consequence can only be found presumably in Europe.
Crew
Directed by - Ran Tal
Produced by - Amir Harel, Ayelet Kait, Ran Tal
Written by - Ran Tal
Director of photography - Daniel Kedem
Editor - Nily Feller
Director of photography - Daniel Kedem
Sound Designer Alex Claude
Sound Recording Tully Chen Original Music: Avi Belleli
Additional photography Itay Marom
Details
Documentary, 70 min
Canon 5D
Languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese
Lama Film, Yes Doco, The Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, Israel Lottery council for culture & art
Festivals & Awards
Best Director, Jerusalem International film festival. Israel 2012
IDFA International documentary films festival, The Netherlands 2012
True/False Film Fest. USA 2013
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival – official selection Forum 2011
COPRO – The Israeli Documentary Screen Market – Official Selection pitch 2011