“I am not a politician, but only a film maker,” says Dan Wolman. But the Israeli director did not hesitate to comment on the the political situation prevailing in Israel and its tussle with Palestine.
“The populace in both the countries do not keep hating each other. They are not dangerous too. But, there are some extremists on both sides who are making life difficult for the common man. I have a considerate disposition towards the Palestinians,” Wolman said.
The director, an icon of independent cinema for the last 42 years, was here in connection with the screening of his movies ‘Tied Hands’ and ‘Valley of Strength’ at the ongoing Kochi International Film Festival.He believes that the tussle between Israel and Palestine will come to an end.
“There is a ray of hope. There are sufficient reasons for me to believe so. For instance, an outbreak of epidemic sometimes unite nations. In this case also, time will bring forth an incident and a reason to unify the two different poles, I believe,” he added.Wolman clarified that Israel is a country which respects the creative freedom of film makers.
“The Government of Israel has not imposed any restrictions on film makers. In fact, it respects criticism and a lot of films have been made criticising the government. For instance, ‘Waltz with Bashir’, the Israeli animated film by Ari Folman dealt with a strong socio-political issue. The film was Israel’s official entry for the Golden Globe and the movie won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008. If the film maker is strong and is sure of what he wants to say through his film, then he will get adequate support from the government,” Wolman said.
The government even provides funds for film production, he added. “These days, the advent of technology has helped independent film makers to experiment with different types of films. It is nice gesture on part of the government to provide funds for making movies. This is a move that will help the aspiring film makers to come to the forefront,” he said.
“Everywhere, private investors prefer to invest in commercially viable projects, which is big challenge to independent film makers. As an independent film maker, this is something that I keep in mind . I know the limitations and hurdles in front of me and will write the script accordingly,” he added.