Recognition

production details

Original Title        
Hakara
International Title   
Recognition
Genre
Documentary
country of production
Germany
length
87 Min
format
DCP | 16:9 | 5.1.
languages
Hebrew, English and Arab  with English subtitles

a Production of Film Base Berlin and Sharon Ryba-Kahn
in Co-Production with  Filmarbeiten

shot in Israel

International premiere
Portobello Filmfestival London


synopsis

After 12 years of absence, a filmmaker is returning to Israel in search for answers. What starts as a personal journey, will turn into an intimate portrait of surprisingly different women in a war stricken land. Noga is a high school teenager who is eager to be accepted into the best unit of the Israeli army. Moran is a religious social worker who has chosen as a home town Sderot, which is under the threat of rockets. In this Israeli-Jewish town also lives Hanadi, a young Arab woman from the northern part of the country, fighting for her identity. From north to south, from past to present, the quest for answers creates an intimate portrait of women in a country at war.

An Interview with Sharon Ryba-Kahn about her film “Hakara“


“Why do Israelis think like they think and what makes them do the things they do.“
What is your film “Hakara“ about?
“Hakara“ is a film about three women in Israel who all have very different beliefs and lead different lives. Noga is a high school student and wants to get into one of the most prestiguous combat units in the army. Moran is a religious social worker who deliberately chose to live in Sderot in southern Israel where life is always threatened by bombs from nearby Gaza. Hanadi is a young Arab Israeli from northern Israel who also lives in Sderot and fights for her iden?ty there.

What was the motivation to make the film for you?
The framework of the film is my personal story. I lived in Israel and at 18 I decided to leave the country so I wouldn’t have to go to the army. I returned aIer 12 years to get answers to my questoons and get to know Israeli society. I actually knew the Palestinian side well but not the Israeli one. In the four years that I lived in Israel I had only been to Tel Aviv four times and was in Ramallah countless times.
What kind of questions did you ask yourself?
The biggest question for me was why Israelis think the way they think and what makes them do the things they do. At the same time I also wanted to understand how their identity is constructed. That’s why the film doesn’t only revolve around the three protagonists but also around their families that lay the foundation and are pivotal for their idenitty.
You say that “Hakara“ is a film about Israel. One of the three protagonists is an Arab- Israeli. Does the film also have something to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Yes, but differently. The film focuses on the conflict in terms of what it does to one’s identity and how the political situation influences it. That’s the only aspect of the film where I appear as a figure in the film. Every person who’s idenitty is linked with Israel has their own story to tell that, in turn, has something to do with their own identity. That’s the important link between the poltical situa?on and identity. I don’t think you can understand the conflict if you don‘t look at identity construction.
How did you choose the three protagonists?
It was important for me to choose women that were “normal.“ Noga, Moran, and Hanadi are women with “typical“ Israeli identies. All three are without a doubt special, yet they don’t have an extraordinary story. Noga was the first one I knew would be in the film. Her decision to go into combat at 17 is diametrically opposed to my decision to leave the country at the same age. Then I came to Sderot. The city is a symbol for what’s happening in Israel. It’s a city in the south, it’s small, poor, and under rocket attack. Moran is a nationalistic-religious Jew and part of the community of Sderot. As a social worker she knows many people and many know her. The third protagonist, Hanadi, is an Arabi-Israeli living in Sderot, today in Beersheva, and is dealing with an identity crisis because of that with complete awareness.

director’s statement

Having grown up in Germany, Israel, Palestinian territories, and France gave me the opportunity to experience differences in people and where they come from, in other words the way they experience their identity. It also made me question where do I belong? It is the search for the answer that motivated me to make this film. Being in this land from the age of 14 till 18- is what defined me emotionally . Therefore, my approach for Recognition was foremost to be honest towards myself, these women, and their families. Secondly it was about empathy. I did not want to make another film stating another opinion about this overtly discussed conflict. And third through that POV I wanted to give the audience the opportunity to make up their own mind about these women, this land without giving an answer, but enabling them to decide for themselves.

festivals

Portobello Film Festival London September

Bucharest Jewish Film Festival September

Kasseler Dokfest November

Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival December

Festival Film Dokumenter Indonesia December

Paul Spiegel Film Festival Düsseldorf April

Scencs Debut Film Festival Holland - Nominated for Best Documentary

Cinema South Film Festival Sderot-Israel June

Pelerinage en Décalage Paris France June

Madrid International Film Festival -Winner Best Foreign Documenary Director

5 Seen Film Festival Bavaria August - Nominated for Best Documentary

Filmes do Homem August Portugal - Nominated for Best Documentary

Special Screening August at Tel Aviv Cinematheque

Cyprus Film Festival September – Winner Best First Documentary Film festival

Cineramabc Film Festival November Brazil – Nominated Best Foreign Documentary

Jüdische Kulturtage München November


director

Sharon Ryba-Kahn

The French-Israeli director was born in Munich in 1983. Sharon spent her first 14 years in Munich, before moving to Jerusalem in 1997. She moved to Israel after her mother was appointed the Middle East correspondent of Focus magazine. In 2001 she graduated from the French Lycée in Jerusalem then went to Paris to study acting. She continued her theatre studies in New York City at the New Actors Workshop under the direction of Mike Nichols (The Graduate) and George Morrison—whose students over the years included Gene Hackman and Stanley Tucci. While living in New York, Sharon started directing plays.

After working as an actress and as a director in various theatre productions, she decided to continue her education at the New York Film Academy, where she studied film production. In 2007 Sharon moved to Berlin and began freelancing in the film industry as an A.D., casting director and actress. In 2009 while continuing to work, she started her academic studies and graduated with a Master’s degree in Visual Anthropology in 2013. Nothing has impacted her as much as her time in Jerusalem. For this reason “Hakara,” her directorial debut, could not speak of anything else but the lives of the people there.

In 2016 Sharon startet her studies at The University of Films Konrad Wolf in Potsdam.

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credits

With MK Hayati, Noga Carmon, Hanadi Shaer, Moran Ben Dov, Tamar Capsouto - Written, Directed and Produced by Sharon Ryba-Kahn - Executive Producer Madeleine Kahn -Producer  Mathias Schwerbrock  - Associate Producer Stephan Herzog - Coproducers  Mark Dölling Peter Foyse -  Editor Ofir Raul Graizer - DP Mark Dölling & Sharon Ryba-Kahn - Characters in order of appearance Meir Carmon Nadav Carmon Naomi Carmon Joel Liberman Yarden Rahmany Gad Rahmani Yarden Amorai Tom Rashko Sapir Shcoory Noam Jacobi Tomer Mentzel Gal Nixon Valeria Arabesky Nir Kalishek Shani Moranov Anastasia Samborski Din Aviv Tamir Ariel Yarden Or Hila ShemeshShelly Roz Liam Cohen Ludmilla Yarin Nagham Haj Ali Dr. Irit Coren Batya Amram Yonathan Dekel Noa Dekel Azriel Ben Dov Shoshana Ben Dov Hadya Shaer
Shaykh Hamed Diabat Tzvika MaShiah Sivan agami Miri Zimkind Buthaina Abdelrhman Nassem arbsh Liran Ohalli David Meir Cohen Lior Sharir Ahlam Milhem  - Original Music by Tamar Capsouto & George Kandalfat - Additional Camera  Amber Palmer Amit Chachamov  Or Azulay - Boom Operator Alexander Yakobov Additional Boom Operator Ofer Ari-Razi  & Liat Ben-Harosh - Assistant Producer Johannes Müller - Translation by Arthur de Barochez  Avishay Litani Elinor Levi B'shara Haroni  Heidi EricksonMehdi Bali  Mike Terry
Mira Abu ElassalNanice Labib  Ofir Raul Graizer Sharon Ryba-Kahn - Public Relations Rita MaazAssistant Editor Amber Palmer  -Post Coordinator Kolja Purrmann -Subtitles capNsub Ran Cohen Oren Yardeni - Title Design Evyatar Aluk - Equipment Rental: Punkte und Streifen GmbH Indicine GmbH  SONGS Bitahon Written, composed and performed by: Tamar Capsouto - Habeten Mitapehet Written, composed and performed by: Tamar Capsouto - Take a lake Written, composed and performed by: Tamar Capsouto - Yasmin Performed by Hapil Hakahol -  Nawa athar improvisation  Composed and performed by George Kandalaft- Kurd “Inta Omri” (intro) Written by: Mohammed Abdel Wahab Performed by: George Kandalaft  - Saba Taksim  Composed and performed by George Kandalaft - Saba taksim Composed and performed by George Kandalaft - SPECIAL THANKS  Adi Czeiger, Adi Kurtchik, Alexander Levin ,Alya Nummery, Amber Palmer, Amnon Binyamin, Anna-Patricia Kahn, Ariella Hirshfeld, Asako Miyazaki, Athar Odeh Shaer, Aurelie de Barochez, Avi Ashuel, Avital Gershkovitch, Avner Faingulernt, Axel Rojas, B'shara Haroni, Carolin Kastinger, Chanoch Carmon, Charlotte Gelie, Christiane Lehrer, Cole Wiley, Dana Sharoni, David Mimony, David Moore, David Riedel, Deborah Blank, Dor Carmon, Dorit Bialer Eden Bar-Lev, Efrat Corem, Eli Carmon, Elinor Levi, Enrico Zattarin, Fran Greenbaum, Gal Carmon, Gia Lisa Krahne, Gundula Friese, Gur Wallner, Hadar Harel, Halla Mia Olafsdottir, Hedy Levin, Ido Carmon, Ido Levy, Iris Ben Zeev, Izik Ben Dov, Jean Kahn, Jeff Keni Pulver, Jennifer Lupo, Jess Ridder, Johnson Robert, Jonathan Bar-Giora, Jordan Beswick, Juan  Martinez Gregorio,Judith Provoyeur, Julia Friese, Julia Zaremba, Katharina Frucht, Katharina Küpper, Kathy Lockhardt, Kathy Rivkin, Kristian Petersen, Laura Gelie, Lea Carmon, Lester Thomas Shane, Liat Aronson, Linus Roth, Lior Bar-Ami,Liron Atia, Luc Battiston, Madeleine Lockhardt, Mally Tapiro, Margaret Hallahan, Markus Penth, Martin Bonaventure, Matan Uriel, Max Woertendyke, Merav Gur Arie, Michael Hirschfeld ,Michal Henning Litani, Mike Terry, Michal Segev ,Miriam Ben Dov, Mitchell Warren, Mollie Milesie, Moritz Preisser, Moshe Mercazi, Nancy Liss, Nevada Jones, Nikolaos Zacharis, Nimrod Carmon, Nina Libeskind, Nir Tiomkin Nirit Bialer, Ofri Segev, Omer Harel, Philippe Gelie, Pnina Carmon, Ran Aloni, Raz Flieshman, Renata Balgley, Rick Trank, Rivka Flieshman, Robert Johnson, Ruben Hamelink, Ruthie Eitan, Sara Piazza, Sari Tavasi, Sebastien Engstroem, Shaker Abu Amer, Sharon On, Sigal Golan, Sohila Kinani, Steeve Rozen, Tami Liberman, Wolfgang Teschner, WulfT, Yaara Bal, Yaron Kohlberg, Yvonne Tscherning - Filmed at : Cafe Cafe Sderot, Church of Nativity, Elmokhtar Sweets, Layalina, Menta Gaz station Ramat Gan, Mifgash shar Hanegev, Mosque in alhade Village: Zarazir, Ort Ebin High School, Quarter of Neve Eshkol Sderot, Sapir College, Shaer Car Wash, Wakim Alalam Yussef