Queer Academy | Movies

Fucking Different Tel Aviv

Deutschland/ Israel, 2008

Length

94 minutes

Director

Anat Salomon

Cast

Content

The third installment of the conceptual series FUCKING DIFFERENT (the first was shot in Berlin, FUCKING DIFFERENT!; and the second in New York, FUCKING DIFFERENT NEW YORK), this anthology of 12 short films aims to provide a cross-over assessment of queer sexuality in contemporary Tel-Aviv, from the perspective of 15 gay and lesbian filmmakers based in Israel's cultural capital. As in the previous compilation, lesbian directors were asked to make short films depicting their views of gay sexuality and eroticism, and gay filmmakers were to describe love and sex between women. All genres were allowed. The only parameters which were required were the length of each film – between three and eight minutes – and the final format: Mini-DV. With an overall emphasis on stories, characters, plot, and atmosphere, the collection presents a well-balanced mix of fiction, documentary, and experimental films that reveal the key role politics and religion play in gay and lesbian sexualities in this part of the world. While these recurrent underlying themes could potentially reinforce stereotypes of what it is like to be queer in Tel-Aviv today, the diversity of approaches undermines any attempt to define any single gay and/or lesbian Israeli sensibility and/or lifestyle. Faithful to the original project shot in Berlin, FUCKING DIFFERENT TEL-AVIV addresses existing clichés of masculinity and femininity, while trying to eradicate them through exposure, scrutiny, or simply recognition.

The Films:

I AM BRIGITTE (Stephanie Abramovich)

BLOOD MONEY (Elad Zakai)

ONE BENCH LEFT, ONE BENCH RIGHT (Yair Hochner)

DOES NOT DEPEND ON (Avital Barak, Sie Gal)

THE SHAME (Eran Koblik Kedar, Ricardo Rojstaczer)

YOSSI + YASMIN (Nir Ne’Eman)

POLITICAL SEX (Hila Ben Baruch)

ASPHA (Yossi Brauman)

DESARMES (November Wanderin)

CHERCHER LA FEMME (Sivan Levy, Eyal Bromberg)

PUBLIC ASYLUM (Yasmin Max)