Aviva Press

By Maria Esteves - November 22, 2008

The 23rd Israel Film Festival (IFF) in New York celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary Historical Selection of CHILDREN OF THE SUN, written/directed by Ran Tal was held at the Clearview Cinema, Sunday, November 2, 2:00 PM. An exclusive Q&A with writer/director Ran Tal preceded the 2008 IFF Israeli Documentary Filmmakers Panel Discussion, at the Clearview Cinema, Sunday, November 2nd.   

ME: What inspired the making of the documentary film CHILDREN OF THE SON?

RT: My family roots belong to the Kibbutz community where I was born and raised. In my 20s, as a father living outside of the Kibbutz community, I realized I wanted to capture on film the history of Kibbutz living from my parent's generation up to the present, focusing on the meaning of community, friends, and relationships.      

ME: From what year are the archival footage used to make the film?

RT: I actually collected hundreds of hours of footage from 80 different films starting from the late 1930s to 1980s.

ME: What film festivals have CHILDREN OF THE SON been introduced? Did it win awards?

RT: It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Palm Beach International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Copenhagen International Film Festival, and many Jewish Film Festivals. It's schedule to screen in Europe and the Far East.

The film is winner of the Wolgin Award Best Documentary, Best Editing, Best Audio-Visual, 2007 Jerusalem Film Festival; Best Documentary, 2008 OPHIR AWARD (Israeli Academy Awards); 2008 FIAT Award, The International Federation of Television Archives (FIAT/IFTA); and Best Documentary, Best Directing, Best Production, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Soundtrack, Best Research, 2008 Israeli Documentary Forum Awards. 

ME:  Thank you, Mr. Tal.