A brother and sister in their twenties, run away from home after their dark secret is discovered. They find temporary refuge in a deserted nature reserve. When the sister falls into a hunting trap, set by a psychotic killer, the brother sets out in a race against time to rescue her. A forest ranger and his old dog, two apathetic cops, four tennis players and a murderer, wandering carefree amongst his traps, will all be gradually drawn into a whirlwind of misunderstandings, fears and violence.

interview with  Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado

What were the challenges involved in pioneering the horror genre in Israel?

The biggest challenge was to find a production company willing to finance our vision. In general, Israel doesn't like horror films, we don't have a tradition of horror in our industry and there is no discourse about it. Making any film is a gamble to its investors, but this film was an extra big risk, there was nothing to compare it to in the Israeli market. We were lucky to find producer Chilik Michaeli who read the script and convinced UCM to invest in Israel's first horror film.

Another challenge was how to attract a broad crowd to come and watch a horror film. We attempted to do this by infusing comedy into the movie. The geo-political situation in Israel is the catalyst for a lot of black humor. It's a way of dealing with the conflict, war and lack of stability in the region. Rabies is not a parody of a horror film in the tradition of Scream, but more of a bleak satire in the style of Michael Hanake's Funny Games or Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale.

How did your collaboration come about and how do you divide the work between you?

We first met at university, Aharon was a lecturer teaching cinematic theory and I took the class. He was the only member of the faculty who encouraged me to research and develop in my own unique direction. His knowledge of film, but more importantly, his love for film, led me to develop a great belief in him and I ended up forcibly making him my mentor! With his guidance, my student films were accepted to festivals around the world, including Cannes. After my final film project (a film that Aharon produced) was screened in New York, I asked him that life changing question: Maybe it's about time you started directing? Aharon is incapable of refusing a challenge and jumped on board. Since then we have been working together.

It's hard to say how we divide the work between us. We don't have a clear division of the roles which we always stick to. We get told a lot that we share the same brain (for better or for worse...), but working together comes very naturally to us. We are full partners in every aspect of the creative process which sometimes includes differing opinions which, in the end, usually end up contributing something positive to the whole!

What does Rabies say about Israeli society?

When we began to tell people that we were going to make a horror film, we were constantly asked; "Israel is full of real horror and terror, why would you put more of the same on the big screen?" But if this is the case, why does Israel make so many films about the conflict in the Middle-East?

We wanted to raise a point in the film about the fact that Israelis have stopped questioning themselves and their actions. Several high profile events such as our former President being recently convicted on rape charges, a government minister jailed for sexual harassment and a former Prime Minister being currently

investigated for bribery and corruption, create the impression that violence and intolerance are becoming inherent to our society, even in its highest, most respected ranks. Israelis have always been known for their "Middle-Eastern hot headed temperament", but there is a distinct feeling that during the past ten years this short fuse has become even shorter.

Can you tell us a bit about the casting process?

We were very keen to make a horror film with the biggest names in Israeli cinema. Names like Lior Ashkenazi, Menashe Noy and Ania Bukstein. Our thinking was that when you cast an unknown actor in a slasher movie you automatically know he or she is going to die. The only question is when and how? But by casting big name actors and creating lovable characters, the viewer is in less of a hurry to ask the same questions and on the contrary, ends up rooting for them to survive.

We were surprised at how quickly this fantastic cast agreed to do the film. Many of them expressed that they were keen take on different roles in different genres and find new cinematic challenges. Rabies could offer them a new challenge. The cast loved the script and there was a sense that everyone knew they were taking part in Israeli film history. Bless their sweet and twisted souls!

What was the most memorable moment of the shoot for you?

We shot most of our special effects scenes in long takes. This is a very small budget film so we had one or two takes for these complicated shots. One of these shots involved a long tracking shot, a huge explosion followed by a flying stunt man and capturing the reaction of a very scared actress. There was such a lot that could go wrong - the actress making the wrong gesture, the cinematographer missing his cue, the stunt man sailing through the air and ending up in the wrong place. We knew we had a second chance to get the shot but not a third. It was extremely nerve racking. Luckily, we did it in two takes!