Where does The Ballad of the Weeping Spring take place? The question hovers over Benny Toraty's Wild East fable, which may unfold in yesteryear's Levant, or perhaps just in fantasyland. Either way, music forms its center. So it's only fitting that Mark Eliyahu's soulful, nostalgic composing uses the "maqam" system of musical modes: "maqam" means "place" in Arabic. In the Eastern classical tradition, modal scales are used to influence one's spi...

Stacey Keach -  M Fenigstein On April 18th, Los Angeles had an Israeli flavor as the 27th edition of the Israel Film Festival kicked off. The festivities were in full swing. The audience was treated to a plentiful buffet, before walking in the theater of the WGA. The opening film was The Ballad of The Weeping Spring, an emotional drama that won 4 Israeli Oscars (Ophir Awards) in 2012: Best Original Music, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Production design, and Best Costume design. It s...