Gila Goldstein

Movie follows two young gay hustlers through interwoven stories during a night in Tel Aviv.

As in previous editions, lesbian filmmakers were asked to visualize their conceptions and observations of gay eroticism and sexuality, just as, conversely, gay filmmakers were asked to explore lesbian love in the Israeli capital.

Omer, Danny, Shirley, Michal, Ronen sont jeunes et vivent à Tel-Aviv. Chacun à sa manière est en quête de sa propre existence. Omer se réfugie dans les livres de la bibliothèque pour fuir sa vie. Il fait parfois des blind dates et, lors de l un d eux, rencontre Danny, un jeune homme plein d enthousiasme qui rêve de devenir danseur. Shirley, le petite soeur d'Omer, s'est lancée dans une relation amoureuse un peu particulière avec Michal, son patron. Ronen, le beau journaliste, parvient à ranimer les sentiments éteints d'Omer et allume en lui une flamme qu'il croyait perdue à jamais... Tous espèrent un changement, mais comment y parvenir?

Five short movies, linked by an animation, inspired by the life and work of Amos Guttman, the director from Transylvania who was a pioneer in Israeli gay cinema and died from AIDS in 1993. Produced by Tel Aviv Film Festival, it is a mixture of different styles and genres and is directed by six film-makers. In the last moving episode Kati Guttman celebrates his son, who passed away twenty years ago, and also recalls for the first time his own deportation to the Nazi death camps.

Gila Goldstein (1947-2017) was an actress, artist, and singer. She was one of the first Israeli transgender activists and also fed stray cats. “Gila Goldstein, Cat Lady” was shot in 1997 during research on the Tel Aviv cat-feeding community. Gila agreed to participate in the film as long as the focus stayed on the cats. But then her friend Ronit Maimon showed up, and the conversation went in a much more colorful direction. The film gives us a glimpse of the Israeli trans community and the lives of these two brave and unique women.