Screening an Israeli Film

March 23, 2004 2:44 PM

I am trying to track down a distributor for the Israeli film "Checkpoint Machssomim." I'm working with the SF Arab Film Festival this year and we may be interested in screening it. I need to contact a distributor who can send me a preview copy. I've emailed every Google hit for the film and director name. Anyone know a better way to find a film distributor? All the info I have about the film is [inside].

Direction:
Yoav Shamir

Cinematography:
Yoav Shamir

Editing:
Era Lapid

Sound:
Yoav Shamir

Producer:
Amit Breuer, Edna & Elinor Kowarsky

Production:
Amythos Films & Eden Productions

Video Colour 78'

Israel, 2003

Summary: The West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been under Israeli military authority since 1967. Over three million Palestinians live under Israeli occupation. When travelling from one village or city to another to go to work, to visit relatives, or to get medical treatment, they must pass through Israeli checkpoints. These checkpoints, essentially the first points of contact between the two people, have an enormous significance in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. From 2001 to 2003, director Yoav Shamir filmed at these checkpoints. The result is a chilling look at the destructive impact of the occupation on both societies.

Thanks!

posted by scarabic to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Have you contacted the organizers of the Amsterdam Doc Fest? According to this site, the film won at the 2003 festival there. They might be able to suggest another contact.

The SF Jewish Film Festival people might also have ideas about a distributor, though I might have just made a bizarre faux pas by suggesting that. I know they do quote a bit with Israeli films...
posted by arco at 6:07 PM on March 23, 2004

Also try First Hand Films. Checkpoint is listed among their films.
posted by arco at 6:17 PM on March 23, 2004

As arco mentioned, any festival the film has played at will have contact information on the distributor, and in most cases will be more than happy to supply you with the information, especially as you are coming from another festival.
posted by jazzkat11 at 6:58 PM on March 23, 2004

Response by poster: Yeah, I've contacted a few festivals, etc, who have played the film. I guess I'll keep writing to those until I find it. FirstHand looks promising. Some other good stuff listed there as well. I'll write them.

Thanks, arco. Just for the sake of my Google-Fu, how exactly didd you locate that?
posted by scarabic at 8:18 PM on March 23, 2004

I used Alltheweb because you said you had already tried Google. Interesting that the First Hand Films site is the second hit on Alltheweb using the words Checkpoint "Yoav Shamir" (with quotation marks), but doesn't seem to show up at all Google using the same search on Google. I tried a few different search phrases, some without quotation marks and some with them, which allows you to search for phrases (those words in that order).

Good luck tracking down a copy of the film! It sounds really interesting....
posted by arco at 9:06 PM on March 23, 2004

If you have access to any film festival program guides for festivals that have played the film, often they'll have a section in the back with contact information for the distributors.

Toronto's Festival of Festivals is a good source.
posted by filmgoerjuan at 12:15 AM on March 24, 2004