Diplomat

Dir. Dana Goren I Israel 2009 I 80 mins I Russian with English subtitles

This beautifully crafted documentary follows the lives of several new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, living in the Diplomat Hotel in Jerusalem. Intended only as a temporary absorption centre, this formerly grand hotel has become a permanent home to hundreds of people, both young and elderly, who never quite found their place in Israeli society, forming instead a ‘little Russia’ within the confines of the hotel building.

The film movingly follows different residents as their lives evolve like Chekhov plays in the hotel’s numerous rooms and long corridors, with the camera leading us from story to story. We are captivated by the claustrophobic world of our characters and their sense of loss, memory, regret and loneliness, but with much dignity and a glimpse of hope.

Diplomat is an accomplished piece of contemporary filmmaking, at once humane, nostalgic and surreal.

Wolgin Award for Best Documentary, Jerusalem Film Festival 2009

Screening with:

Eyes

Dir. Romi Aboulafia I Israel, UK I 2009 I 20 mins I London Film School

On the day her father is finally released from jail, 11 year old Amit secretly packs her things and sets out to meet him in a gambling club where he used to work.