Thanks to his films, we knew his sense of humor, his taste for music, and his way of warding off sadness through fantasy. It was not known, however, that Israeli director Eran Kolirin liked to sing. He let us know, at the end of the interview, by first interpreting Indian summer then And if you did not exist, by Joe Dassin. “These songs are perfect”, he said smiling, getting ready to resume his recital which, alas, ended the arrival of the photographer. So let’s get down to business.
To date, three of his films have been selected at Cannes, in the Un certain regard category. The Band’s Visit, in 2007, which obtained three prizes including that of the jury; Beyond the Mountains and Hills in 2016; And there was a morning in contention this year. A feature film adapted from the eponymous novel by Sayed Kashua (Editions de l’Olivier, 2006), which tells about Sami’s (Alex Bachri) return to the Arab village where he grew up, before leaving to go to live in Jerusalem. Having come for two days at his brother’s wedding, he will not be able to leave because of the Israeli army which, during the night, surrounds the village, cutting off its inhabitants from the rest of the world.
From this absurd situation, Eran Kolirin draws a deliciously melancholy fable on the question of belonging. “The film questions what it means “feel at home”. What the Anglo-Saxons call “home” is perhaps what offers you the right resistance, the right struggle, underlines the director. As long as Sami seeks to stay away from his roots, he cannot confront either himself or others. The Arabs of Israel are invisible to our country. They live in a democracy, but do not have the same rights as others, they find themselves stuck in an untenable position and feel guilty about it vis-à-vis the Palestinians in the West Bank. Their identity is thus undermined. The only territory they have left is their home. ”
Born in 1973 in Tel-Aviv where he still lives (for, among other things, the sea and the sun that sets there), Eran Kolirin says he grew up in a tribe “Fun”. “My father was born in Israel, before the creation of the state. His family has been rooted there since the XVIe century. While my mother comes from a Lithuanian family, survivors of the Shoah, who came to settle there after the war. It made two very different stories coexist with me. With, on my mother’s side, survivors and very strong people. And, on my father’s side, cushy people, who feel in their place without asking any questions, live life as it comes. “
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