Historically, women filmmakers account for only around seven percent of the films produced in Israel, reflecting the marginalization of the female voice in the local society, culture, and discourse. However, in the last decade, they have finally moved to the center stage to create some of our time's most successful and essential Israeli films. This course will discuss Israeli women's cinema from artistic and historical vantage points. Students will engage in critical thinking and use film theory and terminology to analyze the featured films, and to contextualize them in the broader context of Israeli history. This analysis will reveal recent shifts in Israeli society, including how women find their place in the army, how they fight the patriarchal religious institutions, and how they turn the Israeli His-tory into the Israeli Her-story. Furthermore, the course will touch on more universal questions on narrative structure, representation, and the male and the female gaze. |