PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE - SOLDIER/CITIZEN

Director: Silvina Landsmann
Israel, 2012, 68 minutes
In Hebrew w/ English subtitles
 

A dingy classroom, a looming deadline, skeptical students, and an exasperated instructor: how will Jewish democracy play itself out? Soldier/Citizen is a gritty, bare bones documentary that follows a group of soldiers studying for their civics test to attain their high school diplomas. Israeli civics in the classroom, however, is as volatile as it is in the region. Discussion of the meaning of Israeli democracy instigates old wounds, lingering stereotypes, and soul-searching arguments among these colorful young Israelis. This fascinating fly-on-the-wall documentary is an eye-opening primer on the mélange of ambivalence, reaction, and resilience of current Israeli opinion. Director Silvina Landsmann immerses her audience in the classroom as the students reveal a rarely examined facet of Israeli society. Special mention at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival.
 

Guest Speakers: Director Silvina Landsmann and Ira Brenner, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College