The Note Show Welcomes Filmmaker Yaniv Berman

Joshua Note, host of The Note Show, recently interviewed up-and-coming Israeli filmmaker Yaniv Berman (http://yanivberman.com/), who is making his first foray into feature films with "Land of the Little People." To say that the film courts controversy would be an understatement. By unapologetically showcasing issues like violence and desensitization in Israeli society, Berman will force his viewers to look in the mirror and perhaps think differently about their world. The full episode is available here: http://www.thenoteshow.com/episode-10-land-little-people-yaniv-berman/.

"People in Israel today are angrier and more frustrated," explained Berman. "Conflict has become too much a part of our routine, and there's less understanding of different points of view. People are losing hope that the fighting in Gaza and the West Bank will ever end."

The plot of "Land of the Little People" revolves around a group of neighborhood children who enjoy total freedom after a nameless, meaningless war breaks out. An abandoned army facility becomes their "base" for the childhood games and fantasies; those fantasies become realized when a pair of deserting soldiers hide out on the children's turf, and the children fight to take back what's theirs.

When asked how he would classify the film's genre, Berman responded that the crew's goal is to create realism and excitement, but also to make a powerful comment on the state of affairs in Israel. Filming begins this summer; location scouting and casting are already complete, and Berman mentioned in the interview that rehearsals are underway.

Berman's previous work includes "The Alpha Diaries," a first-person documentary shot while he fulfilled his annual obligations to the Israeli military. The 65-minute film won the 2007 Best Documentary award at the Zagreb Film Festival. Berman is currently in the MFA program at Tel-Aviv University.

Berman, along with Producer Tony Copti and Executive Producer Ziv Kitaro, have created a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of further raising the production values of an already professional creative operation. If successful, The Campaign will make possible better special effects, better equipment, props and makeup, and more work and attention throughout post-production. Learn more and perhaps become a supporter here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/29661040/land-of-the-little-people-a-feature-film.

Thanks in part to consistently lining up engaging and provocative guests like Yaniv Berman, The Note Show is happy to announce that its podcast has now been Downloaded over 150,000 times, a notable milestone for the show's producers. Listeners can catch every recording of the show by subscribing on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-note-show/id733743851?mt=2) or just checking out the website (www.thenoteshow.com).

To post a comment, you must register and login.