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A Fish Tale

  • Israel
  • Documentary
  • 2019
  • 52 min.
  • Director(s): Emmanuelle Mayer
  • Producer(s): Emmanuelle Mayer, Noam Pinchas

Synopsis

Johnny believes in the future of Africa. He lives in Israel, but dreams of returning with modern fish farming techniques. His wife, Thérèse, sees little hope back home. She is determined to create the best possible future for their children, whatever the price may be. When their visas expire, tensions between the two arise, leading to an inevitable clash. Emmanuelle Mayer’s directorial debut is a moving documentary portrait, pieced out of ten years of intimate footage. Emphasizing the profound gap between developing Africa and the West, the film contrasts male and female narratives and raises ideas of choice versus fate.

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Credits

Director(s)

Emmanuelle Mayer

Producer(s)

Emmanuelle Mayer, Noam Pinchas

Script

Emmanuelle Mayer

Cinematography

Emmanuelle Mayer

Editor

Noam Amit

Original Music

Roy Rabinovici

Original Language

English

Subtitles

English, Hebrew, French

Sound Design

Neal Gibbs

Festival Highlights

  • SPECIAL MENTION

    Olhares do Mediterrâneo - Women's Film Festival
    2020
  • WINNER

    Audience Favorite Award – Documentary
    Jerusalem International Film Festival
    2019
  • WINNER

    The Other Israel Award for Best Israeli Film Highlighting Minority Populations
    Jerusalem International Film Festival
    2019
  • WINNER

    Best Debut Film Award
    Israeli Documentary Forum Awards
    2021

Seret International Film Festival, The Netherlands, 2021

Africa in Motion, UK, 2021

Mostra Internacional de Cinema Documental ‘Mares da Fin do Mundo’, Galicia Spain , 2021

Imagineindia , Spain, 2021

Belmont World Film, USA, 2021

Ethnocineca, Austria, 2021

Fishermen of the world Lorient, France, 2021

FIFEQ Montreal , Canada, 2021

Vienna Jewish Film Festival, Austria, 2020

Vancouver Jewish Film Fesival, Canada, 2020

Films Femmes Mediteranne Marseille, France, 2020

Olhares do Mediterrâneo - Women's Film Festival, Portugal, In Competition, 2020

International Film Festival Fishermen of the World, France, In Competition, 2020

Jerusalem International Film Festival, Israel, Documentary Competition, 2019

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Reviews

  • "With the will to take fate into their own hands, characters and achievement show us the courage to resist what could be a conventional script for a migratory and cinematic crossing between Israel, Ghana and the Netherlands. Life (and good cinema) is always more complex and ambivalent than a grand finale. Israel is revealed to us by the film now through its immigration policies. But it is through an intelligent and poetic montage that we feel the impact of their violence, when the course of the law confronts the fish ovulation cycle."
    - Jury of Olhares do Mediterrâneo - Women's Film Festival