GIADO
Synopsis
At the young age of 20, Yosef Dadosh was among 3,000 Jews sent from their homes in Benghazi to the Giado concentration camp nestled in the heart of the Libyan desert. Amidst extreme conditions, he bravely chronicled life within the camp through a secret diary. For seven decades, his diary remained locked away in a closet, concealed from the world, until after his passing.
Yosef’s diary provides an extraordinary and rare window into the harrowing routine at Giado. It captures the atrocities endured by its inhabitants in real time, offering an intimate and chilling account of their suffering. Despite his dedication to raising awareness about the Holocaust of Libyan Jews and fighting for its recognition by the State of Israel, Yosef chose to keep his personal ordeal hidden from his own children.
In an endeavor to bring this compelling story to life on the screen, a unique model of the camp was constructed and photographed. Through the use of animations, this model serves as a visual bridge, connecting the haunting texts of the diary with the stark reality of the camp. The resulting film merges historical accuracy with a distinctive cinematic language, offering a powerful and immersive exploration of Yosef’s profound journey and the dark legacy he left behind.
Credits
Director(s)
Golan Rise, Sharon Yaish
Producer(s)
Hagar Alroey
Executive Producer(s)
Golan Rise, Sharon Yaish - Tripolis Productions
Script
Golan Rise, Sharon Yaish
Cinematography
Racheli Rusinek, Rami Katzav
Editor
Tal Shefi
Original Music
Haim Frank Ilfman
Original Language
Hebrew, Italian, Arabic
Creative Director
Arit Gordon
Design, Painting, and Rotoscope
Adi Gershon
Animation and Visual Compositing
Ran Jurgenson
Miniature model design
Ranei Mazor
Colorist
Aharon Peer
Research
Michal Ron, Hagar Alroey, Ori Tor
Sound Designer
Aviv Aldema
Funding Bodies
KAN - Israeli Public Broadcast Corporation, NFCT, Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany
Festival Highlights
Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel, Documentary Competition, 2023
