Promised Land (Hebrew הארץ המובטחת) is a 2004 French-Israeli film, directed by Amos Gitai and starring Rosamund Pike, Diana Bespechni, and Hanna Schygulla. It tells the story of a group of East European girls smuggled into Israel to serve as prostitutes.[1] The film is the first of Gitai's "Frontier" trilogy and premiered at the Venice Film Festival.[2]
| Promised Land | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Film poster | |
| Hebrew | הארץ המובטחת |
| Directed by | Amos Gitaï |
| Written by | Amos Gitai, Marie-Jose Sanselme |
| Produced by | Amos Gitaï, Michael Tapuach |
| Starring | Rosamund Pike, Diana Bespechni, Hanna Schygulla |
| Cinematography | Caroline Champetier |
| Edited by | Yann Dedet, Isabelle Ingold |
| Music by | Simon Stockhausen |
Production companies | Agav Hafekot Agav Productions, MP Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 min |
| Country | France/Israel |
| Languages | Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, English |
Director Gitai commented on the film: "If I have succeeded in spoiling even one man's appetite, and causing him to stop going to prostitutes - then I feel I have succeeded in doing something."[3]
Synopsis
editThe film opens at night in the Sinai desert. Under the moonlight, a group of men and women warm themselves around a campfire. Women come from Eastern Europe expecting to work as prostitutes in nice hotels in Egypt. Tomorrow they will suffer rape, humiliation and will be auctioned off by a Frenchwoman named Anne. They will pass from hand to hand, victims of a network of prostitution, eventually being smuggled into Israel to work in a Red Sea resort nightclub.[1][4]
One night, at the brothel, Diana meets an English woman called Rose. She begs her for help. Their meeting is a sign of hope in the plight of these women.[1][4]
Cast
edit- Rosamund Pike : Rose
- Diana Bespechni : Diana
- Anne Parillaud : Anne
- Hanna Schygulla : Hanna
- Yussuf Abu-Warda : Yussuf
- Amos Lavie : Hezi
Awards
edit- CinemAvvenire Award, Cinema for Peace Award at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c Felperin, Leslie (14 September 2004). "Promised Land". Variety. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "Biography | The Films of Amos Gitai". www.amosgitai.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ Coussin, Orna (3 November 2004). "Stripping the Myths". Haaretz. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Promised Land | The Films of Amos Gitai". www.amosgitai.com. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ "Promised Land". www.gaiff.am. Retrieved 13 October 2019.