"The Mori" - Israeli Short Film By Daniel Bettoun

A bit about myself...

Hey,

 

My name is Daniel Bettoun. I'm 29 , currently from Ramat Gan, Originally from a settlement in the samaria, israel. I was born and raised in a religious family with many Silbling , seven more, to be precise. All my chilhood years, untill the rebeliouse age of 16, I spent in a religious life style. It was very important to my father that we abide by conservative religious tradition, sometimes rougher, sometimes less, always complicated.

At the age of 18 i joined the army and following my discharge in 2011, i guided groups from abroad that were coming to travel and study in israel, after which i flew to the East. There i was witness to a variety of forms of father-son relations, and in general, family-to-tradition relations. After my return i sgned up for cinema studies and at the end of the year i wrote , produced (not alone) and directed my final, the short film " Jundi". Which was shown in the short film segment of the Cannes Film Festival and immediatly was sold to an international distribution company.

These days i try to do it all - writer, producer, director and a full time empolyee from 9-17.

And that is my 2 cents about me.

 

During the past year, i wrote the script for my first, short, independent film, "The Mori", during which time, i did thorough research on the subject, deleted scenes, added , adapted and balanced. Creating the charachters was an extremly complex and faciating process, with whom and, for some i cried , laughed, got angry and felt happy and all while in s deep process with myself as the variety of characters came one way or another vrom my personal life.

 

 

So what is the film about?

The Subject of the ful, speaks volumes about the relationships between father and sons and between fathers and their forfathers before them. More specifically it Follows the importane of transmitting the tradition in the yemenite community,

The movie follows Yair. A sirious and inroverted man, a father of three in a Yemenite religious family. Serve and work as the "mori" in the comunity where he lives, and teaches the children of the community to read and pronounce the poetry correctly according to the yemenite Cantillation notes.

A" Mori" is a jewish yemenite Rabbi or teacher (also known as "Melamed") who i responsible for teaching the children of the community the ancient Yemenite traditions. Among others, they are taught the unique yemenite pronunciation and melody used to reading the Tora and piyuttim (liturgical poems or songs).

Yair passes his life and his lessons with a hand as hard and rigid as it was passed on to him by his father before him as it is the only way he knows. Yair has five young students with his youngest son Eliad among them. Yair likes to place difficult exercises while studying and expects everyone to meet highest standards such as reading the book in revrese, etc. We will follow Yair's relationship with his students, his family , his wife, and especially with his youngest son and his higher expectations of him. In the mist of the story, Yair reaches a breaking point in his relationships with those around him, and he must do some reckoning in order to find the correcy way to be a "Mori" and a father.

The movie talks about th emotional experiences , both internal and external, between as introverted and strange man in his peronal way, but certainly well-intentioned, who is a tough teached to his students and his son in a traditional and sometimes unforgiving way. But at the same time helplessness and longing to know how and where to the limit.

The film has a secondary theme, of course, which accompanies the main message, the transfer of tradition is uncompromisingly imprtant in culture and everything in order to preserve the unique and mukty-year Yemenite tradition.

 

 

Why did i write about this, and how ?

 

Before anything else, I would like to thank my good friend Nir Katriel , who provided me with the intiail inspiration for creating this vision and script i the the first place. Thank you my dear friend.

There isn't one spesific reason that i wrote about this subject, but i'll focus on some main ones.

Yair story is very familair to me in parallel ways from my personal life, Yair's relationship with his young son, his tough hand in life , his pious observance of tradition and his preference of it above everything else and of course, the prcoess that that Yair goes through in finding balance, much like my father. My sibling and i and our relations with my father are complex and sometimes difficult, as are the the relatioship between my father and mother. In this script , i found myselfa ablt to give a lot of myself , my chilhhod and my life, the things that builty me and the subjects that facinate me, into it. Matters that were no less imprtant to me, such the idea of preserving and passing on traditions, the correct ways to be a father and a son, were put into it. And of course, the imprtance that the Yemenite culture has created and preserved the roll of the "Mori" , who was in fact responsible for the preservation of tradition i passing it on to the young ones, for all those years.

I came about to write this script mainly during the process. I began with the main idea that was the character and role of the "Mori", how and what he marks and symbolizes. I realized during the research and the writing process that i had no reason to reasist my hand as it was automaticaly writing a script that was parallel to my life, and i just kept going. The writing process was long and extremly complex, epscially the character of Yair, who was stuborn already on writing. Challenging me . His dedictaion of his to his role as the Mori , and his hardness during classes made me angry at him, hate him at times, though at the same time to be filled with laught and happiness from his good and driving intentions, and his odd, intorverted behavior. It waas almost like he ws waiting for me to write about him at long last. Days mixed into nights as i sat to write and order and reture . and delete, and changing, until i finished writing. Happy and confident.

I have started my journey!

Once i realized that the script must be braought to lige, i contacted some of the finest people in the film industry, and luckily for me the following prodigies have joined me:

 

Film Producer - Offer Lachish

An independent film and television producer, directoy of plays and Former producwer of Tmuna theather. At Present, he works in various film and television prdoctions, commercials and in addtion the production manager of Inbal Pinto and Avshalom dancing group.

Amongst his work:

"Point of view" -  Producer and executive producer, a short film directed by lior Rubinshtain.

"Curve over 30" - Producer and executive producer , directed by Sahron Danon, winnder of the second place in the short film festival in Haifa.

"Paul" - Executive Producer, a short fil, directed by Adam Bizanski. Winner of the best short fil, award at the chicago film festival and many other prizes.

 

Chief Cinematographer - Gal Ginossar

A graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film School. Currently freelances as a Chief photographer in many short long films, commercials and clips. He has won many awards with his quality work so far.

 

 

Amongst his work:

"after the finale no" – photographer and director, Documentary film, American-German co-production

"Lady TITI" -  chief photographer, a United King & Light Steam production.

" Gevurot" - chief photographer, a full-length documentary film produced by Kibbutz Sha'ar Hagolan.

"Composer" - chief photographer, full length film produced by "Don Quixote Productions".

 

 

Soundtrack creator – Gal Hever

Oud Player, He is a graduate of the Musrara High School of Music from the East. Over the years, he has as specialized in Turkish music and studied with teachers in Israel and abroad. He is a main composer and a soundtrack creator. Today he plays in various ensembles and teaches.

 

 

I could not have asked for a better team to embark upon this journey with. Thank you.

 

 

So what is it that I am asking from you?

It’s not a secret that making movies is an expensive business even for the shortest of movies, but there is another reason I'm asking this of you, asking for your support.

While "The Muri" is a screenplay that I have written, Yair is a character of the many, and it is everyone's right to get to know him, to laugh with him, get angry with him as I have, and do every time I read the film script.

If the idea sounds good to you, we are in need of your support.

Come join us on this journey, help us turn this idea into a movie. Take part in the process as you see fit, be a part of making a short, quality Israeli film, that combines a deep issue such as a father-son relationship, alongside such a unique culture that has helped the Yemenite community for so many years

I would like point out once again, that this movie is one that my team and I believe in with all our hearts.

In order to help you make your decision, I have I have compiled a list of gifts that will help decide on the contribution that suits you personally.

Should you still have any doubts in your heart, listen to the original tune that Gal Hever, the composer of the film, composed as a theme for this film and campaign.

Pure pleasure.

 

 

 

A great thanks to Eitan Nussbacher for filming the video, to Ben Hakim and Yonatan Veneto for editing, to Zohar Rosen for everything, Aviv Rosenberg for Shiatsu, Acupuncture and Tuina and Bat Al Buschari for Acupuncture, Hot Stones and Massage for Help with the gifts, Adir Biton, you’re a true brother, THANK You very much!

 

Thank you all.

 

USD OR OTHER CURRENCY DONORS WHICH ARE IN ISRAEL ARE MOST WELCOME TO CHOOSE GIFTS SHOULD PREFER FROM ONE ON HEBREW VERSION OF THE CAMPAIGN, WHICH ARE ALSO TRANLSATED TO ENLGLISH FOR YOUR CONVINENT.