Ben-Gurion Epilogue
Screening and discussion
Sunday, February 27, 2:30 pm
Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center at Virginia Wesleyan University
Landis, Coppola, Reitman, and Reiner.What do all of these names have in common? Fans of movies or TV probably know. They’re all names of parents and children who famously work in the entertainment industry. Whether the creative business is in the blood, or it’s something else, the next Israel Today speaker shares that family connection.
Yael Perlov is an acclaimed film editor and producer from Tel Aviv, and the daughter of the renowned Israeli filmmaker David Perlov. Think Sophie and Francis Ford Coppola—both daughters were raised by prolific filmmakers and eventually took on the creative mantle for themselves. Over the course of her decades long career, Perlov has continued to elevate the family name in documentary and feature film formats, and has amassed international recognition, as well as many awards, including at 2001 Israeli Academy Award for best editing. When not working on films, Perlov is active in the academic realm as a faculty member at Tel Aviv University, and currently serves as a visiting scholar at Duke University.
Following the death of her father, Perlov set out with writer-director Yariv Mozer to reconstruct David Perlov’s 1970 feature film 42:6 about David Ben-Gurion. The two filmmakers stumbled upon an unknown six-hour interview with Ben-Gurion, which had been part of the preproduction process. This unique interview film (with no sound) set the pair off on a chase to find accompanying audiotape, which led them to “acclaimed British sound recordist, Malcolm Stewart, who had kept the original sound reels safe until eventually donating them,” according to Mozer. With the matched audio and visual reels located, Perlov used her prowess as an editor to put the puzzle back together, and continue the family tradition of a project centered around Ben-Gurion.
That puzzle eventually became the Ben-Gurion Epilogue. Yael Perlov will discuss the documentary as part of the Israel Today speaker series and the 29th Annual Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film. Those interested in viewing the screening and discussion can do so in-person or live virtually. In-person seating is limited, so pre-purchase of tickets is strongly recommended.
To purchase tickets or learn more about the 29th annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, or for the full lineup of films, visit JewishVA.org/FilmFestival or contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas at HThomas@UJFT.org.
To learn more about the Israel Today speaker series, visit JewishVA.org/IsraelToday or contact Elka Mednick, Jewish Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater assistant director, at EMednick@ujft.org.