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A documentary diptych exploring the work of two major Israeli painters of the same generation: Yohanan Simon and David Hendler. The film was commissioned by public broadcaster Channel 1, and directed by Benjamin Haim who was also behind the 1976 indie film, The Black Banana. In Reality and Reflection, Haim delves deep into both artists’ creative processes and distinctive traits: Simon, the cosmopolitan intellectual, was working in bold colours and leaning heavily into a figurative surrealist aesthetic at the time the film was made, following a long period of depicting kibbutz life in his earlier works; whereas Hendler who was famously the more lyrical of the two, was renowned for his clear-yet-refined black lines in his figurative sketches.
The meeting with Simon takes place in the affluent suburb of Kfar Shmaryahu where he and his second wife, haute couturier Finny Leitersdorf live. The David Hendler interview, meanwhile, is held in Tel Aviv and also features esteemed artist Aviva Uri, a highly influential figure who was Hendler’s primary model and later also his partner.
Reality and Reflection was produced with the help of experimental artist and cultural figure Joav BarEl who served as a consultant on the film. Between 1971-1972, BarEl developed and created a series of films for Channel 1, along with filmmaker and avantgarde artist Jacques Katmor and cinematographer, Amnon Solomon. Their films were steeped in the art and critical thinking of their time, focusing on a range of working artists (male and female) and their artistic oeuvre.
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All rights are reserved to the Jerusalem Cinematheque – Israeli Film Archive (RA) and the rights holders of the works. Any use of works on the website for non-individual and non-personal purposes is strictly prohibited without prior, written permission.
For more information about the rights holders, please visit the relevant collection page, or contact the Jerusalem Cinematheque – Israeli Film Archive (RA) offices.
We have the utmost respect for all rights holders’ copyright and put great efforts to track down any and all intellectual property owners for the purpose of seeking and obtaining permission to use their materials featured on the website.
Any and all materials are used in accordance with clause 27a of the 2007 Copyright Act. If you believe that your rights as intellectual property and copyright owners of any material featured on this website have been compromised, then you may contact the Israeli Film Archive via email with a cease-and-desist notice, requesting that the material in alleged copyright infringement no longer be used. When contacting the archive, please state the merit to your copyright ownership claim, as well as your full name, email address, and telephone number, with a link to the relevant webpage.
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