JIFF: Savoy

“A combination of fascinating documentary footage and excellent scripted scenes, recreating a tragic historical event and reestablishes a brave woman’s reputation.” - Jerusalem Film Festival Jury

Utilizing a synchronistic blend of archival footage, audio recordings, news reports, journal entries and reenactments, this engrossing docudrama reframes the fateful night in 1975, from the perspective of Levy and establishes her as the heroine she deserves to be. Winner of the Best Documentary at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

In Tel Aviv, 1975, 31-year-old housewife and mother Kochava Levy is taken as one of eight hostages when members of the Palestine Liberation Organization storm the Savoy Hotel, demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners and a secure transport to Damascus. Of Yemeni origin, Levy, able to speak both Hebrew and Arabic fluently, becomes a mediator between the PLO and the Israeli Defense Forces team of negotiators, even helping to arrange the release of a severely wounded hostage.

The director of the film Savoy (Zohar Wagner) is a graduate of the Steve Tisch Film School of Film and Television - Tel Aviv University

Rating

Unclass15

Duration

78 min

Language

Hebrew, Arabic (English subtitles)

Director

Zohar Wagner