A Hebrew Lesson

  • 120'
  • Israel
  • 2006
A Hebrew Lesson is a humorous, smart and exciting mosaic of a mixture of immigrants of various nationalities and their teacher. It is a film that gets under the skin of its participants as well as that of the audience. One of those whose characters won’t let you go even days after having seen it - and actually you don’t want them to leave.
Chin left her daughter in China and came to Israel to make a living there. She cleaned Ehud’s house, and they fell in love. Sasha never considered immigrating to Israel. But four years after his wife left Russia with their daughter, he understood that life without his child would be worthless. He abandoned a thriving business, only to find himself in Tel Aviv’s worst neighbourhood. Marisol grew up as a Jewish princess in Lima, Peru and came to Israel to learn something about life. An unplanned pregnancy alters her plans.
These and other characters meet in a Hebrew language Ulpan, where their personal stories melt with the complexities of Israeli reality. The immense effort of learning a new language is revealed through their encounter with a strange culture and an unfamiliar environment. Israeli society is revealed through the foreigner’s eyes. This gaze - at times funny, at times sad - paints daily reality with irony. But beyond the obvious differences, the human common denominator of longing and love triumphs time and again.

Directors
David Ofek, Ron Rotem
Premiere
International premiere
Country of production
Israel
Year
2006
Festival Edition
IFFR 2007
Length
120'
Medium
Betacam Digi PAL
Original title
Ha'ulpan
Languages
Hebrew, English, Chinese, Russian, German, Spanish
Producers
Edna Kowarsky, Elinor Kowarsky
Production Company
Eden Productions
Sales
Cinephil
Screenplay
David Ofek, Sari Ezouz
Cinematography
Ron Rotem
Editor
Sari Ezouz
Music
Oren Menashe, Idan Einav
Website
http://edenproductions.co.il/productions/a-hebrew-lesson-haulpan
Directors
David Ofek, Ron Rotem
Premiere
International premiere
Country of production
Israel
Year
2006
Festival Edition
IFFR 2007
Length
120'
Medium
Betacam Digi PAL
Original title
Ha'ulpan
Languages
Hebrew, English, Chinese, Russian, German, Spanish
Producers
Edna Kowarsky, Elinor Kowarsky
Production Company
Eden Productions
Sales
Cinephil
Screenplay
David Ofek, Sari Ezouz
Cinematography
Ron Rotem
Editor
Sari Ezouz
Music
Oren Menashe, Idan Einav
Website
http://edenproductions.co.il/productions/a-hebrew-lesson-haulpan