Freebies
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness
In the 14 years I’ve lived in Israel, which isn’t a very long time compared to some, I’m consistently amazed by the increasing sophistication of product placement in this country. Granted, there are a few other things to be impressed by, whether it’s the Silicon Wadi, medical advances or perhaps other items of a higher moral standard.
But when you’re coming from a place that practically created product placement — whether it was the plastic Coke cups from which we slurped our 7-11 Slurpees or the Tropicana orange juice t-shirts that were available through a mail-rebate offer — to go live somewhere that doesn’t know from touting its products, well, it’s just missing some flavor.
So you can imagine the pleasure and pride I felt at two recent events where different companies used the opportunity to tout their products in a fairly creative, somewhat useful manner. The first was at the opening event of the Jerusalem Film Festival, where each attendee received a hot cup from Nescafe, including packets of the all-important Nes coffee packets inside. I’m not a particular fan of drinking ‘Nes,’ and would have much preferred another of the light fleece blankets that Pelephone handed out last year, but I could appreciate the effort.
The next handout was a few nights later, at another film festival event, one of the free outdoor movies at Jerusalem’s old train station. After getting our free tickets, my friend noticed the Orange mobile phone posters telling customer to punch in the word ‘Enjoy’ and send it to 999 for a treat from the company. With great excitement and anticipation, I approached the stand and was handed my gift in an Orange bag. Could it be a blanket? But no. It was a sweet, slightly edgy gray teddy bear. Perhaps useful as a cushion while watching The Band’s Visit from the hard, stadium-style seats and certainly a welcome collection to my stepdaughter’s stuffed animal collection. Yet nothing like the white Bezeq-branded cushions we were given years back at a Shlomo Artzi concert in Caesarea.
Still. Effort counts. And I’m getting a lot of use out of my complimentary Khalifa pen; received when I purchased my new pair of Teva Naots. So that’s something.
Hot town, summer in the city
When it’s hot in Jerusalem, it’s easiest to escape to air conditioning, particularly in a house like mine, which unfortunately lacks the all-necessary western exposure. But the moment the sun starts setting, the air outside gets cool and it’s amazing what kind of breeze you can catch.
I was thinking about that twice over the last four days; the first time, on Thursday, when we sat in Sultan’s Pool for the opening event of the Jerusalem Film Festival, watching Wall-E and actually wearing jackets. Bliss for July. But tonight’s outing was an even better combination of air, view and nature, as we headed up to Har Haruach, or Windy Hill, for a picnic in honor of my nephew’s birthday.
Located in the Judean Hills near Abu Gosh and Maale Hahamisha, Har Haruach is a JNF-KKL forest with several picnic areas that include playground facilities, a flat, one-kilometer walking trail and a beautiful view into the valley below. Beyond the park is the Himmelfarb’s Har Haruach organic goat cheese farm; a great stop for some tasty treats or as a complete outing. We didn’t head there today. Instead, we copped a squat in one of the picnic areas, set up some dinner and watched the sun go down over the Judean Hills.
There were some bees bugging us, but the air was clean and fresh, and we had the place to ourselves. Even better, though, was driving though the forest on our way home, and seeing a circle of people sitting around a medura (bonfire), singing, and probably roasting potatoes. Simple pleasures.
The Jerusalem Film Festival presents: Malkovich! Malkovich! Malkovich!
Meta-meta-humor and celebrity commentary are seemingly concepts native to the Jewish motion picture entertainment headspace – from Woody Allen’s classic mockumentary Zelig, which meditated on the individual’s ability to adapt to whatever high-profile circumstances may arise, all the way to the eponymous chutzpanit’s hyper-fictionalized self in The Sarah Silverman Program.
In other words, having always been steeped in social commentary and self-obsessed mockery, Jewish entertainment seems to now be hopelessly entangled with the exercise of wondering who the real Self is and what the nature of the relationship between that Self and its collective audience may boil down to.
Celebrating its 25th incarnation when the Pixar Wall-E hits the extra-big screen at Sultan’s Pool on July 10th, The Jerusalem Film Festival has, over the years, succeeded in securing some not unimpressive guests. Among the film scene luminaries who have graced Hebron Road’s Cinematheque and its festival’s satellite venues are David Mamet, Roger Corman, Ang Lee, Jane Fonda, Warren Beaty, Bob Hoskins, Roberto Benigni, Robert De Niro, Kirk Douglas and Roman Polanski.
At the 2006 Jerusalem Film Festival, Ohio-bred Jewish actress Debra Winger made an appearance, returning to the land (where she reportedly had spent a couple years serving in the military as a young lady) during a time in her life when she had decided to take a few steps back from the Hollywood entertainment machinery – a hiatus that inspired Rosanna Arquette four years prior to release Searching for Debra Winger, a montage of interviews on the subject of women actresses and how they balance their careers with their personal lives. Meta-commentary included opinions care of Frances McDormand, Whoopi Goldberg, Daryl Hannah, Laura Dern, Teri Garr, Salma Hayek, Sharon Stone, Melanie Griffith and Meg Ryan.
Hollywood studio executive Mike Medavoy (Amadeus, Zodiac) has announced his participation in the 2008 Jerusalem Film Festival, as has British director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, Wonderland). But the headlining guest will be John Malkovich, one of the great thespian talents of our generation, and no stranger to meta-celebrity commentary himself. Malkovich has agreed to submit himself to a question-and-answer session on July 17, following a screening of Being John Malkovich, the groundbreaking 1999 Charlie Kaufman-Spike Jonze movie that wondered what it might mean for simple down-and-out plebeians to have the ability to become puppeteers of a famous persona.
Indeed, Being John Malkovich is the ultimate meta-celebrity meditation, making its star’s appearance at The Jerusalem Film Festival almost too poetic to be true. The festival’s publicity materials urge us to “leave these historical thoughts aside; this is, after all, a delightful comedy – unusual and cynical, with a slight melancholic touch,” but with a trend like this, how can we resist? When Malkovich looks out into the Cinematheque auditorium, will he see a crowd of shrewd hipsters raising their hands? Or will he see a bunch of Jews holding Malkovich masks to their heads in a scene reminiscent of the movie’s poster?
Movie picks
It’s Jerusalem Film Festival season and as usual, I’m somewhat obsessed with figuring out which movies I want to see, with whom and when. I know I’m not alone in this JFF excitement, given that I see other people around town, carrying their Film Festival guides, whether from the paper or purchased, pages thumbed and earmarked. 
This year is the 25th anniversary of the international film festival, which was created by the Jerusalem Cinematheque and screens dozens of Israeli and foreign films from around the world at several theaters in town, from July 10 through 19, including Moonlight Cinema, the free, night-time movies shown at the city’s old train station.
Taking in some flicks at the festival is always a great way to celebrate summer, starting with the opening night film that is shown on a giant screen in Sultan’s Pool, a valley shadowed by walls of the Old City. It’s a dramatic scene, even when the fare is family-friendly, such as this year’s choice, Pixar’s Wall-E.
Yet the rest of the festival is a rich smorgasbord of options, from the typical foreign fare of France, Italy Spain and England, to Asian titles, Scandinavian screenings and a wide choice of more select American films, as well as local films on a variety of subjects, from Arab-Jewish relations to more standard cultural fare about Israeli life.
Each year, I relish the opportunity to see films that wouldn’t necessarily reach these parts, whether it’s something I’ve read about, or a movie that piques my interest, but wouldn’t necessarily be my usual choice for a flick. It’s also a chance to be out in the city with other Jerusalemites as well as visitors, appreciating a city that doesn’t always get kudos for its cultural offerings.
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