THE OSLO DIARIES A film by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan
Runtime: 94 minutes Country of Origin: Israel/Canada
Language: English and Hebrew/Arabic Genre: Documentary
Unrated SALES CONTACT: PRODUCER CONTACT: MetFilm Sales Medalia Productions Vesna Cudic Hilla Medalia [email protected] [email protected] +44.20.8280.9117 +972.54.479.1124 / 1.917.650.0084
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SYNOPSIS In 1992, with Israeli-Palestinian relations at an all-time low and any communication punishable with jail time, a small group of Israelis and Palestinians gathered in Oslo – secretly and against the law. Although the meetings that came to be known as The Oslo Accords changed the Middle East forever, they were never officially sanctioned and were chronicled only by the negotiators' diaries. In The Oslo Diaries, directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (Censored Voices, Sundance 2015) bring us a riveting account of 1100 days of secret talks as told by the people who were there at the table. The participants’ detailed and often emotional entries recount the political intrigue, fiery rhetoric, unlikely friendships, and overwhelming desire for peace that were the heart of the negotiations. Featuring never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with key players - including the last on-camera conversation with former Israeli president Shimon Peres - the film recounts a geopolitical story, with a narrative voice that is personal and philosophical. Although politics ultimately doomed The Oslo Accords, the story’s end for the people of Israel and Palestine remains unwritten.
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DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
BY MOR LOUSHY AND DANIEL SIVAN When a child is born in Israel, even before he's given a name, he already has a destiny which is set in stone: when he grows up he will become a soldier. This destiny is known to all, as most parents have been soldiers themselves. When we were born, back in the early 80s, our parents told us the same lie all Israeli parents give their children: "When you grow up you won't go to the army" they said, "There will be no need for an army, as we will have peace with our neighbors." Now that we are parents ourselves, we find ourselves telling our children the exact same lie. For generations Israelis have been dreaming of peace and failing to achieve it. Our question is "why?" The Oslo Diaries is our personal journey, back to the one decisive moment that almost changed our history. A tipping point in which two sworn enemies had taken a leap of faith that seems unimaginable nowadays. Striving to understand why we keep failing in peacemaking, we have uncovered a passionate story of the people who didn't fail, but have created bridges and friendships where only bullets and hatred were previously exchanged. This is not a fantasy tale and like all tales in the Middle East, it is complex: The Israelis were not equals to the Palestinians, but an occupying nation; Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin did not become soul mates and kept distrusting each other until their last days; and these years of hope and prosperity were also filled with violence and oppression - and yet there was hope. Hope like never before. You could feel in the air the ground was changing, that we were transitioning into a new Middle East, to a life of true co-existence. Sadly, this sense of change did not escape the extremists who had fought peace on both sides like never before - and won. The tragic ending of this story is known to us all too well, as peace has not come to our region. And yet, we wish that the audience will see past the tragedy and into that moment of hope, as peace was in the making and enemies had become partners. Despite all the complexities the answer is so simple: we are all human, we all want to live good lives and raise our children on this small piece of land, we all deserve to live together in equality, without walls and hatred, without lying to our children about the future - but fighting side by side for a life in which no Israeli child is destined to become a soldier and no Palestinian child is destined to fear him. It is our duty as filmmakers, as Israelis and Palestinians, but most of all as parents, to fight for a different reality and to never give up, as peace between Israel and Palestine is not a dream, but our future.
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CREW BIOGRAPHIES MOR LOUSHY (Director/Co-Producer/ Editor) Mor Loushy is an award-winning Israeli director. Her debut film, Israel Ltd (2009), premiered at IDFA and was broadcast worldwide. Her latest documentary, Censored Voices (2015), won an Ophir Award for best documentary. Censored Voices premiered at Sundance Film Festival and screened at BFI London and IDFA and released theatrically worldwide. DANIEL SIVAN (Director/Co-Producer/Editor) Daniel Sivan is an award-winning Israeli director/producer known for his critical social-political documentaries. His works include Censored Voices (Sundance, Berlinale, BFI), Offside (Tribeca, IDFA), and The Patriot. He recently edited Death in the Terminal (executive produced by Mark Boal and Megan Ellison)—winner of an Ophir Award and a Hot Docs best mid-length documentary award. HILLA MEDALIA (Producer) Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Hilla Medalia has received three Emmy® nominations. Her projects have garnered critical acclaim and screened internationally in theaters and on television, including HBO, MTV, BBC, and ARTE. Her range of titles include To Die in Jerusalem 2007 (HBO), After the Storm 2009 (MTV), Numbered 2012 (ARTE), Dancing in Jaffa 2013 (Tribeca, IFC Sundance selects), Web Junkie 2014 (Sundance Film Festival, POV (PBS), BBC), The Go Go Boys 2014 (Cannes Film Festival), Censored Voices 2015 (Sundance Film Festival, Berlinale), Muhi – Generally Temporary 2017 (SF Film Festival, HotDocs, IDFA), and The Oslo Diaries 2018 (Sundance Film Festival). Hilla is a mentor for the NFCT’s Business Card Program for Emerging Filmmakers, where she acts as lector and judge at film festivals and forums. She is also a member of The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Israeli Academy of Film and Television, and a board member of The Israeli Director's Guild. Medalia holds a Master of Arts from Southern Illinois University.
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INA FICHMAN (Producer) For twenty-five years, veteran producer/ executive producer Ina Fichman has been producing award-winning documentary and fiction films for Intuitive Pictures, a Montreal-based company specializing in international co-productions that is dedicated to producing quality film, television, and interactive productions. Some critically acclaimed features produced by Intuitive Pictures in the recent years included Mabul (The Flood), Monsoon, The Wanted 18, and Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt. Interactive productions include the web project 100% TShirt, the interactive graphic novel The Wanted 18, and Space Advisor: a Guide to Space Tourism. Intuitive Pictures recently completed the documentary Game Fever and the company’s current productions include Laila at the Bridge, The Oslo Diaries, The Patriot, Shekinah 2, and Gift. Ina currently sits on the boards of the CMPA, Canada’s producers’ association and DOC Quebec. She is a founder of FCTNM (Montreal Women in Film) and WIFTI ( Women in Film and TV International).
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CREDITS
Directed by Mor Loushy Daniel Sivan
Produced by Hilla Medalia Ina Fichman
Co-Producers Daniel Sivan Mor Loushy
Kristian Mosvold
Executive Producers Guy Lavie
Koby Gal Raday Danna Stern
Dagmar Mielke Barbara Dobkin
Jean Tsien
Edited by Daniel Sivan Mor Loushy
Directors of Photography
Avner Shahaf Alex Margineanu
Original Music François Jolin
Sound Design
Sylvain Bellemare
Re-recording Mixer Michel Gauvin
Written by Mor Loushy Daniel Sivan
Consulting Editor Jean Tsien, ACE
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Participants
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi Dr. Yossi Beilin Maher el-Kurd
Dr. Saeb Erekat Avi GIl
Dr. Yair Hirschfeld Mona Juul
Dr. Daniel Kurtzer Dr. Aaron Miller Shimon Peres
Dr. Ron Pundak Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala)
Terje Rød-Larsen Dennis Ross
Uri Savir Nabil Shaath Joel Singer
Narrators
Yussef Abu Warda Omer Barnea
Dr. Yossi Beilin Gil Frank
Bobby Lax Samira Saraya
Senior Producer Ronny Merdinger
Production Managers
Mariel Ostrower Christine Rocheleau
Research
Mor Loushy
Sound Ashi Milo
Amos Zipory Tully Chen
End Song
Think of Others Poem by Mahmoud Darwish.
Music by Mira Awad Arrangement and musical production by Mira Awad and Ayal Yishay
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Additional Archive Research
Lily Yudinsky Nancy Marcotte
Additional Photography
Daniel Sivan Mor Loushy
Daniella Nowitz Hanna Abu Saada
Daniel Kedem
Additional Sound Maximilian Bloching
Shiraz Rishmawy
Assistant Camera Issa Qomseya
Lighting
Boaz Simcha Gali Reshef Irmi Kabiat
US Crew
Philippe Lavalette - Camera Operator Michael Boyle - Sound
Michael Kohlbr - Assistant Camera Trevor Stafford - Production Assistant
Smokestack - Production Services
Paris Crew Emmanuel Simon - Camera Operator
Ellie Mittelman - Sound Yael Vidan - Production Manager
London Crew
Daniel Gaal - Camera Operator Oki Harris- Sound
Emanuel Silva - Swing
Book Rights Coordination Yael Nahlieli
Books
Dr. Ron Pundak Secret Channel - Oslo - The Real Story Books in the Attic & Yedioth Books, 2001
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Uri Savir
The Process Vintage Books (New York: Random House), 1998
Dr. Yossi Beilin
Touching Peace: From the Oslo Accord to a Final Agreement London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi
This Side of Peace / A personal Account Simon & Schuster, 1995
Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala)
From Oslo to Jerusalem: The Palestinian Story of the Secret Negotiation I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd, Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., 2006
Production Coordinator Canada
Michael Czemerys
Palestinian Line Producer Taher Kosa
Palestinian Coordinator
Marwa Jbara-Tibi
Production Assistants Aviv Meseznik Tomer Preis
Make Up
Neta Sharoni
Post House - OPUS Gil Mitrany Ido Karilla
Ben Lelchuk Idan Liber
Ayelet Sella Dori Bashan Oded Cohen
Post-production Supervisor
Gary Evans Julien Tremblay
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Video Post-production - POST-MODERNE Post-production coordinator
Annie Dionne Colorist
Charles Boileau Assistant Colorist
Stéphanie Vaillancourt Online Editor
Etienne Beaupré Annaël Beauchemin
Graphic Design - Buck Créatifs
Motion design producer Stéphane Olivier
Motion design coordinator Valérie Lefebvre
Illustrator and motion designer Amandine Laguinier
Title and Poster Design
Chargefield John Godfrey
Sound Design Studio - Film Sly
Dialogue Editor Valéry Dufort-Boucher
Additional sound effects editor Francis Gauthier
Rerecording Facility- Beebop Studios
Re-recording Mixer Michel Gauvin
Project Manager Alban Berg Accounting Nathalie Arel
Technical Director Charles- Étienne Viau
Post House - D.B. STUDIOS
Ronit Shalvi Moshiko Moshe
Foley Artist Nin Hazan
Voice Over Recording Avi Mizrahi
Dolev Refaeli
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Foley Recorder Andres Rapaporte
Post Representative
Noa Assido
Additional Voice Over Ishai Golan Adam Helin
Eldad Prywes
Reenactments Reenactments Producer
Ronny Merdinger Reenactments Cast
Victor Braun Omri Stark
Elchanan Even Chen Yigael Filler Milad Mattar
Hussein Nakhleh Afif Shlewet
Hair & Makeup Rinat Alony
Wigs Rivka Zahavi Wigs
Additional Hair & Makeup Yael Levitan
Assistant Director Dina Zilberg Wardrobe
Gal Bonnette Wardrobe Assist
Mikki Eisman Location Manager
Idan Bardach Casting Director
Rutie Blum Art
Merav Zmora Tomer Roth Vered Kalish
Production Assistants
Ayelet Sack Asaf Rotem
Refael Havivi Reenactments Camera Rental
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Utopia Equipment Rental Locations
Dan Panorama Hotel, Haifa Sara Meltzer
Johara Hinawi Kiev Crew
Production Services Company - 23/32 films Sasha Cherniavskyi - Kiev Executive Producer
Jenia Bilous - Kiev Line Producer Arthur Vizenkov - Production Assistant
Julia Dubitska - Props Master Yaroslav Grischenko - Location Manager
Translation Adnan Taha
Suzy De Lowe Aryeh Naftaly Daniela Abadi Shelly Yosha
Nadine Nashef
Transcript Zachary Adu-Fleurant
Archive Coordinator
Nittany Manson
Camera Equipment Fitussy Equipment Rental
Additional Camera Equipment
Available Light, USA Cinema Vision, USA
DC Camera, USA Decode, UK
Kamera LLC, USA PhotoCine Rent, France
Ricardo Ostrower
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Subtitling capNsub
Ran Cohen Oren Yardeni
Financial Institution Canada
National Bank of Canada
Bookkeeping Efi Grinfeld
Hanan Grinfeld
Accounting Shmuel Shtainmetz
Accounting Canada
Rouge Cayenne Nathalie Arel
Business Affairs Canada
Sylvie Krasker
Legal Services Daniel Ilan
Michelle Elsner Lilia Stantcheva Michelle Butler
Additional Legal Services
Cristina Caroppo Elisabeth Macher
Legal Services Canada
Randy Kirshenbaum Lussier & Khouzam
Insurance
David Shani Globalex
Member of Front Row Insurance Brokers
Travel Services Good Directions Ltd.
Shlomi Huminer Klara Zeigman Voyages GPS
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Archival Footage Yigal Goren, Goren Productions Ltd. || Galex Foundation / Julie Gal || Channel 1 Film Archive, Kan - IPBC- Shaul Bessor, Billy Segal || CNN - Jeanine Armstrong || ABC - Ric Dispinseri || AP Archive - James Kearney || TV 2 DANMARK A/S || France Télévision – Jerusalem Bureau/France 2 - Anne-Catherine Franco, Carole Gozlan, Franck Genauzeau || Getty Images / BBC Motion Gallery || Novalux Multimedia || HUMAN - Rita Stegeman-Kartopawiro || The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation - Dr. Neli Oren || Rabin Center Archive - Dorit Ben- Ami || Israel Educational Television || SCREENOCEAN/REUTERS || Multimedia Novalux ||Rabin Assassination Shot by Roni Kempler || Yedioth Ahronoth || Channel 2 News - Ella Gadasi
We have made an honest effort to identify the copyright holders of the archive material.
We apologize profoundly for possible mistakes and omissions and will correct them after their announcement for later screenings of the film.
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Thanks
David Abadi Yoav Abramovich
Mika Almog Yoss Appelbaum
Tula Amir Adi Arbel
Shaul Arieli Jennifer Battat Daniela Beilin Arik Bernstein Lisa Chanoff Dan Cogan
Bonni Cohen Benedikte Danielsen - Creative Europe,
Norway Geralyn W. Dreyfous
Yonat Dror Economic Cooperation Foundation
Giora Einy Singer Family
Hirshfeld Family Issa Freij
Megan Gelstein Franck Genauzeau
Avi Gil Carole Gozlan
Barak Heymann Nachman Ingber
Aluma Kasher Boaz Karni
Aviva Kempner Ronit Kenan Maya Klar
Erez Laufer Efraim Lavie
Avishag Leibovich Micha Levinson
Orly Malessa Mitch McCabe
Ora and Avraham Medalia Kobi Meidan
Dr. Yehuda Melzer Ilai Melzer
Robin Mirsky Sarah Mohr Peace Now Hagit Ofran Eva Orner
Yaara Ozery Jean Pelletier Arie Raichman
Alon Sahar Anat Saragusti
Mia Savir Aliza Savir Pini Schatz
Ibtisam Shamma Philip Shane Uria Shaviv
Hana Shaviv Tali Shemesh Renen Shor
Yael Simhony Asaf Sodri
The Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, Tel Aviv University
Alice Tillet Eran Torbiner
Gil Toren Iikka Vehkalahti
Michal Weits Nathalie Windhorst Nehama Wohlberg
Orna Yarmut Abir Zainab
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Special Thanks James Lecesne
Adnan Taha Julie Parker-Benello
Gary and Tami Weiss Muhammad Babay
Irit Elkabez Loushy Family Sivan Family
Michael and Ellie Loushy Sivan
Produced in association with
Executive Producer
Guy Lavie Executive Producers
Koby Gal Raday Danna Stern
Commissioning Editor Adi Tal
Docu Producer Lion Valer PR Israel
Shlomi Bidani
RBB Production Manager
Rainer Baumert RBB/ARTE Editorial Staff
Dagmar Mielke Commissioning Editors
Dagmar Mielke (RBB/ARTE) Rolf Bergmann (RBB)
Carlos Gerstenhauer (BR) Matthias Leybrand (BR)
Sabine Mieder (HR)
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Senior Director, TV Information, French Services
Jean Pelletier , Senior Director, Content Planning and Schedule Management, Programming
News, French Services Pierre Tremblay
Senior Director, Documentary
Sandra Kleinfeld Production Executive, documentary Channel
Jordana Ross
Kristian Mosvold
This film was produced with the support of The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts - Cinema Project
with the participation of the Leon Recanati Foundation Supported by the Cultural Administration, Israel Ministry of Culture and Sport
The Israel Film Council
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Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit
This film was supported by a grant from
Catapult Film Fund
Jenerosity Foundation
RTS Radio Télévision Suisse – Unité des Films Documentaires – Irène Challand &
Gaspard Lamunière
in association with VPRO
in association with Yle Erkko Lyytinen
DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation) Commissioning Editors: Mette Hoffmann
Meyer and Anders Bruus
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Fiscal Sponsor
Rough Cut Services
With support from
The film was produced with the endorsement of CoPro-
Documentary Marketing Foundation RA
Distribution Canada B.in Media
Distribution Advisor
Submarine Entertainment Josh Braun Dan Braun Ben Braun
© 2018 Medalia Productions LTD/Intuitive Pictures Productions Inc. All rights reserved