Shani Rozanes is an Israeli journalist, writer, and filmmaker living in Berlin. A former news editor in leading Israeli media outlets, she currently works at Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster. “Golda” is her directorial debut.
“Golda” will premiere at the 2019 DOC NYC film festival on November 10. The film is co-directed by Sagi Bornstein and Udi Nir.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
SR: It is a historical biography of a groundbreaking woman who rose to the highest political position possible in the country she herself helped establish, and the tragic fall that soon followed. Using a never-before-seen interview conducted shortly before her passing, we go back to the main stations of her life and premiership, trying to understand how these two intertwined, and what effect her crucial years in office had on the fate of Israel, and on her own legacy. In a nutshell: “Golda” is a fascinating historical account that explores themes of leadership, vision, and hubris with a captivating and exceptional protagonist.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
SR: We started working on the movie in the fall of 2016 – the high days of the American presidency race featuring Hillary Clinton as the first-ever female candidate. The magnitude of the symbolism behind that title made us look into Israeli history, where a woman had already ruled the country 40 years beforehand. We felt that this fact was somewhat overlooked.
Meir herself never identified as a feminist, and always resented having that aspect highlighted; however we had no doubt her gender did play a big role in her premiership, and furthermore, in shaping her legacy and the way she has been perceived ever since.
On a personal level I can say I started this project just a few weeks after the birth of my son. As much as I was excited and happy to be a mom, I know now I was also completely petrified of getting lost in motherhood and sacrificing my career. In retrospect it feels like such a crazy move only a sleep deprived mom — who still hasn’t realized maternity leave is anything but leave — can make.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
SR: I don’t want them to think as much as I want them to feel. Golda Meir is considered by many in Israel as a controversial figure, and all along people kept asking if we are for or against her. I think the best answer is neither – we are very much trying to be with her, and present all sides of the story. There is something about the way we treat our leaders that is almost unfair – we expect them to be superheroes, and we forget they are flawed human beings. And when they are women, their room for error is even smaller.
When leaving this film I hope people take with them the understanding of the complexity involved in leadership — the sacrifices it entails, the responsibility it demands, and the deep and long term repercussion it might have.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
SR: If we talk about content then the biggest challenge was choosing the time frame we wanted to focus on. The devoted Zionist and socialist she was, Golda spent 50 years in the public sphere, and lived for 80. Where do we start telling her story?
Scaling down and focusing was also a challenge when editing. We had over 50 hours of interviews, and a few more good hours of archive material; synthesizing it all into one end product was so hard, especially working as part of a trio. We each had slightly different emphasis and visions. It wasn’t always easy to reach consensus, but we had one rule established: we all need to agree with every single statement that made the cut.
Working as a trio was especially challenging considering the distance. I live in Berlin, and my co-directors live in Israel. That limited my interaction with the footage, and made editing harder. During the work on the film I also became a mother of two, and was working full time – saying time management was a challenge would be a big understatement.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
SR: The film is an Israeli-German co-production, and it was sponsored by European and Israeli broadcasters (Arte, HOT8) and some local funds. We were lucky to have Arte on board at an early stage, but that was not enough.
It was very meaningful for us to have the film endorsed by an Israeli channel as well, not only for the financial reason but mostly in order to have a professional home that will provide good exposure and support. HOT8 was all of that. Once that fell through we felt we were on the right track.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
SR: There are just too many good stories left untold, and I find myself especially drawn to those of forgotten women. It was a natural progression after so many years in the news. I have always aspired to tell more complex stories, something the news format is very limited in providing, and I have to thank my great partners: mostly my co-director Sagi Bornstein, who has known me for over 15 years, for believing in me and giving me the chance to finally try.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
SR: Best advice: Take your time. This world tries to sell us the idea it is all about competing, conquering, and moving forward in a linear line of progression. That never really worked for me. I am ambitious, but I am also somewhat of a late bloomer, and being given the legitimacy to slow down and do it my way was so simple yet so liberating.
Worst advice: Stay put. For a while when I was younger I tried to fight my need to move, explore, and “get lost” for the sake of having a “standard normal life.” It failed, and left me confused and miserable.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
SR: Team up and engage — preferably with other women. Creative processes are hard and slow; they demand time, patience, and persistence.
You don’t have to be alone. Get yourself a partner for the ride, and I don’t necessarily mean someone to collaborate with professionally — someone who is caring and engaging and that you can bounce ideas off, get feedback or a pep talk from, or just a warm, comforting cup of tea at the end of what seems like a dead-end but is surely just a detour.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
SR: When it comes to documentary, “Stories We Tell” by Sarah Polley. So much has been written in its praise and rightfully so. It is a movie with a giant heart that examines brilliantly the elusiveness of memory, and complexity of the concept of family and love. Polley manages so brilliantly and captivatingly to reinvent the genre, and bend all its conventions.
When talking about a narrative film, it is probably Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding”. I first saw it while in India, and I must have seen it during that trip at least 20 times. It has colored my whole experience of being there in such vivid colors.
Nair is so bold in her choices, not shying away from social taboos, and in this movie she is touching upon the issues of incest and sexual harassment, while still giving the audience a taste of India’s traditions and culture. Being Nair, she maintains her sensitivity to class issues, and manages to so sensitively also shed light on those who are seen and treated in India as outcasts.
W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
SR: I cannot say I have been around in the industry long enough to detect much of it. In journalism and news media, which is where I mostly belong, you see how language has changed, and how the issue of female representation has become important. All male panels and teams are no longer a standard. It’s a start, but there’s still so much ahead of us.
