Va, vis et deviens (2005)

Director:

Radu Mihaileanu

Writers:

Alain-Michel Blanc (collaborator on screenplay)
Radu Mihaileanu

Release Date:

1 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews. In turn they are secretly carried to Israel...

Plot Keywords:

Jew | Love | Letter | Fugitive | Ethiopian

Awards:

9 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Yaël Abecassis	...	Yael
Roschdy Zem	...	Yoram
Moshe Agazai	...	Schlomo enfant
Moshe Abebe	...	Schlomo adolescent
Sirak M. Sabahat	...	Schlomo adulte
Yitzhak Edgar	...	Le Qès Amara
Roni Hadar	...	Sara
Rami Danon	...	Papy
Mimi Abonesh Kebede	...	Hana - la mère Juive Ethiopienne
Meskie Shibru Sivan	...	La mère de Schlomo
Raymonde Abecassis	...	Suzy
Yosi Alfi	...	Rabbin Talmud Tora (as Yossi Alfi)
Shmil Ben Ari	...	Directeur internat (as Shmil Ben-Ari)
Shlomo Vishinsky	...	Le policier
Shai Fredo	...	Le traducteur
Joy Rieger	...	Tali enfant
Elias Nazich	...	Dany enfant
Talia de Vries	...	Tali adolescente
Lana Ettinger	...	Tali adulte
Jonatan Regev	...	Dany adolescent
Tomer Offner	...	Dany adulte
Dor Shlosberg	...	Michael Leibovitch
Esti Elias	...	Fille discothèque
Avi Oriah	...	Le père de Sara (as Avi Oria)
Shimon Mimran	...	Psychologue internat
Abraham Celektar	...	Le fonctionnaire israélien 1 (as Avraham Selekter)
Marek Rozenbaum	...	Le fonctionnaire israélien 2
Elad Atrakchi	...	Itai
Mahmoud Kadah	...	Murad
Shmuel Beru	...	L'Ethiopien
Meir Suissa	...	Le docteur français (as Meir Swissa)
Elana Wondme	...	Petite fille
Mehereta Barush	...	Mère petite fille (as Mehereta Baruch)
Menissan Solomon	...	Ethiopien israélien 1
Shaul Mizrahi	...	Père palestinien
Gal Hoyberger	...	Lieutenant
Rachel Melesa	...	L'infirmière de Natania
Itzak Tegenae	...	Tzvi
Emmanuel Ulli Laor	...	Directeur école
Eitan Glass	...	Rabbin internat
Avi Hadash	...	Professeur internat
David Smadar	...	Rabbin docteur (as Dudik Smadar)
Yehuda Fuchs	...	Grand Rabbin
Ale Getao	...	Qès centre médical
Zoe Naveh	...	Einat
Yossi Vassa	...	Mike
Lascha Shimshoni	...	L'enseignante de l'école
Matan Franco	...	Adolescent Kibboutz 1
Aaron Vodovoz	...	Jeune homme Kibboutz
Hen Koren	...	Adolescent Kibboutz 2
Ben Heinberg	...	Adolescent Kibboutz 3
Shimon Siani	...	Le garde du Kibboutz
Adir Bakala	...	Garçon télé
Fitum Ayela	...	Infirmier du camp
Kasanshe Worku	...	La mère de Schlomo - 20 ans après
Patrick Descamps	...	Narrateur (voice)
Pierre-Jean Chérer	...	Reporter Guerre Golfe (voice) (as Pierre-Jean Cherer)
Hervé Pauchon	...	Reporter Soudan (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yasser Arafat	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Yitzhak Rabin	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Radu Mihaileanu

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alain-Michel Blanc		collaborator on screenplay
Radu Mihaileanu

Produced by
Denis Carot	....	producer
Marco Chimenz	....	producer
Yoram Globus	....	associate producer
Genevieve Lemal	....	associate producer
Alexandre Lippens	....	associate producer
Marie Masmonteil	....	producer
Radu Mihaileanu	....	producer
Marek Rozenbaum	....	producer
Giovanni Stabilini	....	producer
Itai Tamir	....	producer
Riccardo Tozzi	....	producer

Original Music by
Armand Amar

Cinematography by
Rémy Chevrin

Film Editing by
Ludo Troch

Casting by
Esther Kling
Hila Yuval

Production Design by
Eitan Levi		(as Eytan Levy)

Art Direction by
Yoel Herzberg

Costume Design by
Rona Doron

Makeup Department
Valérie Tranier	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Yacine Boucherit	....	unit manager
Yorick Kalbache	....	production manager
Saar Yogev	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shaul Dishy	....	co-first assistant director
Olivier Jacquet	....	first assistant director
Elodie Roy	....	third assistant director
Yaron Yarkoni	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Amiram Lichter	....	chief constructor
Nikolai Yosifov	....	assistant property master
Frank Pitussi	....	property master: Paris (uncredited)

Sound Department
Philippe Charbonnel	....	sound recordist
Quentin Collette	....	sound recordist
Mathieu Cox	....	second sound re-recording mixer
Eric DeVos	....	sound
Gert Janssen	....	dialogue editor
Marion Lorthioir	....	post-synchronization
Henri Morelle	....	sound
Misha Spektor	....	boom operator
Bruno Tarrière	....	sound re-recording mixer
Olivier Thys	....	assistant foley artist
Philippe van Leer	....	foley artist

Visual Effects by
Hugo Arcier	....	digital artist
Nicolas Daniel	....	video operator: Duboi
Séverine De Wever	....	visual effects coordinator
Thomas Duval	....	visual effects supervisor
Pierre Genin	....	digital artist
Abdel Ali Kassou	....	I/O manager
Frederic Medioni	....	tracking artist
Cyril Pichard	....	research & development
Aurore Rousset	....	3D animator
Daniel Trujillo	....	compositing supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Stéphane Agostini	....	electrician: France
Haim Asias	....	Steadicam operator
Ilan Ben Odiz	....	electrician
Amit Berlowitz	....	still photographer
Adi Borkin	....	best boy
Antonin Gendre	....	key grip
Yoni Hamenachem	....	still photographer
François Margolin	....	still photographer: credits photos
Guy Ne'eman	....	key grip
Yehuda Sar-Israel	....	second assistant camera
Stephane Seybald	....	electrician: France
Daniel Solomon	....	electrician
Alexandre Szabo-Fresnais	....	assistant camera
Serge Valézy	....	electrician: France
Adam Verete	....	electrician
François-Xavier Walter	....	grip
Gaby Weismann	....	focus puller: second camera

Editorial Department
Coralie Boulay	....	negative cutter
Séverine Cava	....	assistant editor
Virginie Deroubaix	....	post-production assistant
Catherine Le Mignant-Labye	....	assistant editor
Laurent Pelé	....	assistant editor
Marie Silvi	....	positive cutter

Music Department
The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra	....	musician
Mathieu Coupat	....	musician: piano
Nicolas Dautricourt	....	musician: violin
Thomas Jamois	....	music publisher
Asen Kanchev	....	music production manager
Thibault Leroy	....	musician: violincello
Manuel Solans	....	musician: violin

Transportation Department
Ilan Appel	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Joshua Berman	....	co-production supervisor
Olivia Bruynoghe	....	script supervisor
Regina Longo	....	archival film researcher

Thanks
Sirak M. Sabahat	....	special thanks
Peter Sehr	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Elzévir Films (presents)
• Oï Oï Oï Productions (presents)
• Cattleya (co-production)
• K2 SA (co-production)
• Transfax Film Productions (co-production)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (with the participation of)
• Medusa Film (in collaboration with)
• RTL-TVi (in co-production with)
• SCOPE Invest (in co-production with)
• CinéCinéma (with the participation of)
• Kiosque (with the participation of)
• Fonds Eurimages du Conseil de l'Europe (with the support of)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (with the support of)
• Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique (with the support of)
• Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique (with the support of)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (with the support of)

Distributors

• Bir Film (2005) (Turkey) (all media)
• Arti Film (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• CinemaCafe Films (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Les Films du Losange (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Menemsha Entertainment (2008) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Pandasia Entertainment (2006) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Seville Pictures (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Arti Film (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• France Télévision Distribution (2006) (France) (video)
• Medusa Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (all media)
• Seville Pictures (200?) (Canada) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Duboi

Other Companies

• Cinécool  titles
• Laboratoires Éclair  laboratory services
• Les Auditoriums de Joinville  sound post-production (as Auditoriums de Joinville)
• SIF309 Film & Music Productions  film score recording

Also Known As:

"Live and Become" - Australia, Canada (English title), International (English title) (imdb display title), Ireland (English title), UK, USA
"Go, See, and Become" - International (English title)
"Live & Become" - Canada (English title) (poster title)
"Vai e vivrai" - Italy (dubbed version)
"Geh und lebe" - Austria, Germany, Switzerland (German title)
"Élj és boldogulj!" - Hungary
"Bir sans daha" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Gå og bliv den du er" - Denmark
"Gå, lev, bliv" - Finland (Swedish title)
"Mene, näe, elä" - Finland
"Ser digno de ser" - Argentina
"Um Herói do Nosso Tempo" - Brazil
"Vai e Vive" - Portugal
"Vete y vive" - Spain
"Zyj i stan sie" - Poland (imdb display title)

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

France | Israel | Belgium | Italy

Language:

Hebrew | French | Amharic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | USA:Unrated | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Alon Junior High Scool, Givatayin, Israel

Company:

Elzévir Films

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France # 106667

Quotes:

Narrateur:They had been forgotten on their mountaintops, near Gondar. Yet, since the dawn of time, the Ethiopian Jews, known as the "Falashas", dreamed of returning to their homeland, the Holy Land, Jerusalem. With Israeli and U.S. Aid, a vast program was undertaken from November to January 1985 to transport the Ethiopian Jews to Israel...

Fascinating, Moving Story of a Falasha

Twenty-four hours after seeing this extraordinary, multi-layered film about a boy who is airlifted out of Ethiopia and brought to Israel, I am still reviewing images in my mind and wondering at the courage and audacity that must have been necessary to bring this story to the screen.

Salomon was nine years old, living in a desperate refugee camp in Sudan. In late 1984, there was a covert Israeli-American operation to save Ethiopian Jews, known as Falashas, by airlifting them to Israel. The Falashas, are a small branch of the Diaspora. But as they lined up for their exodus, Salomon's mother tells him firmly to "go, live and become", the title of the movie. She saw in the exodus an opportunity for her son to escape the death, disease, famine and civil war that were ravaging Ethiopia. Salomon's mother would stay behind.

The trauma of being told by his mother to leave was already strong stuff. But there is more; Salomon is not even a Falasha. So the arrival in modern Israel is a double shock for him. However, Salomon becomes Schlomo, and we see that he is a quick learner. He learns Hebrew and, when he is adopted by a bi-lingual French-Hebrew family, he learns French, too.

However, Schlomo has a persistent and profound desire to see his mother again. He is wounded. On top of that injury, he has to deal with racism and bigotry in Israel, while hiding the fact that he is not a Falasha. Schlomo carries a lot of emotional baggage, but he has some good people rooting for him. Like the Yarom and Yael, the couple who adopt Schlomo, and Sara, the girl who has him firmly in her sights. The story of Schlomo's trials and tribulations is moving on several levels.

What makes this film audacious is that it confronts the question "who is a Jew". The answer is not self-evident. Indeed, the question has been the subject of impassioned debate in Israel for years. The Falashas are just one case study. It is simply remarkable that someone would make a film that touches on this issue. Bravo!