On the eastern skirts of Haifa sits Wadi Rushmia, a region of abandoned quarries from the days of the British Mandate. Various groups have settled in the Wadi over the years. New Jewish immigrants, first from North Africa and Eastern Europe, then from Ethiopia and Russia came to live in this hole as well as Palestinian Arabs expelled from their homes. Throughout three chapters, filmed ten years apart, we see the changes that occurred in the Wadi, which serves as a microcosm of Israeli society. Wadi Grand Canyon is the third chapter in the series. Twenty years after the first film, the place has completely changed. A large commercial center has been built. New low-income housing projects have been constructed, housing new people. The series observes the changing demographics and also the changes in the architectural structures in the Wadi.
Amos Gitai
Amos Gitai is born in 1950 in Haifa, Israel. Based in Israel, the United States and France, Gitai has produced an extraordinary, wide-ranging, and deeply personal body of work. In around 40 films - documentary and fiction, Gitai has explored the layers of history in the Middle East and beyond, including his own personal history, through such themes as homeland and exile, religion, social control and utopia. His trademark style includes long takes with scarce but significant camera movements and a devilishly clever sense of humour.
General sponsor
Wadi Grand Canyon
Israel
2001, 90', color, video
Directed by:
Amos Gitai
Screenplay by:
Amos Gitai
Cinematography:
Yakov Saporta, Yosi Wein, Nurith Aviv
Edited by:
Solveig Nordlund, Anna Ruiz, Ifat Feinberg
Music:
The Natural Gathering
Producer:
Amos Gitai
Produced by:
Agav Films, Arte Produzioni, Noga Communication
