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FILMS

JAFFA, the orange's clockwork 2009
Documentary | 88 minutes | Video | Color | 16:9 anamorphic | Stereo | 2009 / Location : Israel, France / OV : Hebrew, Arabic


Jaffa, the orange’s clockwork narrates the visual history of the famous citrus fruit originated from   Palestine and known worldwide for centuries as "Jaffa oranges". The history of the orange is the history of this land. Through photography and cinema, poetry, paintings, workers of the citruses’ industry and historians, memory and present mythologies, Palestinians and Israelis cross and combine.

The close reading of the “Jaffa” brand’s representation is a reflection on western orientalist phantasms surrounding the ‘holy land’ and the ‘State of Israel’ and a way to reveal the untold story of what was once a commune industry and symbol to Arabs and Jews in Palestine.

Jaffa’s orange is one of the symbols that helped build the Zionist discourse about Palestine: a “desert we have made bloom”.

Based on photographic and cinematographic documents, some going back as far as to the 19th century, Eyal Sivan’s film shows the orange groves at a time when Arab Jaffa was one of Palestine’s most populated and thriving cities.

From the picking of the fruit to its packaging before exportation, the orange was a source of revenue for thousands of peasants and workmen, not only from Palestine, but from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon too. Jews and Arabs worked together in the orange groves. These images were progressively replaced by socialist realist images, Israeli style, depicting labor and songs, emancipated women in shorts, etc.: it was the spreading of the “Jewish Labor”, the socialist call to action, excluding the Arabs. In 1948, Jaffa was ruined under the bombs and most of its population was gone. Jaffa’s orange then became the symbol of an Arab-free Israel. An international advertising campaign imposed the name “Jaffa”, like a trademark, concealing the city of Jaffa, its more than a hundred-year-old orange groves, and the history of the Jewish Arab cooperation over this legendary fruit..




Director's statement
Jaffa, the orange’s clockwork is a political essay unfolding the story of the invention and the visual history of the world’s wide famous citrus fruit originated in Palestine and known around the world as "Jaffa oranges". While the orange become the symbol of the Zionist enterprise and the state of Israel, for Palestinians it symbolises the lost of their homeland and its destruction. Through a careful reading of the visual representation of the brand, the film reflects on western phantasms related to the ‘Orient’ the ‘holy land’ and the State of Israel and unveils the untold story of what was ones a commune symbol and industry to Arabs and Jews in Palestine.
The oranges of Jaffa, the fruits, the orchards, the brand name and the city - that gave to the fruit its name, are the backdrop of the commune Jewish-Arab life in Palestine before the establishment of Israel, the colonial covetousness, the account of obliteration, nationalization, then repudiation in order to propose a joint historical narrative.

© Trabelsi productions [ISR] l Alma films [ISR] l the factory [FR] l Luna blue film [BE] l WDR [ALL] l NOGA Channel8 [ISR] l RTBF [BE]

JAFFA, THE ORANGE'S CLOCKWORK

88 minutes | Video | Color | 16:9 anamorphic | Stereo | 2009
Location : Israel, France
OV : Hebrew, Arabic
Sub-titles : French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Hebrew, Arabic

A FILM BY
Eyal Sivan


WITH PARTICIPATION OF, IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Sami Abou Shahadeh - Ismaïl Abou Shahadeh - Haïm Gouri
Rona Sela - Elias Sanbar - Amnon Raz Krakotzkin - Gideon Makoff
Aviezer Chelouche - Tomer Chelouche - David Tartakover
Gideon Ofrat - Kamal Boullata - Moustapha Kabha
Mouhamed Hassouna - Shlomo Rizman - Arnon Yitzhaki
Mahmoud Yazbak - Doudik Shalit - Yosef Nahmias
Tal Amit - Roni Nakar - Zvi Kenan

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Erez Miller
CINEMATOGRAPHY
David Zarif
ADDITIONNEL CINEMATOGRAPHY
Vincent Fooy
Rémi Lainé
Shafir Sarusi
SOUND
Oren Raviv
Jean-Jacques Quinet
Asher Saraga
EDITOR
Audrey Maurion
AFTER EFFECT ANIMATION
Erez Miller
GRAPHIC CONCEPTION
Armelle Laborie
SOUND EDITING AND MIX
Jean-Jacques Quinet
ASSISTED BY
Damien Defays
RESEARCH
Marie-Nicole Feret
Tamar Katz
Yodfat Getz
ANIMATION STAND
Rahman Chowdhury
Fred Brown
ON LINE EDITING & COLOR GRADING
Matthew Hawkins
PRODUCTION MANAGER ISRAEL
Galit Cahlon
ASSISTANT CINEMATOGRAPHER
Nati Yehezkel
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Pascale Alibert
TRANSFERS
Michael Mograbi Berger
FRENCH VERSION
Catherine Neuve-Eglise

WITH THE FRENCH VOICES OF
Jean-Mars Delhausse - Thierry Janssens
Serge Kestemont - Fabienne Loriaux
André Pauwels - Philippe Résimont
Philippe Tasquin - Patrick Waleffe

TRANSCRIPTIONS AND TRANSLATIONS
Noa Ben Shalom
Rozeen Bisharat
Oriane Charpentier
Omaya Seddik
Awatef Shiekh
Louise Williams

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH
Yaakov Gross
Teresa Smith
Joan Yoshiwara
Kathrin Wildhagen

PRODUCTION ADMINISTRATION
Laurence Bertron

LEGAL SERVICE
Vered Cainar

TECHNICAL SERVICES
Brown & Altman, Tel-Aviv
MATRIX EAST RESEARCH LAB (MERL)
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of East London, UK
Haim Bresheeth , Steve Lauder
STUDIO
Studio 5 sur 5,  Bruxelles
MASTERISATION
Puzzle Film & Vidéo,  Bruxelles
SUB-TITLES
Nice Fellow, Paris

ARCHIVES
BFI National Archives
British Movietone
British Pathé
Footage Farm
Imperial War Museum
L’Atelier des Archives
Gaumont Pathé Archives
Ina
La Maison de la Pub/DR
Archives RTBF - Télévision belge
WDR Archives
Axelrod Collection - Jerusalem Cinematheque - Israel Film Archive
Citrus Marketing Board of Israel
IDF Archive
Israel Broadcasting Authority
Israel Film Services
Keren Kayemeth Le'Israel - Jewish National Fund
Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive - Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Central Zionist Archives
United Studios Archive - Herzliya Studios Ltd
Yad Tabenkin Archive
Ramattan news agency
Library of Congress
Nara

PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Visit Palestine LC-USZC4-8342,
G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection
State of Israel - National photo collection : Daniel Kaplen Zoltan Kluger
Keren Kayemeth Le’israel - Jewish National Fund : Dov Daphnai,
Zoltan Kluger, Ben Noam, Joseph Zweig
Collection Ilan Roth, Herzliyah
Yaakov Ben dov - Werner Braun - Mula Eshet - François Scholten - Khalil Raad - Roger-Viollet

ARTISTIC CREDITS
Emad Abdel Wahhab - Tamam Al-Akhal - Mohieddin Al Labbad - Hilmi Al Touni - Isaam Bader
Nachum Guttman - Abdel Aziz Ibrahim - Raili Liaho - Loeb - Sliman Mansour - Kamil Mughanni
Marc Rubin - Reuven Rubin - Fares Samoor - Ismail Shammout - Suzanne - Zan Studio - Adnan Zbeidi
Ivette & Mazan Qupty Palestinien art collection
David Tartakover private Collection
Nachum Guttman Museum of Art
Reuven Rubin Museum
Collection musée Air France, service du patrimoine historique et culturel d'Air France
The Palestine Poster Project Archives - Liberation Graphics - Dan Walsh

FICTION EXTRAIT
Les Hirondelles ne meurent pas à Jérusalem
Réalisé par Ridha Behi
- Production Baba Films - Alya Films

MUSIC
Les oranges de Jaffa - Lyrics by Jean Marcland / Music byJoseph Mengozzi
© Warner Chappell Music France
Yafa - Music by Reem Kelani / Poem by Mahmoud Salim al-Hout
preformed by Reem Kelani / Piano : Zoe Rahman
Yaffa - Rahbani Brothers, Joseph Azar
Yafa Albal - Ghazi Sharqawi
Eshkolit - Traditional, Zeev Havatselet, Hadudaim, edited by: Eastronics
Shuvi shuvi la pardes - Yehudith Ravitz Meir Wiezelter Arik Sinai, edited by NMC united
Tapuah zahav - Yohanan Zarai Hayim Hefer Shlishiat Gesher Hayarkon, edited by Israphon
Bapardes layad hashoket - Nurit Hirsch, Yoram Taharlev, Yehoram Gaon, edited by NMC united
Mi ivne bait - Nachum Nardi, Levin Kipnis, Ofra Haza, edited by Hed Arzi music, NMC united
Be’mdinat ha’tapuz - Efraim Shamir, edited by Anana LTD, Mohar Eli, Rivka Zohar,
edited by Hed Arzi music, NMC united

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ALL ARCHIVES SHOWN IN THIS FILM WERE REEDITED

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Tamam Al-Akhal - Ridha Behi - Tal Ben Zvi - Ronit Chacham - Mona Deeb
Anat Even - Lily Farhoud - Shmulik Grub - Patrick Hepner - Armelle Laborie
Yaël Lerer - Maria Nadotti - Laura Malacart - Merav Ram - Adrian Rivkin
Rasha Salti - Nava Schreiber – Naomi Shavit - Karin Sivan – Dror Osnat
Uri Aylon - Nurit Bat Yaar - Guy Binshtok - Sameer El-Hajj - Mula Eshet
Avner Kahanov - Mazan Qupty – Dan Yahav
Sinai Abt - Gad and Yoav Ben Artzi - Nahman Ingbar - Lior Ohad
Eyal Openhaim - Minkov Museum - The first orchard in Rehovot
Carmit Rapaport - Society for Preservation of Israel Heritage Sites Hadas Beeri
Kaleen Gay-Para - Aloïse Jancovic - Laureline Edom - Nicolas & Camille Couderc

A COPRODUCTION OF
Trabelsi Productions
Osnat Trabelsi
Ori Duvnov
Talia Salomon
Alma Film
Arik Bernstein
the factory
Frank Eskenazi
Hortense Quitard
Claire Cochard
Eurydice Calméjane
Luna blue film
Serge Kestemont
Héléna Fages
Charlotte Bosquet
Nacho Carranza - Denis Delcampe
Bart Decoster - Ingrid Ingelrham
Catherine Kessels
WESTDEUTSCHER RUNDFUNK (WDR)
Documentary Supervisor Jutta Krug
NOGA Communications - Channel 8
Projects Development Liran Atzmor
RTBF (télévision belge)
Associated Producer Annick Lernoud
Production Manager Philippe Antoine
Documentary Supervisor Wilbur Leguebe

WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Communauté française de Belgique
et des Télédistributeurs wallons
Centre National de la Cinématographie
Procirep - Société des Producteurs
Angoa

WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF
Radio–Canada
Jean Pelletier, Georges Amar
Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR)
Documentary Film Unit
Irène Challand, Gaspard Lamunière
France Télévisions
Documentary Pole
Pierre Block de Friberg
Carlos Pinsky
Barbara Hurel
Philippe Le More
Valérie Verdier-Ferré
Press
Philippe Broussard
 

© Trabelsi productions [ISR] l Alma films [ISR] l the factory [FR] l Luna blue film [BE] l WDR [ALL] l NOGA Channel8 [ISR] l RTBF [BE]

WORLD PREMIERE IN OFFICIEL COMPETITION
    IDFA, Amsterdam, 2009
 
INTERNATIONAL JURY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
    Filmmaker, Milan, 2009
• YOUNG JURY'S SPECIAL MENTION
    Filmmaker, Milan, 2009
AWARD FOR BEST EDITING
    Soleluna International documentary film festival on Islam and the Mediterranean, Palermo, 2010

•    International Jury’s statementFilmmaker Milan (2009)
A fruit becomes first the symbol of solidarity, then the symbol of the gradual gap between two countries and their cultures. Jaffa’s oranges tell about a lost world and a nostalgia that will be never healed up. With JAFFA – THE ORANGE'S CLOCKWORK Eyal Sivan shows how is it possible to tell an unknown story, full of surprising details and touching epicity, examining a renowned mark thoroughly in all its aspects.
•    Young Jury's statement, Filmmaker Milan (2009)
Jury Statement: For its ability in representing in a clear and intelligent way an historical event, delicate and topical as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. JAFFA is the symbol of a separation in a country where the uniting of different cultures has determinated its identity.

FESTIVALS SELECTION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IDFA, International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, 2009
Filmmaker, International Documentary film festival Milan, Italy, 2009
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Durham, NC, USA, 2010
Nicosia International Documentary Film Festival, Cyprus, 2010
Bafici, Buenos Aires International Film Festival, 2010
Bergamo Film Meeting, Bergamo, Italy, 2010
Beldocs, Belgrada, Serbia, 2010
London Palestine Film Festival, London, UK, 2010
Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Canada, 2010
Visions du Réel, Nyon, Switzerland, 2010
Planet Doc Review Festival, Warsaw, Poland, 2010
Documenta Madrid 10, Madrid, Spain, 2010
Globale FIlmfestival, Berlin, Germany, 2010
Documentartist International Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey, 2010
Sarajevo International Film Festival Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2010
Dokufest International Documentary and short Film Festival, Prizon Republic of Kosovo, 2010
Boston Palestine Film Festival, 2010
Visoes do Sul, Mostra Internacional de Cinema de Portimao, Portimao Algarve, Portugal, 2010
Memorimage Film Festival Reus, Catalonia Spain 2010
VERZIO International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Budapest Hungary 2010
Brussels Mediterranean Film Festival 2010

 

« In order to tell us this « orange's clockwork » and the taking-over of Jaffa, Eyal Sivan puts on the screen a multitude of images and representations and gives voice to many Palestinian and Israeli interlocutors, historians, writers, researchers, workmen… An outstanding work around archives, photographs, paintings, videos, and powerful testimonies.
Le Monde Diplomatique

With Jaffa, the Orange's Clockwork, Eyal Sivan uncovers, using a metaphor, a century of Israeli-Palestinian history.
Politis

The message of a colonization, meant to bring progress to a world of desolation, becomes an object of ridicule. (...) The film is worth seeing for the questions it raises in the viewer.
Le Monde

A remarkable work of memory.
Télérama

One of this film's interests lies in the pallet of interviewed people. (...) They all tell a vibrant account of life in
Jaffa before the oranges became the symbol of the New Israel.

TéléObs 
»

31/07/2010  - Von Handtuchhaltern und strengen Blicken Von Claudia Siefen (Schnitt)
07/03/2010 - "Kendi Ablukasını Delen Adam" by Dora Mengüc (bianet.org)
06/28/2010 - "Adaletin tarafında bir yönetmen" (Yüksekova Haber)
06/27/2010 - "Manipülasyon benim işim" by Gülay Gümüş (www.on5yirmi5)
06/27/2010 - "The history and future of the Middle East on an orange peel" by Çagdas Günerbüyük (Hürriyet Daily News)
06/04/2010 - "The image of the orange in history" by Bert Rebhandl (culturebase.net)
03/28/2010 - "Jaffa, oranges de discorde", by Vincent Ostria (lesinrock.com)
03/27/2010 - "Jaffa, la mécanique de l'orange" by Sophie lherm (Télérama)
03/15/2010 - "Jaffa, histoire d’un symbole" by Marina Da Silva (Le Monde Diplomatique)
12/20/2009 - NRG התפוז המכני אלון הדר
11/30/2009 - "News from the Future of Public Media IDFA, Ivens, Oranges and More" by Prof. Patricia Aufderheide
09/01/2007 - "On patriotism and McCarthyism" by Power Play & Ehud Asheri (Haaretz)
08/06/2007 - "Convicted by a kangaroo court" by Merav Yudilovitch (Ynetnews)
08/06/2007 - "Opposition for the wrong reason" by Goel Pinto (Haaretz)
05/17/2007 - Anti-Zionist director denied funds by Nathan Burstein (Jerusalem Post)
05/07/2007 - של מי התפוז הזה - גואל פינטו - הארץ
04/29/2007 - "Israeli fund support for Eyal Sivan documentary sparks row" by Dan Fainaru (Screen daily.com)
04/29/2007 - תרבות nrg - מדובר בספציאליסט - יונ�&ique
04/27/2007 - הרשיעו אותי במשפט שדה מאת מירב &tim
04/25/2007
- מעצמאות להתאבדות בן דרור ימיני