Directed by Ruggero Gabbai Production
company Forma International | Produced by Elliot Malki | |
Written by Ruggero Gabbai, Francesca Olga Hasbani, Elliot Malki, Chiara Passoni Cinematography Massimo Schiavon, Emilio Giliberti Edited by Cristian Dondi, Francesca Olga Hasbani | ||
Starting over Again is a documentary directed by Ruggero Gabbai and produced by Elliot Malki. The film is about the exodus of the Jews of Egypt between 1948 and 1956. Filming took place in Paris, London, Milan, New York City, Washington, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, starting in 2014. The documentary has been officially selected at the Jerusalem Film Festival of 2015.
Contents
Content
The documentary is about the story of the Egyptian Jews between 1948 and 1956. The story is told by 20 witnesses who narrate their own experience. The film covers personal emotional memories, through interviews, historical events and footages. The protagonists were born in Egypt and today they live in Paris, Milan, New York City, Washington, London, Tel Aviv, Sydney, and all around the world, but they are all connected by a mutual past.
Plot
"The Egypt of my childhood had a universal flavour and was without conflict, a wide ranging and inclusive breath that we carry with us like a precious gift’’. These are the words of the protagonists-witnesses of a golden age, buried beneath the happy sands of the Sahara in the late 1950s, when the The Jews of Egypt, settled for centuries, were forced to leave everything behind, their homes in Cairo and Alexandria, their properties, businesses, assets, money, activities, their homeland. For The Jews of Egypt, the drama unfolded between 1948 and 1956. With the fall of King Farouk, the Arab masses were influenced by Nasser-Soviet propaganda and guided towards the denial of the past, while Pan-Arabism and the spirit of revanche would eliminate the country's cosmopolitan legacy which dated back to the Ottoman Empire.
Before 1948 kids received a cosmopolitan education and in Cairo there were 33 different schools: the Italian, French, English, Greek, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, among many others.
The Jews of Egypt and many Europeans were permanently expelled from the country. Twenty pounds to survive were given to each person by the police authorities. The documentary wisely displays the protagonists' will to feed the fire of a new beginning, their persistent strength of resilience and refusal to fold against the events and trauma. It is the same determination that would lead to many of the 80 thousand the Jews of Egypt who left their country (only eight remain today), to build a new life marked by accomplishments, professional excellence and passion for study and culture. The stories of Yves Fedida, Levana Zamir, David Harari, Arturo Schwarz, Roly Cohen, Alec Nacamuli, Ada Aharoni, Sarah Gabbai, Albert and Nissim Malki, Lucette Lagnado, Yvonne Levi and many others, all born in Egypt, are today a wonderful documentary film, Starting over again, directed by Ruggero Gabbai and entirely produced by Elliot Malki.
Historical background
The Egyptian Jewish Community roots date back to 2500 years ago, since then many waves of immigration granted a continuous presence in the region. The Community was very diverse, mainly made up of immigrants from the near Mediterranean countries and Europe. In 1942, during the Battle of El Alamein, Egyptian stability was preserved by the British General Montgomery, whose army stopped General Rommel’s advance, preventing the Nazi forces from gaining ground in North Africa. After World War II, Cairo and Alexandria provided the ideal environment for the thriving of the Jewish community.
On the 14th of May 1948 the State of Israel was declared. The following day a military coalition of Arab states attacked the new-born Jewish State. Egypt formed part of that alliance and therefore an anti-Zionist sentiment spread around the country, affecting the Jewish families who had relatives living in Israel and those who were active in youth Zionist movements. Within a few days, the Egyptian authorities arrested in internment camps more than 1000 people among Jews, European and political opponents. The foreign and Jewish communities became the main target.
In 1970 after Nasser’s death, Anwar Al Sadat became President of Egypt. His policy consisted in a program of open doors to the western world and to Israel. On 19 November 1977, Sadat became the first Arab leader to ever visit Israel officially meeting with Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The peace between the two countries was signed in 1979.
Production
The film took nine months of work, it has been shot directly in English, Italian and French. Filming took place in many different locations all around the world, the idea was to show the actual cosmopolitan culture told by the witnesses. Historical footages stagger the historical events, placing in time the testimonies.