Defamation

North American Premiere

USA, Denmark, Israel, Austria | 94 MINUTES | English, Hebrew, Russian |

DEFAMATION

Documentary
In Defamation, director Yoav Shamir sets out to discover the realities of anti-Semitism as an identity issue. Is it an extant threat continually on the verge of coalescing into a second Holocaust? Or is it a scare tactic used by right-wing Zionists to discredit their critics? Most opinions fall in the gray area between two vastly different poles. Representing one end of the spectrum is Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League and ardent advocate of the theory that anti-Semitism is ubiquitous and requires constant vigilance to be kept in check. His foil in the debate is Norman Finkelstein, a controversial author, professor, and son of Holocaust survivors, who asserts a vast conspiracy orchestrated by Israel itself to undermine critics of its policy. Through Shamir's evenhanded lens, both men have moments of visionary clarity as well as unhinged ramblings. And they are only two voices in a cacophonous global debate.

Defamation brilliantly and humorously parses an overwhelming glut of contributions to a debate often muddied by misinformation, bias, and ulterior motives. For Shamir, this epic debate is symbolically waged over the malleable young minds of a group of Israeli high school students on their annual "March of the Living" pilgrimage to concentration camps in Poland. Their ultimate conclusions about the state and health of the anti-Semitism movement are, like his own, both shocking and wryly funny.

CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Yoav Shamir

Yoav Shamir (b. 1970, Tel Aviv) earned an MFA in film from Tel Aviv University. His films as director and cinematographer include the documentaries Marta and Luis, Checkpoint, which received more than 20 awards and screened in more than 120 international film festivals, and the award winners 5 Days and Flipping Out.
Producers
Karoline Leth, Knut Ogris, Sandra Itkoff, Philippa Kowarsky
Director
Yoav Shamir

CONTACTS

Press Contact
Kelly Hargraves
First Run Features
630 Ninth Avenue • Suite 121 New York, NY 10036
Phone: 323.662.1930
kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.
Technical Contact
Ori Bader
Cinephil
18 Levontin Street Tel Aviv, 65112
Phone: + 972 3 566 41 29
ori@cinephil.co.il
Print Source
Anne Laurent
Austrian Film Commission
Stiftgasse 6 Vienna, A1070
Phone: + 43 1 526 33 23
festivals@afc.at
Submitter
Yoav Shamir
Tel Aviv,yoavshamir@gmail.com
Main Contact
Anne Laurent
Austrian Film Commission
Stiftgasse 6 Vienna, A-1070
Phone: (43) 1-526 33 23-203
festivals@afc.at