Prelude Wins Big at Jerusalem Women's Film Festival
Director Roni Lemetz's short film Prelude won best narrative at the Jerusalem Women's Film Festival, starring actress Yevgenia Dodina and her daughter Anna Benjamin.
Even in such a long and illustrious career as that of actress Yevgenia Dodina, there is always room for a first. The short film Prelude brings to the screen the very first collaboration between Dodina and her daughter, actress and pianist Anna Benjamin, who also portray mother and daughter on screen. The graduation film by director Roni Lemetz, a graduate of the "Roim Rachok" association and a student at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, claimed the prestigious Best Narrative Short Award at the Jerusalem International Women's Film Festival.
For Lemetz, the starting point was deeply personal and vulnerable. Coming from a musical background, she discovered her passion for filmmaking through "Roim Rachok". During one of the sessions, when she shared with her mentor, Elad Orenstein, that her grandmother was beginning to lose her grip on reality, he handed her a camera. Through the lens, she found a way to cope, which eventually led her to Sam Spiegel.
The plot follows a gifted pianist who, on her way to an international competition in Jerusalem, must choose between her dependence on her mother and her desire for independence. A potential victory and a move to Berlin threaten their tight bond. As the competition nears, maternal care fractures into deep anxiety and inverted dependency. Benjamin, a classical pianist in real life, intensively studied the piece and performed all musical sequences herself.
"As someone who hospitalized her grandmother in a psychiatric facility and stayed close to her mother during periods of mental health struggles, I know firsthand the helplessness that arises when the person supposed to hold you up loses their grip," Lemetz explained regarding her casting choice.
Speaking about the creative process, Lemetz noted: "In the film, I tried to examine where the boundary lies for choosing oneself against love entangled with illness. It was clear to me that I wanted Yevgenia and Anna. As a young director, I was initially intimidated, but after trust-building exercises, they surrendered completely to the material."
The path to the award-winning version involved a dramatic turning point: just two months before shooting, project manager Ilanit Bauman frankly told Lemetz that her original script was not strong enough. Though heartbreaking, Lemetz scrapped it and wrote a brand-new script with close guidance from the association and Shira Florentin, a decision that proved invaluable for the film's success.
Lemetz's journey blossomed through the "Roim Rachok" association, founded by Keshet, which scouts and supports youth from Israel's social and geographical peripheries, providing long-term professional guidance, scholarships, and integration into the cultural industry.
