Street Shadows

A 45 min. documentary (tbr 2014)h

Script and Director: David Fisher
 Cinematography: Claudio Steinberg
 Producers: David Fisher and Liat Kamai-Eshed

Neve Sha'anan (English: The Eden of Tranquility) Street in Tel Aviv has went through so much suffering and turmoil over the years, since 1921 when it was planned as a shelter for Jewish refugees fleeing out from Jaffa, that it seems to me as if the street itself is being constantly abused. I know this first hand as I am a frequent visitor to it. I've made my way around it many times, treading gardens, alleys, shops and apartment buildings along the way. However, when I had just began embarking on my quest to southern Tel Aviv a few months ago it seemed like a different world to me, an occasionally terrifying one, most certainly distanced and intriguing. I walked down the street making my way amidst masses of refugees from Africa, foreign workers from the Philippines and Romania, heavy abusers of alcohol and drugs and senior citizens for whom it is a home. I've felt as if I had invaded foreign land not unlike my own. It was then that I searched for a guide. An authority on the matter. Someone who knew his way around this uncharted territory. It was no easy task. There is no one official voice so I found myself in the midst of an attempt to decipher the genome of this place and its inhabitants. My journey to Neve Sha'anan became ultimately a rummaging through the universal concept of being an outcast and the collective perception of what is a home. This is a film with no clear heroes but which is laden with heroism and an ensuing war of survival for those who either chose to make it their home or were forced to do so.d