Ra'anan Alexandrowicz

THE VIEWING BOOTH (2019, 72 min) recounts a unique encounter between filmmaker and a viewer the film is an exploration of the way meaning is attributed to non-fiction images in today’s day and age.  In a lab-like location, Maia Levy, a young Jewish American woman, watches videos portraying life in the occupied West Bank. Maia is an enthusiastic supporter of Israel, and the images in the videos, depicting Palestinian life under Israeli military rule, contradict some of her deep-seated beliefs. Empathy, anger, embarrassment, innate biases, and healthy curiosity — all play out before our eyes as we watch her watch the images of military occupation. Six months later, Levy returns to watch more footage. This time, Maia views edited footage of herself while she was watching the images of the occupation. What is revealed in the process is multi-layered, puzzling, insightful and extends beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Maia’s candid and reflective analysis of her previous commentary gives the viewer a staggering demonstration of the idea that seeing is not always believing.

Selected Awards and Festival Screenings.

Berlin International Film Festival 2020 (Forum); True/False International Documentary FF ; Hot Springs Documentary FF (Critic’s Award for Best Film) ; CPH-DOX 2020; Sheffield docfest // DOKUFEST KOSOVO (in Competition); Ann Arbor Film Festival (In Competition); Camden International Film Festival; London Open City Film Festival (In Competition); DOC-NYC (Viewfinders Competition) ; Film Fest Osnabruck (In Competition - Best Film Award); Olhar du Cinema; ICA Gallery London; DOCAVIV international Documentary FF (in competition); Bertha DocHouse London; International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards 2020 Shortlist. Israel Documentary Forum Competition Best Feature Length Award.