By blurring the lines between ethnographic, art film, and reality television aesthetics, Sivan conjures a humorous, tongue-in-cheek answer to Zidane, the 2006 documentary that followed the soccer star through a single game.
This minimalist experimental short is the opposite of a sports documentary. Instead of photographing the field or the athletes, filmmaker Zohar Elefant inverts our gaze, focusing exclusively on the animated, wide-eyed face of the eponymous Israeli soccer fan as she watches a live Hapoel game in a Tel Aviv stadium. The actual athletic contest is never depicted on screen, and each shot is fairly static, so the game is only visible as a reflection on Sivan’s alternately tortured and ecstatic face. In its portrayal of a single viewer’s performative singing, chanting, screaming, mocking, pleading, phone-talking, weeping, and praying, this funny, noisy film manages to move beyond sports to touch lightly on issues of spectatorship, politics, history, religion, and family in contemporary Israel.
This minimalist experimental short is the opposite of a sports documentary. Instead of photographing the field or the athletes, filmmaker Zohar Elefant inverts our gaze, focusing exclusively on the animated, wide-eyed face of the eponymous Israeli soccer fan as she watches a live Hapoel game in a Tel Aviv stadium. The actual athletic contest is never depicted on screen, and each shot is fairly static, so the game is only visible as a reflection on Sivan’s alternately tortured and ecstatic face. In its portrayal of a single viewer’s performative singing, chanting, screaming, mocking, pleading, phone-talking, weeping, and praying, this funny, noisy film manages to move beyond sports to touch lightly on issues of spectatorship, politics, history, religion, and family in contemporary Israel.
Festival List
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, USA, July, 2012
IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival, Bulgaria, June, 2012
Honorable Mention, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, USA, April,2012
International Fussballfilmfestival, Berlin, March 2012
The 1st International Motion Festival, Cyprus, March,2012
ZagrebDox International Film Festival, Croatia, February,2012
Tirana International Film Festival, Albania, December,2011
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece, November,2011
All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA, November,2011
kicking & screening Football Film Festival, London, September 2011
Preview Berlin - The Emerging Art Fair, Berlin, September,2011
The International Kansk Video Festival, Russia, August 2011
Emmentaler Filmtage, Switzerland, October 2011
Kicking & screening soccer Film Festival, NYC, July 2011
The INT'L Short Film Festival, Detmold, GERMANY, June 2011
Videoex 2011, International Experimentalfilm & Video Festival, Zürich,May 2011
Eretz Israel Museum "We Are The Champions!", Curator: Danna Heller, March 2012
Art On Brighton Art Festival, New York, October,2011
Preview Berlin - The Emerging Art Fair, Berlin, September,2011
Urban Legends - Video Zone 5, The Fifth International Video Art Biennial in Israel, Curator: Maayan Shellef – November 2010.
IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival, Bulgaria, June, 2012
Honorable Mention, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, USA, April,2012
International Fussballfilmfestival, Berlin, March 2012
The 1st International Motion Festival, Cyprus, March,2012
ZagrebDox International Film Festival, Croatia, February,2012
Tirana International Film Festival, Albania, December,2011
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece, November,2011
All Sports Los Angeles Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA, November,2011
kicking & screening Football Film Festival, London, September 2011
Preview Berlin - The Emerging Art Fair, Berlin, September,2011
The International Kansk Video Festival, Russia, August 2011
Emmentaler Filmtage, Switzerland, October 2011
Kicking & screening soccer Film Festival, NYC, July 2011
The INT'L Short Film Festival, Detmold, GERMANY, June 2011
Videoex 2011, International Experimentalfilm & Video Festival, Zürich,May 2011
Eretz Israel Museum "We Are The Champions!", Curator: Danna Heller, March 2012
Art On Brighton Art Festival, New York, October,2011
Preview Berlin - The Emerging Art Fair, Berlin, September,2011
Urban Legends - Video Zone 5, The Fifth International Video Art Biennial in Israel, Curator: Maayan Shellef – November 2010.
Photo Gallery
From The Press
Info and Credits
Sivan. 2010. HD
Directed, shot, Edited and Produced by: Zohar Elefant
Second Camera: Yuri Gershberg
Online and Titles: Dovev Alperson
Mix Sound: Elad Alon
Directed, shot, Edited and Produced by: Zohar Elefant
Second Camera: Yuri Gershberg
Online and Titles: Dovev Alperson
Mix Sound: Elad Alon