Youth (2013 film)

Youth
Film poster
Directed by	Tom Shoval
Written by	Tom Shoval
Produced by	Gal Grynszpan, Roy Kurland (Green Productions), Moshe Edri, Leon Edri (United King)
Starring	David Cunio, Eitan Cunio, Gita Amelie
Cinematography	Yaron Scharf
Edited by	Joel Alexis
Music by	Elam Wellman, Roy Chen
Production company	Green Productions
Distributed by	United King (Israel), Match Factory (worldwide)
Release date	10 February 2013 (2013-02-10) (BIFF)
Running time	107 minutes
Countries	Germany Israel
Languages	Hebrew English

Youth is a feature film written and directed by Tom Shoval. The film, released in 2013, is an Israeli-German co-production. Its premiere took place as part of the Panorama section at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 10, 2013.

Plot

Yaki and Shaul are two brothers, teenage boys who share a deep, almost telepathic bond. After their father loses his job, their family faces severe financial difficulties and heavy debts. Yaki and Shaul feel they cannot stand idly by and watch their family fall apart. The fact that Yaki has recently enlisted in the army and has access to a weapon allows them to take their fate into their own hands.

Cast

Actor/Actress	Character Name	About the Character
David Cunio	Yaki Cooper	The older brother, serving in the army.
Eitan Cunio	Shaul Cooper	The younger brother.
Moshe Ivgy	Mordechai (Moti) Cooper	The father.
Shirili Desha	Paula Cooper	The mother.
Gita Amely	Dafna Edelman	The kidnapped girl.
Uri Hochman	Itzik	Moti's friend.
Noa Koller	Esti	Paula's sister.
Gilad Kletter	Eli	Esti's husband.
Alex Peleg	Shalom	Father of Paula and Esti, grandfather of the brothers.
Gadi Dorfman	Hazi	Yaki's friend who lends him a car.
Yogev Yifat	-	Yaki's commander in the army.
Shachar Peretz	Nesli	Esti's daughter.

Production

Shoval began working on the film after completing his studies in 2008. Gal Greenshpan, his classmate, who produced his graduation film Petah Tikva, became one of the film's producers with his production company, Green Productions. Shoval and Greenshpan toured Europe with a draft of the script, presenting it in pitching sessions, where it won several awards. The Rabinovich Foundation – Cinema Project decided to support the film, and United King Films, Moshe and Leon Edery, joined as co-producers and distributors. The German company One Two Films also joined the production. Additionally, ARTE TV channel, Media network, the German Medienboard fund, and the German sales company MATCH FACTORY partnered in the project.

For the lead roles, Shoval sought two young brothers with a close bond, who not only resembled each other physically but also had strong acting abilities. The casting process took about a year, led by casting director Orit Azulay. They chose David and Ethan Cunio, two brothers for whom this was their first on-screen role. The brothers committed to an extensive process of workshops, rehearsals, and training to prepare for the demanding roles.

For the role of the girl Dafna, Gita Amelie, an actress at the beginning of her career, was cast. In addition, well-known actors such as Moshe Ivgy, Shirili Desha, Uri Hochman, Gilad Kletter, Alex Peleg, Noa Koler, and others were cast in the film.

The film was shot by Yaron Scharf (Footnote, Shiva) and edited by Joelle Alexis (A Film Unfinished, Plasticine). The music was composed by Ilam Wollman and Roy Chen, with additional music by Liran Reiter, the song Tu Te Reconnaitras by Anne-Marie David, and Insomnicide by the band These Immortal Souls.

Reception

The film won the Haggiag Prize for Best Israeli Feature Film (the Grand Prize), as well as the Acting Award for Eitan and David Cunio and the Editing Award for Joëlle Alexis at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2013.

The Youth won the first prize at the Taipei Film Festival.

The film also received first prizes at the Thessaloniki and Sofia Pitching Forums, as well as at the Berlin Film Festival, the Co-Production Market. In March 2013, it participated in the CPH:PIX Festival in Copenhagen. In June 2013, it was featured at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, as well as at festivals in Durban (South Africa), Paris Cinema, and the Cinema South Festival in Sderot. Eitan and David Cunio won the Acting Award at the Durban Film Festival in South Africa in 2013.

External links

• Youth at IMDb