Eroticism and faith merge in a haunting TV series about a married rabbi and a troubled young woman
For all its implausibilities, Rama Burshtein-Shai's 'Fire Dance' makes for compelling television
Fill the Void
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Culture Rama Burshtein Has A Fundamental Belief In Marriage
In “The Wedding Plan,” writer-director Rama Burshtein’s follow-up to her debut feature “Fill The Void,” a Hasidic Jewish woman named Micha gives herself less than a month to find true love, after which she plans to give up on marriage. As with her previous film, Burshtein focuses on the topic of marriage among the Haredi…
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Life Playing Hasidic Woman in ‘Felix and Meira’ — Again
In the 2012 Israeli film “Fill the Void,” winsome actress Hadas Yaron played Shira Mendelman, a young Hasidic woman who (spoiler alert) marries her dead sister’s husband. Her portrayal of a religious girl in turmoil made such an impression on the international film community –– she took home the Volpi Award for Best Actress at…
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The Schmooze Is There an Orthodox Film Industry?
Orthodox filmmaker Rama Burshtein is a special case. Not only does she come from a community that frowns on film-watching — never mind film-making — but she has managed to create “Fill the Void,” a movie that has won awards and acclaim around the world. (You can read my recent profile of Burshtein here.) Burshtein…
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Culture Orthodox World Provides Backdrop for Rama Burshtein’s Universal Story
The night before Rama Burshtein shot the last scene of “Fill the Void,” she couldn’t sleep. It was going to be her last day on set, and a large group of extras was scheduled to arrive, including her own children. More daunting, she was going to be shooting a wedding scene, one of the film’s…
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The Schmooze Israeli Film Goes Inside Haredi Love Affair
It seems certain that even the most scrupulous secular observer of the contemporary ultra-Orthodox experience, anywhere on the planet, will not have been privy to the intimacy and profound declarations of feeling and affection on display in “Fill the Void,” the daring, devastating debut from female Hasidic filmmaker Rama Burshtein. The Israeli movie, which recently…
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The Schmooze Israel Picks Haredi Drama as Oscar Entry
Having won seven Ophir Awards, “Fill the Void” has secured its place as Israel’s Oscar entry for this year. The film, with its artful and gripping insider look at life among a Hasidic community in Tel Aviv, snagged Ophirs for best film, best director, best screenplay, best actress and best supporting actress, among others. “Fill…
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News Actress Honored for Role in Hasidic-Themed Film
Israeli actress Hadas Yaron has won the 69th Venice Film Festival’s award for best actress. Yaron received the award Saturday for her role in haredi Orthodox Israeli director Rama Burshtein’s film “Lemale et Ha’chalal” (Fill the Void), a family story set in Tel Aviv’s Hasidic community. Yaron plays Shira, an 18-year-old girl set to enter…
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