HotDocs 2013 - in competion International Spectrum
Best Director, Jerusalem International film festival. Israel 2012
IDFA International documentary films festival, The Netherlands 2012
True/False Film Fest. USA 2013
The story of the “Sakhne”, one of the largest, most famous and most visited parks in Israel.
Documentary, Canon 5D, 75 min.
Languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese
Subtitles: English
Directed by - Ran Tal
Produced by - Amir Harel, Ayelet Kait, Ran Tal
Script by - Ran Tal
In participation With
Lama Film, yes Docu, The Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, Israel Lottery council for culture & arts
Editor - Nily Feller
Cinematographer - Daniel Kedem
Sound Designer- Alex Claude
Sound Recording- Tully Chen
Original Music- Avi Belleli
Additional photography- Itay Marom
“The Garden of Eden” is the story of Gan HaShlosha, better known as the “Sakhne”, one of the largest, most famous and most visited parks in Israel.
During the spring, summer, fall and winter seasons of one full year, the film documents the park’s transformation, and with a spectacular expression of cinematic beauty, it tells the stories of the people who visit the park and work therein:
Yaacov, whose wife left him and who has since been living a sad and lonely existence; Athir, who is planning to move to Canada because life in Israel does not enable him to reach his full potential; Yael, who was forced to wed at the age of 13 and suffered many years of physical and mental abuse; Itzhak, who has yet to recover from the death of his brother in war and seeks a refuge from the mourning in the cool waters. These are but some of the captivating and touching individuals which the camera encounters.
Director Ran Tal, who dismantled and reassembled the myth of the kibbutz in his film “Children of the Sun”, studies the innermost parts of Israeli society with humor, beauty, pain and compassion in the least expected location – a recreation park.
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"A meticulous exploration that stretches the boundaries of documentary film language, a beautiful orchestration between sound and image, creating a chronicle of what lies under the surface and behind the postcard."
(From Jerusalem International film festival Jury statement)
The Garden of Eden is an increasingly rare meditation on the possibility of co-existence" (Walla Internat site)
"Acclaimed filmmaker Ran Tal discusses his unusual filmmaking"
(Ha'aretz newspaper)
"A Work of Art" (Time out magazine)
"I like and appreciate director Ran Tal’s documentary vision. Contrary to many Israeli documentary filmmakers, who, though their films focus on interesting and important themes, implement a documentary process that overlooks the options which are inherent in documentary cinema and the practical and theoretical questions that it evokes – Tal’s films are evidence of documentary cinematic thinking that strives to make a documentary in a personal and unique way." (Uri Klein Haaretz)