ABOUT THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Transcription

1 PRESS KIT

2 ABOUT THE FILM When the Smoke Clears: A Story of Brotherhood, Resilience and Hope tells the true stories of young Israeli soldiers whose injuries leave them fighting for the strength to live. Making breakthroughs and finding meaning by reaching out to those in need, they discover that what didn t kill them really did make them stronger. The film shares the accounts of Gil, Ofer, and Elad - young war veterans whose unthinkable battle experiences leave them with life-altering mental and physical scars. Returning to society, their trauma disconnects them from all they once valued, turning their lives upside down. When all seems lost, a revolutionary idea gives them the hope, courage, tools and community to survive, and to embrace their identities as heroes both on and off the battlefield. Banding together in a family of wounded soldiers, they learn to face their obstacles together and discover that in conquering their pain, they might have more to offer than ever before. When the Smoke Clears follows this band of brothers during the darkest times of their lives, and proves that massive growth and healing can come through giving to others, transforming them into heroes in their own lives and in the lives of those around them.

3 ABOUT THE MAIN CHARACTERS GIL GONENYAN From the age of sixteen, Gil Gonenyan dreamed of becoming an officer in the elite Duvdevan counter terror unit. He was accepted and rose meteorically to the rank of First Lieutenant. But his dream was cut short when he was shot through the neck by a terrorist in a high risk operation to catch the leader and mastermind behind multiple bus bombings in Jerusalem. He regained his ability to lead and protect by becoming a lawyer who fights for soldiers rights, and by founding an organization to help wounded combat veterans rebuild their lives. OFER CHAI MEIR Like all Israelis, Ofer Chai Meir enlisted at age eighteen. As a medic in the Paratroopers, he saw combat and treated countless wounded during the military operation Defensive Shield during the Second Intifada. He finished his mandatory service completely traumatized. He was wounded and further traumatized while serving as a reservist in the Second Lebanon War. Ofer continues to struggle with PTSD, but is now a musician and a therapist who counsels and runs support groups for traumatized soldiers. ELAD HOROWITZ All of Elad Horowitz s older brothers served in combat units. For the Horowitz family, protecting Israel is a cherished value. So, joining the Givati Brigade as a foot soldier was a given. As a sergeant in charge of ten other soldiers, he was critically wounded by a sniper bullet through his head during Israel s last Gaza war. Elad spent more than a year in rehab and battled his way back to regain near complete functioning, minus the sight of one eye, half of his hearing, and his sense of smell and taste. He is now enrolled as a student of psychology in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He wants to become a therapist and help victims of trauma.

4 ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS RAPHAEL SHORE, PRODUCER Raphael Shore, a graduate of the University of Toronto, is the Founder and CEO of Imagination Productions. Shore produced the upcoming documentary, Sustainable Nation, about Israeli advances in water technology. He also produced the 2016 mini-documentary, Mekonen: The Journey of an African Jew, and its 2015 predecessor, Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Home Front (rated one of Netflix s top five military movies). Two more of his powerful productions are the documentary Crossing the Line 2: The Intifada Comes to Campus, and the 2012 PBS-featured film, Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference. REBECCA SHORE, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER Rebecca Shore served as a writer for the acclaimed PBS-featured documentary Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference; Producer/Writer of Netflix-featured Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Home Front; Director/ Producer of Mekonen: the Journey of an African Jew; and Writer of Hummus! The Movie. She is also an artist and lecturer. RYAN LIFCHITZ, EDITOR, WRITER Ryan Lifchitz graduated from Northwestern University film school in He was an editor for VH1 & MTV in New York City. He has also worked with CBS, Bravo, BET, The History Channel, Lifetime, and the Independent Film Channel. He has edited numerous documentaries, music videos, reality TV shows, and commercials, and served as director for two feature-length documentaries. FERNANDA ROSSI, WRITER Internationally renowned writer and educator Fernanda Rossi has collaborated on over 500 scripts, documentaries, and projects. Her documentaries have been nominated for the Academy Award and Wildscreen Panda Awards. Her films won awards at IDFA, Hot Docs, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Sundance, DOCNYC. Fernanda s

5 ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS DAVID BLUMENFELD, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY David Blumenfeld is an award winning Canadian/American director, cinematographer and photographer living in Jerusalem. His films have been featured on the Documentary Channel, YES and PBS, and shown at over 50 film festivals. He has done photojournalistic work for Newsweek, Time, NYTimes, and Smithsonian, and been cinematographer on documentary films for the BBC, Vice News, and Imagination Productions. NICK SOOLE, ORIGINAL MUSIC Nick Soole is a composer for film, television and video games. A composer, performer and producer in Sydney s music scene; Nick moved to Los Angeles in 2011, working alongside prominent industry composers. A graduate of the University Of Southern California Scoring For Motion Pictures and Television program, he has composed large scale and independent media projects, and for TV networks ABC, NBC, Cartoon Network, Hallmark, Lifetime and Syfy. ALEX MEYLER, ART DIRECTOR Alex Meyler is a graduate of The Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. He worked as a web designer in Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive. Later, he served as art director at The Jerusalem Post and ICTS Europe Systems, creating art for brands like Microsoft, American Airlines and SAP. Alex is the creative manager and in-house animator for Imagination Productions since 2013.