This engrossing documentary offers a first-hand reflection on Israel's history and ongoing legacy. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Raphaël Nadjari (whose 2007 Tehilim and 2004 Avanim screened at past Festivals), this film covers the evolution of Israeli cinema from its earliest days to its present-day renaissance. The beginnings of the modern Zionist movement were practically simultaneous with the invention of the cinema itself, so that filmmaking in Palestine became a naturally growing presence. Filmmakers documented the development of Jewish communities and institutions, and films were used to create support for the Zionist movement internationally. Since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, its filmmakers have continued in this effort of cinematic nation building, only now in a more reflective and often critical mode. Israeli films have confronted the complex and often painful issues that have shaped the nation's first sixty years - the ongoing conflicts with its neighbouring Arab states, contemporary relations with Palestinians, cultural differences among Israel's myriad Jewish communities, and its social problems - with a sobering and, for some, upsetting candour. The past ten years, especially, have witnessed a remarkable flowering of Israeli cinema. Dividing his film chronologically, Nadjari has crafted an assemblage of fascinating interviews with leading Israeli actors, producers, film critics, scholars and filmmakers, laced with film sequences spanning early silent films to the present-day renaissance. Part One begins in 1933 with visions of the Zionist dream and takes us to 1978, when themes of memory and loss share the spotlight. The second part, from 1978 to 2005, vibrantly depicts the wave of political films from the 1980s that are contrasted with the more personal cinema of today. It is a "must see" for anyone interested Israel or Israeli cinema, and a fabulous introduction for the uninitiated. To be screened with a brief intermission.