Wild Weeds | JFI Online Short: September 2024
The Jewish Film Institute is proud to present Wild Weeds as our online short for the month of September 2024.
About the Film: Drawing on events from his own life, director Yair Valer sheds light on the perspectives of reservist soldiers and through his craft increases the depth of understanding about the personal and societal impact of war. The film follows three Israeli reservists as they cope with their return to daily life one year after serving in Operation Protective Edge.
Watch the film and read an exclusive JFI interview with director Yair Valer below.
Wild Weeds is presented as part of JFI’s ongoing relationship with the School of Audio & Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, the most comprehensive and diverse film school in Israel. Located in the Gaza Envelope, the school was directly affected by the October 7th attacks, and hundreds of the school’s students and staff members are currently displaced. At the moment, the main facility is closed, and looking to rebuild.
In collaboration with the College, SFJFF44 presented a selection of student shorts in Vantage Points: Perspectives From Sapir College, which demonstrated the pluralistic perspectives and strength of the filmmaking program, and included the presentation of a grant by JFI sponsored by the DARE Foundation to the School of Audio & Visual Arts at Sapir. We hope to continue to spotlight the insightful work by these student filmmakers, including this month’s Online Short.
For inquiries or to make a donation, please contact the film school directly at sapirfilmfriends@gmail.com.
Jewish Film Institue: What was the genesis of this film?
Yair Valer: The inspiration for the film came from Operation Protective Edge, in which I participated as a reserve soldier. Neither I nor my friends came out of that war the same, which made me realize that we probably weren’t alone. I wanted to show how PTSD spans a much wider spectrum than what was previously thought.
JFI: What was the biggest challenge in creating this pilot?
YV: I think the biggest challenge in the film was producing a pilot episode composed of so many scenes, locations, and actors with such limited money and time.
JFI: How did you coordinate the multiple storylines in the film?
YV: When I started writing the episode, I had a beginning and an end, plus many scenes I knew I wanted in the film. I began by placing each scene in its logical position, and then wrote scenes that could connect the events.
JFI: Knowing you wanted to focus on the effects of war on these characters, what were you looking for in the cast?
YV: Because it was important for me to convey that soldiers in Israel aren’t “special” and are quite ordinary people (like me), it was crucial to find actors who looked like “the neighbor’s son” — not too big or too strong. These are relatively normal people that everyone here in Israel knows.
JFI: Can you tell us about crafting the final scene where Elad is in crisis, and is supported unconditionally by his buddies?
YV: Once I read in a book about a son who went along with his father during a “flashback” episode, and for years I knew this would be my final scene. In general, the series itself, which was supposed to be produced, was meant to rely on the fact that throughout the series, friends go along with their friend’s flashback attacks, hoping he will eventually realize it’s all in his head (like in the film Shutter Island).
About the Filmmaker: Yair Valer is the youngest of seven siblings who grew up on a moshav in southern Israel, surrounded only by desert. At 18, he enlisted in the elite unit of “sayeret zanchanim” (Paratrooper patrol), where he served for three years. During his regular service, and then in the reserves, Yair was sent to three rounds in Gaza. After his trip to India, he returned to Israel to study film and television at Sapir College, where he specialized mainly in cinematography and directing. Since then, Yair has worked as a third assistant director on some of the biggest films and series made in Israel, including Fauda, Our Boys, Image of Victory, and many others. In recent years, Yair has been working as a stills photographer while writing his next feature film and hopefully developing “Wild Weeds” as a television series.
About JFI Online Shorts: JFI Online Shorts features one new short film each month from emerging and established filmmakers. Since 2009, JFI has showcased over 100 online shorts and garnered worldwide views over 2 million on the JFI Youtube channel. Learn more at www.jfi.org.
