Mon trésor
Israel
Synopsis
Ruthie and Or, a mother and her daughter, live in a small Tel Aviv flat. Ruthie has been a prostitute for the last twenty years. Or has tried many times to have her quit working the street, but without success.
The daily routine of the 18 year-old Or is an endless succession of petty jobs : washing dishes in a restaurant, cleaning staircases and collecting deposit bottles while attending high school whenever she can. Ruthie's health is worsening. After an umpteenth visit to her mother at the hospital, Or decides that this time, things must change for good.
The daily routine of the 18 year-old Or is an endless succession of petty jobs : washing dishes in a restaurant, cleaning staircases and collecting deposit bottles while attending high school whenever she can. Ruthie's health is worsening. After an umpteenth visit to her mother at the hospital, Or decides that this time, things must change for good.
Director's Biography
Trained at a cinema and photography school in Tel-Aviv (Camera Obscura), Keren Yedaya, 31 years old, is above all known for her political involvement. A member of numerous women’s rights associations, this feminist is also very active in protest groups against the occupation of Palestinian territories. Her films are a direct extension of her political commitment. They are portraits of women fighting for their dignity in a society that is male dominated, militarist and strongly divided into classes. Her film at the end of her studies, Elinor (1994), describes the daily humiliations experienced by a young female draftee in the Israeli army. In her second short film, Lulu (1998), she tackles the theme of prostitution for the first time. Noticed by French producer Emmanuel Agneray, she is invited to France, where she makes her third short film entitled Underwear (2000), a film that takes place in the dressing room of a large Parisian department store. In 2001, she is awarded a development grant at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival for her feature film project, Or. The film, which focuses on the relations between a prostitute and her daughter, is shot at the beginning of 2004. It has been selected for the International Critics’ Week at Cannes 2004.
Cast & Crew
Directed by: Keren Yedaya
Written by: Keren Yedaya, Sari Ezouz
Produced by: Itai Tamir, Marek Rozenbaum
Cinematography: Laurent Brunet
Editing: Sari Ezouz
Cast: Ronit Elkabetz (Ruthie), Dana Ivgy (Or), Meshar Cohen (Ido), Katia Zimbris (Rachel), Shmuel Edelman (Shmuel)
Nominations and Awards
- European Film Academy Discovery - Prix Fassbinder 2004