To See If I’m Smiling

Name: To See If I’m Smiling
Director: Tamar Yarom
Released: 2007

Tamar Yarom 2007

Israel has the only army in the world to draw women for mandatory military service. Here, female soldiers share their perspective on a seemingly endless war and the moral challenges inherent in their relationship to the Palestinian population. The women look back critically at the way they handled the power that was placed in their young hands at the young age of eighteen and courageously answer the painful questions that were never asked during their time in the army. Did they really smile in these pictures?

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Running Time:

59 min.

Spoken Languages:

Hebrew

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Tamar Yarom

Producers:

Tamar Yarom

Production Companies:

Tamar Yarom

Conflicts

Family

Gender

Israeli-Palestinian Co..

Press

Video Librarian

A frank and haunting look at the dark side of the lives of female soldiers in the Israel Defense Force, this is recommended.
“The Special Jury Prize is given to a film that makes all of us face the question: could this be me? Would I behave this way? The director and protagonists share memories of a different and painful existence in a way that touches and challenges us and is relevant everywhere in the world.”

Jury Statement, Hot Docs - Toronto, Canada 2008
“….An unusual cinematic experience, courageous, piercing and sharp, the film raises complicated ethical questions…”

Jury Statement, Haifa International Film Festival, Israel 2007

Festival Participation

Haifa
Best Documentary Award
IDFA
Silver Wolf Award, Audience Award
Zagrebdox
Mexico City
Human Rights Watch Warsaw
Best Documentary
Edinburgh
HotDocs
Special Jury Award
San Francisco
Vancouver
Sydney
Melbourne
Seoul
Helsinki
Vienna
Full Frame

Additional Materials

Film Poster

Distribution Company

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