Directed by Rafael Balulu
Narrative
Israel | 2015 | 60 min
In Hebrew, and Arabic
with English subtitles
Why was risqué Arab pop music in the synagogue? Because the Moroccan-born rabbi, David Buzaglo, took inspiration from every source. Considered the greatest Hebrew liturgical poet of the 20th century, Buzaglo’s poetry was innovative yet faithful to a musical tradition dating back to Andalusian Spain, and had a major impact on Maghrebi Jews. This film is an intimate look at his life and legacy, from his prolific period in the Diaspora through the piyyut revolution in Israel today.
Rafael Balulu
Rafael Balulu was born in 1981 in Afula, Israel, to a family who emigrated from Morocco. Balulu, a 2010 graduate from the Sam Spiegel Film School, Jerusalem, Israel, now teaches film at Tel Aviv. He participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus (2008, 2011, and 2012). He also participated in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Talent Lab. Balulu has written and directed fifteen shorts, some of which won international prizes, including: SUCH EYES, which won the NYC Shorts Festival; BATMAN AT THE CHECKPOINT, which won the Berlin Today Award at the 62nd Berlinale; MY NAME IS SOLOMON HAGOS, which premiered at the 2013 TIFF; and CLOSE YOUR EYES, which premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival. SONG OF LOVES – R. DAVID BUZAGLO a feature documentary premiered at DocAviv and at the NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. Balulu’s latest film is a documentary about Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff – the great Egyptian-Jewish intellectual, novelist, essayist, and journalist.