Israeli Film “Here And There” ready to resume principal photography

“Here and There” is a feature film, written, produced, and directed by Samuel Weaver. The picture centers around an unnamed eighteen-year-old American on a gap program in Israel and the struggles he faces: being in a strange new land in the wake of an unspeakable trauma. Throughout the film, the memories of the horrors he has endured back home take him to his limits and escalate into a life-or-death phone call where a mysterious woman named Laura takes it solely upon herself to save him from an unimaginable fate that seems inevitable - even to her.

Our film highlights a variety of motifs and themes with three dimensional characters whose layers of half-truths, fears, triumphs and fallacies epitomize the human experience. One of the main points we will illuminate is the relationships between young people who are beginning their lives far from home and the ways in which they deal with their insecurities and incipient curiosities. It is important for us to show a wide range of personalities and perspectives so you -the moviegoer- can watch characters that are real and authentic: not just caricatures. To achieve this, I have written flawed, imperfect characters who are self centered, scared, lonely, passionate, loving, and brave. They are not propped up or quickly contrived but individuals one can relate to, whether they are always likable or not.

Throughout this picture, our protagonist will engage in a telephone call with a mysterious Israeli woman who attempts to walk him off the ledge as he now becomes unable to live with the memories of the day his life changed forever. Their encounter starts a chain reaction that leads them both into the seventh circle of hell where they are faced with a barrage of obstacles that will challenge their capacity for self-preservation and the will to keep on when things seem most bleak.

Act One-We begin with the protagonist, a young man of 18, walking back home to his apartment in Tel-Aviv after a long day of volunteer work. We see his lethargic state and pain; this is our unnamed protagonist. He has become emotionally isolated from his peers in the gap program, evident in interactions in the subsequent scenes. We are introduced to his acquaintances; in contrast they are more cheerful and curious as to what is eating away at him. His best friend in the program, Ian, is one of the few people to whom he can turn to for support; another friend, Bethany, also is kind and doesn't shut down around him or treat him differently. Throughout the opening scenes, our exposition is clear but not overt, allowing the audience to keep their focus on what is in front of them. At the same time, a myriad of aspects of the characters, setting, and conflict are exposed through the dialogue and meticulously choreographed shots. Later on, after a kerfuffle in the third scene, we are introduced to Laura, a young Israeli woman who is deep in the recesses of the underbelly of espionage.

As she investigates a chain of interconnected terrorist cells spread throughout the Middle East, Laura looks to barter valuable information for a widely sought after weapon. Looking for a buyer she stumbles upon Sulufa, a mercurial Syrian nationalist whose lack of empathy and unscrupulous behavior are inflamed by her cruel and controlling adoptive mother Fatimah, the matriarch of a powerful family.

Act Two- As the protagonist finds himself alone for the first weekend since he has been in Israel, the traumas that inhabit him begin to spill out and the audience begins to see the effect these memories have on his ability to lead the life he wants. Over the course of the weekend, he begins to unravel and spends much of his time talking to himself and walking around the city, disoriented and confused. On the other side, Laura finally comes head-to-head with Sulafa, starting a cat and mouse game that ensnares them both. As the protagonist’s mind collapses, he reaches out to the one person he can confide in, Laura, a woman he has never met but is the person at the other end of a phone number given to all in his program for situations where the standard protocols have failed.

Act Three- Laura dredges up the reasons behind the protagonist's suicidal tendencies and stalls him in an attempt to keep him from going through with his plans. As she gets deeper into the psyche of this odd but resilient eighteen-year-old struggling with problems beyond his faculties, Laura finds hope in his perseverance through seemingly impossible circumstances. She lets herself- for the first time- question her place in the world and why she feels so alone. As she uncovers the root of his pain, Laura opens the door to a past marked by horrors of unspeakable proportions. Over the course of the call, a profound and poignant connection develops between the two, and her newly emerging appreciation for the living and those who are sheep amongst wolves, leads Laura on a final climactic run to save an innocent from a fate all too familiar.

In order to ensure this film is made, we are employing a number of techniques to keep costs down. As the writer, director, producer, and cinematographer, I am deferring my salary which removes expenditures for these functions which often account for the largest percentage of the budget. In this movie, there are a total of twelve characters, four of whom have already been cast. The size of our crew is relatively small which is important to keep expenses down. We are not relying on special effects, so our post production expenses will not be high. Instead, we will focus on music, score, color grading, and editing over any lavish and gratuitous gimmicks. Above the line costs will account for 50 percent of the film’s expenditures with the majority going to the cast members. Below the line costs will be approximately 30 percent with the rest going into post production. On June 18, 2023, we began principal photography, filming for four days before taking time away to raise more money so we can continue shooting. During those four days, we were able to complete several scenes and captured around 25 percent of the entire film. We estimate that it will take another 20 days of work before we can move on to post production.

Samuel Weaver

Writer, Cinematographer, Producer, Director

Samuel Weaver started out as an actor at the age of fifteen when he attended Acteen now known as Rita Litton Studio, from 2008 to 2010. In 2013, he appeared in the Jerusalem English Speaking Theatre Company production of The King and I. In 2016, he starred in the film Andy's Birthright which premiered at the Tel-Aviv International Student Film Festival where his performance received critical acclaim including personal recognition from Michel Hazanavicius, 2011 Academy Award winning director of “The Artist.” Sam has also appeared on the television series “Very Important Person” starring Yehuda Levi in 2019. As a writer, Sam has written several short and feature length films.

Aderet Klejman

Actor

Aderet Klejman is an Israeli American actor. Aderet attended Columbia University where she majored in theater, and subsequently starred in a number of plays and films in the US and Israel, playing Blanche in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and Lia in the lead role of the short film “ANI.”In 2019, she made her feature film debut in Rattlesnakes based off of the critically acclaimed play of the same name.

Dan Shaked

Actor

Dan Shaked is an American Israeli actor who is a graduate of NYU TISCH School of the Arts. His long list of credits include supporting roles in the film, “Jobs” where he acted alongside Ashton Kutcher; the NBC series “The Mysteries of Laura” starring Josh Lucas and Debra Messing; and Mistrust starring Jane Seymour.

Liat Kisos

Actor

Liat Kisos is an Israeli Actress who has appeared in a number of Israeli television series and short films.

In this film, we will show the connection between Americans and Israelis and the ways in which they interact, which we have not often seen in films. It is personal to me as a writer and director having grown up in the United States, and living in Israel since the age of eighteen. I view this film as an opportunity to explore and reveal the day to day struggles one can face in this country. Ninety percent of the film will be in English with some characters speaking Hebrew and Arabic because it is crucial for us to demonstrate the complexity of social interactions in Israel.

To those who have taken the time to read this, I would like to say thank-you. Your care and support mean so much to me and the entire cast and crew. We would be deeply grateful to you for a donation of any size. In doing so, you are nurturing our fervent dream of movie making. As an independent production, we value every dollar you can contribute as it moves us closer to making this dream a reality.

Sincerely,

Sam