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February 13, 2009

Revealing the soul of Israel

Iny hopes that film will "educate, entertain and impress."
CYNTHIA RAMSAY

There are some things in life, it seems, we are called upon to do; a responsibility that we cannot refuse or avoid. Both of the executive producers of the soon-to-be-released The Original Promise described their involvement in the documentary as destiny. The soul of their endeavor: Israel.

Bill Iny, executive producer/project development, has a background in corporate management, franchising, financing and real estate development. Doug Kooy, executive producer/co-host, is a well-known media personality, who hosted the primetime show Online on Joy TV10 for almost five years. For Iny, the project – that looks at life in the Jewish state – started more than 25 years ago.

"I always wanted to create a major beneficial project for Israel," Iny told the Independent. "Doug and I met about three years ago, whereby I was impressed with some early work he had undertaken for an Israeli media project. We co-founded and financed the pre-production stage in mid-2007. We went on to finance the balance to completion and worked daily on the scripting and concept."

"When I understood that what I perceived Israel to be and what it actually is, I became highly motivated to do a film on Israel," explained Kooy. "The idea has morphed from a small project to a major undertaking. To be honest, we have had some major obstacles to overcome.... It has not been easy, many people loved the concept but few were willing to invest, but we have had a lot of encouragement along the way."

Iny said, "As an idea, it was appealing to people, however, they either didn't want to invest or wanted too much editorial right to portray the documentary in their own vision. We didn't want to be influenced by broadcasters or investors, so we selectively chose shareholders, but in the end we held our vision true and mostly self-financed it."

Kooy pointed to the procurement of producer/director Jim Van Dijk as a significant moment in the process.

"Jim has over 70 major film credits and has filmed in over 40 countries. He also has the personality that it takes to deal with the day-to-day ordeals of shooting on location in another country," said Kooy. "With Jim's help, we were able to put together a wonderful cast and crew. A good example of that is Alan Fryer, who is our lead writer. Alan is an award-winning journalist/reporter, best known for his work on W5. We also had Jacob Benaroch, who gave valuable input to the graphic design side of things and is also producing a series of paintings on the theme of the original promise."

Not everyone was as convinced as Iny and Kooy that they should be involved in the project. Local actress Farrah Aviva co-hosts the documentary with Kooy. When asked to take on the challenge, Aviva said, "To be absolutely honest, I was scared beyond belief. I remember trying to conceal it, but I crumbled two days before we took off. During our last meeting, I broke down crying. I felt such shame that I wasn't more connected to my roots. I didn't think I'd be adequate enough to interview all these amazing people. I knew nothing about where I was going. Worse, I didn't know what it meant to be Jewish. But this fear is how I knew I had to do the project.

"There are so many people who are insecure about where they come from," she continued. "We live in a world where society demands you fit in. Whether you're Chinese, Indian, Jewish or Muslim, if you're the only one, you begin to hide your heritage. I've been doing that since I was three years old."

For Iny, "It became obvious that it was destiny calling. The project re-shaped our lives. The momentum was so great, the script kept getting larger and, hour by hour, the creative process was evolving with such force that we became consumed. We couldn't disengage ourselves. This wasn't a hands-off project! The project commanded and personally involved us."

Kooy echoed Iny's remarks. "If you believe in destiny, I believe the project chose me," he told the Independent. "From a father who, on his death bed, said you need to go to Israel before it's too late, to the overwhelming experiences of discovering a land that was so different than I ever thought it would be. It was like meeting your soulmate: Israel became part of me and I felt this is something I had to do and, to be honest, I feel humbled that God has allowed me to be a part of this project."

From the making of the documentary, Kooy said, "I discovered a land and a people that are the result of an original promise and, against all odds, they are now living that promise. I came back a different person after experiencing the passion and the heart of this small country that makes such big headlines.

"I think, like a lot of people, I did not have a lot of strong views of Israel," he continued. "I thought of it as being a holy place with a whole lot of Jews doing Jewish things. A few days in Tel Aviv changed all that. Israel is a promised land and it is a land of great destiny. As a non-Jew, Israel and its people left me with one major thought, why did I not experience this mystical place years ago?"

"It's affected me on a multitude of levels, from being able to proudly say, I'm Jewish, to caring deeply about the conflict in the Middle East," said Aviva. "I don't feel alone anymore. I know I have a family and a home in Israel. Israel gave me such a strong sense of identity that I'm proud of. By discovering my identity, it only made me want to learn about everyone else involved in the conflict. How dare I sit here and vouch for Israel without knowing where other people are coming from? Although I can't singly fix the problems in the Middle East, I think this film has the power to shed the much-needed light on Israel."

Before the project went into full swing, its creators commissioned Ipsos Reid to conduct a poll about what Americans think and feel about Israel. "The results, to say the least, were a real eye-opener," says the documentary's website. "For example, 80 per cent of Americans think of Israel as a war zone; while only one in three see the country as a vacation destination."

In doing the documentary, "We were looking to show the diversity that there is in Israel," said Kooy. "We interviewed people who were from every walk of life: Jews, Christians, agnostics, Muslims. When we did our Ipsos Reid poll, we saw that many people perceived Israel to be a land of Jews who prayed a lot and wore funny clothes. In our interviews, people will see that the image we give of Israel is very diverse and so different from what they might imagine."

"I thought it would be a sandy desert full of Orthodox Jews, people crying on the street and running from bombs," said Aviva. "After I went, my impression definitely changed! I fell in love; such a deep love for a land so beautiful, so diverse, so cultured and so loved by the people living there. Tel-Aviv, for instance, is like the combination of New York City life on South Beach. It has an amazing European/Mediterranean feel to it because of all the people who have immigrated there over the past 60 years. What affected me the most was how proud the people were to be Israeli. How happy they were to have a place called home. And how at home I felt."

Iny stressed that the documentary's focus is "to reveal the country and the people beyond the usual political or religious viewpoints. We wanted to keep politics and religion out of it. It's amazing how clearly one can see and feel the reality then. It's like peering deeply through the eyes of Israel right into her soul. It's a soul connection that comes from the people we interviewed sharing their deepest thoughts and beliefs with us and you [the audience]. This process permits the viewer to see the blessings going on in the land, the blessings that go out into the world from here and the blessings that are concealed deep beneath the usual mainstream media portrayals of Israel."

The Original Promise is being globally distributed and translated into other languages, said Iny, but the première will be presented by Congregation Beth Hamidrash, of which Iny is an active member. "The small synagogue is reliant on a yearly fundraiser to maintain itself," he said. "I thought it was appropriate if the film's première benefited a worthy cause."

A few years ago, Cantor Shimon Sibony performed at a Beth Hamidrash fundraiser. He, too, was involved in The Original Promise.

"We became great friends over the years," said Iny. "I asked him to participate in the film and also got him to interweave his voice and shofar into the music video.... Several aspects of his life are portrayed in the film."

About the desired impact of the documentary, Iny said, "I believe it will uplift those who love Israel. It will inform, educate, entertain and impress. The originally written and produced music video by Colin Wiebe that we filmed atop Masada brings tears to even soldiers' eyes. I hope that The Original Promise will be a conduit for the rest of the world to understand more about Israel and enable them to share in the blessings and creative developments that emanate freely from the land."

Kooy said, "I guess my greatest hope would be that it would impact some people the way I was impacted. At the least, I hope it will give people a view of Israel that they have not seen before. I am sure, with some, there will be controversy, but what do you expect, it is a film about Israel."

The première of The Original Promise will take place Sunday, March 1, 7:30 p.m., at the Ridge Theatre, 3131 Arbutus St. Tickets are $36 and available from Beth Hamidrash. To order, call 604-872-4222 or e-mail [email protected]. For more information about the film, visit theoriginalpromise.com.

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