Israeli Born Filmmaker Moti Rachamim

Moti Rachamim

In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood. 

Moti Rachamim was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. In 1990 he established a video production company, “My company produced films for a variety of customers, including museums, factories, and more. In 2000 I closed my company and worked at "Teva Ha Dvarim" where I directed and edited films that were broadcasted on TV.”

In 2001 Moti became a freelancer and to this day he directs and edits short historical and educational feature films for museums or local authorities, advertisement films for businesses, films in the field of art, and more. The idea for the film YIFTAH arose several years ago. The entire production- script, editing, directing – was self-financed at an extremely low and almost impossible budget.

What are you best known for?

Until now, I've directed and edited quite a few documentaries, commercial films and short features. Some of my works were broadcasted on Israeli television, but none of these made me a well known artist or director. 

What is the first thing you produced?

I produced my first film in 2003, I wrote the script, produced, directed and edited, all these with only an additional team of two – cinematographer and soundman. The name of the film is MARACH. Marach is the name of an Arab village in the center of Israel. In 1905 the French Jewish Baron, Edmond De Rothschild purchased the Arab village Marach with the intention of establishing a Jewish village there. Ten families settled there and established an agricultural village called Givat Ada, named for Ada, the Baron's wife. Givat Ada was isolated and disconnected from other villages and repeatedly suffered attacks by local Arab tribes who resented the arrival of the young Jews on their land. The film replays dramatic events such as murder, kidnappings, the difficulties of adapting, and the desperate attempts of a bunch of young people, ten families only, to hold on to the land at all costs, to put an end to the life of the diaspora and to infuse new life into the old land of Israel, the land of their fathers. I produced the film for the village of Givat Ada, and it was followed by additional historical films I produced, that integrate both documentary and feature scenes. 

What are you working on that no one knows about yet?

I'm now working on a script for a new film, a 90 minute feature. The story takes place in Medieval Spain and is based on true events. The story deals with the religious power struggle that took place between two men of great political and religious influence in Spain. Even the king, whose financial and military successes were well known, seemed to find it difficult to take a side in that tremendous conflict. The chaos this struggle created sowed fear amongst the residents of the kingdom, and turned everybody into victims of ideological-political-religious madness from which there is no escape. As fitting for classic quality cinema, the film is filled with action scenes and stormy dramas alongside subplots revolving around interesting characters, but the heart of the story deals with a reflective theme that arouses thought and stimulates the intelligence – a huge philosophical struggle that was rooted in the souls of the people of that era and whose ramifications are still present today. The language used in the film will be somewhat archaic English, but understandable to every ear. Since the central contents of the story are still relevant today, the film is worthy of international acclaim, and I have hopes for its commercial success.