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Paper Dolls

(בובות של נייר)

Paper Dolls 2006 | Israel | 80 min.
Language: English, Hebrew, Tagalog (Hebrew/English subtitles)

Credits

  • Director: Tomer Heymann
  • Producers: Stanley Buchtel, Cala (Claudia) levin, Tomer Heymann
  • Cinematographer: Itai Raziel
  • Original score: Eli Soorani
  • Editor: Lavi Ben Gal
  • Screenwriter: Tomer Heymann
  • Research: Tali Shamir-Werzberger

Synopsis

"Paper Dolls" is a documentary film which explores changing patterns of global immigration and expanding notions of family through the prism of a community of Filipino transvestites who live illegally in Israel. Cast out by their families because of their sexual and gender preferences, these people work 6 days a week as live-in, 24 hour a day care givers (and in many cases as surrogate children) for elderly orthodox Jewish men, in order to earn money to send to their families in the Philippines that had rejected them. On their one free night per week, they pursue their own personal dreams as drag performers in the group they call “The Paper Dolls” in the relative freedom of cosmopolitan Tel Aviv. Despite having to deal with often harsh working conditions, threats by street criminals, fear of terrorist bombings and the constant peril of deportation, The Paper Dolls demonstrate a rare generosity of spirit, humanity and lust for life.

Award winning filmmaker Tomer Heymann enters this unusual world and by coming to know and love these subjects unearths joy, sorrow and humanity which change his life forever.

This film was supported by YES Doco, Channel 2 (Keshet), Makor Foundation, and The Rabinovich Foundation

Videos/Trailers

Film Festivals & Awards

  • Panorama Audiance Award, The Berlin International Film Festival, Germany 2006
  • Teddy Award, The Berlin International Film Festival, Germany 2006
  • Manfred Salzgeber Film Prize, The Berlin International Film Festival, Germany 2006
  • Audiance Award, Los Angeles Film Festival, USA 2006
  • Best Documentay,Cinemanila International Film Festival, Philippines 2006
  • Audiance Award,The Pink Apple Film Festiva, Switzerland 2006
  • Best Feature Documentary, DNA Film Festival, Toronto 2007
  • Best Documentary,Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, 2007
  • Audience Award for the Best Documentary,Torino GLBT Film Festival, Italy 2007
  • Best Documentary, Identities Film Festival, Vienna 2007
  • Audiance Award, Identities Queer Film Festival, Vienna 2007
  • Silvwe Phoenix for Best Bocumentary, Jewish Motifs International Film Festival, Warsaw 2008
  • Kassel Documentary Film & Video Festival, Germany 2006
  • Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia 2006
  • Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brasil 2006
  • Film Forum, New York City 2006
  • Bergen International Film Festival, Norway 2006
  • Hamburg Lesbian & Gay Film Festival,Germany 2007
  • Rio International Film Festival, Brasil 2006
  • Jewish Film Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2006
  • Columbus Jewish Film Festival, USA 2006
  • Hartford Jewish Film Festival, USA 2006
  • The Loft Cinema, USA 2006
  • Maine Jewish Film Festival, USA 2006
  • New Zealand International Film Festival, 2006
  • Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema, USA 2007
  • International 1001 Documentary Film Festival, Turkey 2007
  • The Jewish Film Festival Barcelona, Spain 2007
  • Mardi Gras Film Festival, Australia 2007
  • The Nigah Queer Fest, New Dehli, India 2007
  • Planete Doc Review, Poland 2007
  • Skip City International D (Digital)- Cinema Festival 2007
  • Stockholm Pride, Sweden 2007
  • Torino International LGBT Film Festival, Italy 2007
  • Transgender Film Festival, The Netherlands 2007
  • Vienna's International Queer Film Festival, Austria 2007
  • The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
  • Wayne State University, USA 2006
  • Univ. Wisconsin Israeli Film Festival

Snapshots

Publications, Reviews, Press releases




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