Amos Gitai recounts, through documentaries and fictions, the histoiry and issues of his country. An architecture student, he directs during the 1970s around thirty short films, addressing subjects which quickly narrow down to the issues of space and territories, the foundations and cinematographic principles of a filmmaker who, since then, has ceaselessly filmed places and their memory, to bring other truths to light.
From the story of a house to the observation of the persisting contradictions which characterize this land, from the wars to conquer or defend territories to the unbalanced relationships between Third World and wealthier countries, Amos Gitai has placed history, emigration and exile at the heart of his films.
The book presents a poetical path in a singular work through key images, drawn by the filmmaker from over seventy films, such as House, Wadi, Field Diary, Pineapple, Devarim, The Arena of Murder, Kadosh, Kipur, Kedma, Alila.
Containing an introductory essay by Jean-Michel Frodon, this book is completed by an annotated filmography presenting, for each film, extracts from critics of various countries. The book and the exhibition accompany the first complete retrospective of the films of Amos Gitai, which is presented by the Centre Pompidou in October 2003.