"People watched someone in distress and did nothing. This disturbing side interested us"

They made the Tribeca crowd cry inside VR helmets and made local history.

Nimrod Shapira and Roi Lev decided to combine augmented reality with a documentary and, with the support of the Lottery, created "Feingold Syndrome", a virtual reality film that revisits the story of Yasmin Feingold's drowning and those who were there.

an interview

Dorin Eliyahu, in collaboration with the Lottery

07/28/2022

Thursday, July 28, 2022, 10:07 a.m

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It was early evening, the year 2009. The 20-year-old rower Yasmin Feingold went on another routine cruise in the Arkon.

But that time, Jasmine flipped.

For five and a half minutes she remained unconscious in the polluted water.

Many passers-by watched her, recognized the distress and yet preferred to reach for the private camera instead of helping it.

It seems that even in the divided Israeli society, there is one thing we all agree on: Israelis help each other in times of need.

Nevertheless and in spite of everything, in the case of Feingold it happened less.

And this is exactly the question that prompted Nimrod Shapira and Roy Lev to create the "Feingold Syndrome" (inspired by the Genovese Syndrome, a phrase coined after the murder of Kitty Genovese in the 1960s).

Only this time, instead of a poignant documentary, they got a film project that took a trip with augmented reality in New York with some of the hottest names in Israel: Michael Moshunov, Orli Zilberschatz, Tzachi Halevi, Yiftach Klein, Case Nashef and Neli Tager.

In short, instead of buying a ticket, put on a VR helmet only to discover that you are part of the scene.

Roy: "This is really one of the questions we asked ourselves when we set out on this journey. Bottom line, Avi Toibin arrived at the end, jumped into the water and saved her. So it did happen, yes there was a mutual guarantee. This is also part of the process we go through in virtual reality. We understand that something has changed they built".

Nimrod: "The previous generation watched television, the one after it became addicted to the Internet and now there are new platforms such as augmented reality. It's a cliché, but if you can't defeat technology - it's better to join it. And here, even in a digital and compact world, we managed to raise a project that speaks of social responsibility and compassion To others. We do celebrate humanity in a virtual space. This is also why the film entered the culture basket. All the high schools in Israel are going to watch it next year. This is really a way to create a dialogue with the screen generation."

Shapira and Lev started their cinematic journey separately, in the corridors of the Mexico building at Tel Aviv University and got to know each other after a few trips around the world.

Lev became interested in holograms and augmented reality and Shapira created music videos for Monica Sex, Ninet Tab, Eli Butner and the American creator Moby (who chose him from 500 music videos).

Later he worked for about 6 years at Yoni Bloch's company and began to explore the idea of ​​going from the flat screen to the 3D.

The Israeli connection won so much that on Independence Day 2020 they even landed Rivlin guns in our living room.

Nimrod: "It is not supposed to replace the Cinematheque's audience. It is a means of expression that allows us to speak to a different audience without pushing anyone aside. There is enough content for everyone. But I will say that those who experience this experience, do not believe they are there. It is different from anything known about Cinema. It's really a lucid dream experience."

Nimrod: "First of all, it is important for me to say that we did not come to do a journalistic investigation or to deal with omissions. We came to check how the story connects to technology and how art asks questions or looks back at you. We asked ourselves how we can tell a meaningful story and found a platform that puts the viewer into the film and allows For him to move around freely."

Roy: "We were looking for a story that emphasizes passivity. And Yasmin's story presents a situation in which for five minutes people stood on the fence. There is a classic bystander effect here, and for us that was the moment we realized that this was a story that we wanted to reproduce in 3D. There is a victim under water, people who stood And they did nothing and there are no excuses. Only here we allow the viewer to become active. And the truth is, there is also a happy ending."

Roy: "We managed to reach a few. The majority were not ready to talk, some denied and were ashamed. But at a certain point we felt that there were enough stories and themes that were repeating themselves and so we created fictional characters. The castings were not chosen by chance either. We chose characters that evoke emotion in the Israeli audience and manage to make them understand the The fear and apprehension of active intervention. And when Tschai Halevi or Neli Tager say there is a situation they would not have jumped, the viewer may sympathize and ask themselves questions."

Nimrod: "In terms of investigation, Roy and I knew we would talk to Yasmin. We wanted to ask her and understand who she talked to the day after. Later we looked for eyewitnesses and in the end we also looked at other cases in the world to check if people outside of Israel really are colder."

Nimrod: "Compassion is an emotion that has existed since time immemorial. In the Torah they say not to 'stand on the blood of your neighbor' and Christians learn about the Good Samaritan. We told a story that has been told since the dawn of humanity."

Roy: "I haven't come across a person who entered this experience and didn't find a character that didn't convey his feelings. There are six characters and everyone finds the character that behaves as they would see fit."

Roy: "The industry has progressed a lot. But it feels like the early days of cinema. A group of people gathering around something new. It really feels like pioneers trying to create a new medium and understand why it's good."

gave her blessing.

Yasmin Feingold (photo: Corporation here)

From the movie (photo: Nimrod Shapira and Roi Lev)

Aren't we flooded with content anyway?

Nimrod: "There is a flood of content. There is no debate about it. There are also many topics to do a documentary on. But if we were to do another one - Yasmin's story could be swallowed up. The point here is to try to create an exciting documentary and social cinema and we found a new format that allows us to plan The whole experience. Because it's interactive, it has something more attractive and stimulating than a documentary. We brought here the disturbing, discouraging and intriguing side of the person who watches someone in distress and does nothing. That's what's interesting."

Roy: "We tried very hard to stay away from it. We consulted with screenwriters and experts and we ourselves went over the script a million and a half times. In the end it is difficult to neutralize it completely, but we did want to put it aside and bring people to a level where they connect to the event despite the great difficulty."

Nimrod: "It's something I really messed with. Michael Moshunov, let's say, plays the photographer who didn't do anything. And we judged him terribly. In retrospect, when we found the original video, we heard him sobbing and saw how he was shaking. It was also a moment when our judgment disappeared."

Roy: "It is important to add that our film would not have come out the same without the materials he shot. It is a very ambivalent conflict."

Roy: "I can say that there was great enthusiasm. It made the players see themselves like that."

Nimrod: "Also from the beginning we wanted to take beloved actors for the roles of the people who didn't jump. They added another layer to it that makes the viewer identify on a different level. Tzachi Halevi for that matter represents the ideal Israeli man who nevertheless freezes and is afraid in this situation instead of doing the heroic act that is expected of him. Or Nelly Tagher who is very loved and suddenly has to say texts of a common talkback woman who blames the victim. Through them the viewer says 'Well, there is a situation where I wouldn't jump either.'"

Nimrod: "She gave her blessing and she really likes the project. During the entire film we made sure to keep her informed and had a joint conversation. I think that somewhere this closed the circle for her and also allowed her to look at it from a different angle. She talked to us about the last decade, about How she tried not to bother with the bystanders. It actually helped her deal with it. She also narrates the opening of the film in her own voice.

Nimrod: "The best reaction was to receive support from significant bodies. We received funding from the Lottery Factory, the Kaan 11 Broadcasting Corporation, the Makor Foundation and the Gesher Foundation who believed in this project. As creators, getting a budget to make your film is the best reaction. We also have partners from Canada and Germany who helped us produce an international co-production."

Roy: "The premiere of the project was at the Tribeca Festival in New York. They do a phenomenal job with the new mediums and it is one of the leading festivals in the world. From there we embarked on a long project. We presented in Taiwan, Japan and over 30 festivals in the world including Tribeca and Cannes. These questions, about how to react Anywhere in the world is marginal in my eyes. Because when it works, it works and that everywhere in the world there is compassion and empathy. It is exciting and there is enthusiasm. Everything is meant to serve the purpose. And true,

The lottery works for the promotion of culture and art in Israel.

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