Cinemascope

“$9.99″ in Toronto

There are no animated features produced in Israel. So how could it be that two of the first animated theatrical features made in Israel in over four decades are now getting their premieres at the Toronto Film Festival?

For those not in the know, it may seem that Israel is an animation empire, but the ironic fact is that the two animated movies to be shown next month in Toronto are actually almost the only animated features ever produced over here and their simultaneous premiere is nothing short of a cosmic fluke.

(There was one rather obscure claymation animated feature produced in Israel in the Sixties but none since).

The first, “Waltz With Bashir”, is already one of the most talked about international movies right now, after having its world premiere in Cannes and doing outstanding business in France. It’s also the front runner for winning the Ophir Award, Israel’s Academy Award, in September and representing Israel in the Foreign Language category at the Oscars. (Even without it, by the way, I see “Bashir” being this year’s “Persepolis” and getting a Best Animated Feature nomination).

And now comes a brand new stop-motion animated feature called “$9.99” that will have its world premiere in Toronto. It’s the feature film debut for Israeli born director/animator Tatiana Rosenthal, who turned Etgar Keret’s macabre short stories into an animated movie. The film is an Israeli-Australian co-production (a first!), that was co-financed by the Israeli Film fund. Australians Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia are the voice actors.

Keret, a hugely popular writer in Israel, has become an international movie powerhouse in the last couple of years. “Wristcutters: A Love Story”, based on his novella “Knellers Happy Campers”, premiered in Sundance in 2006; “Meduzot” (”Jellyfish”), his directorial debut (along with his wife Shira Gefen) won the Camera D’or in Cannes last year and was shown in Telluride and Toronto; and now “$9.99″ starting out in Toronto.

“$9.99″ is an expansion of a short Rosenthal directed a couple of years ago called “A Buck’s Worth”, also based on a Keret short. Those who have seen the completed “$9.99″ note that the opening scenes are the same.

Here, off Rosenthal’s You-Tube page is the 7 minute long “A Buck’s Worth”:

A Buck’s Worth