Udi Aloni
Encyclopedia
Udi Aloni is an Israeli and American filmmaker, writer
and visual artist
whose works focus on the interrelationships between art
, theory
,and action. He began his career as a painter
, establishing the Bugrashov gallery in Tel Aviv
, a home for contemporary art, cultural and political events. His work in large-scale art led him, while living in New York
in the 1990s, to invent a method for advertising on urban architectural structures. In 1996, Aloni began making films. His documentary, Local Angel (2002), and his first feature-length fiction, Forgiveness (2006), are both radical interpretations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
that have stirred controversy in the Middle East
and internationally. Aloni also directed “Kashmir: Journey to Freedom” (2008), a documentary about the nonviolent movement for liberation and freedom in Jammu and Kashmir
that opened in the Berlin International Film Festival
. He is a member of the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace
and the head cinema coach in the Freedom Theatre of the Jenin Refugee Camp. His book, What Does a Jew Want (edited by Slavoj Žižek
), will be published by Columbia University Press in Spring 2011.
2009 Kashmir: Journey to Freedom PANORAMA DOCUMENT opening night Berlinale.
2009 Journey in Palestine with philosopher Alain Badiou.
2008 New York. Premiere of Forgiveness.
2007 “Forgiveness and Retribution”: Symposium with Judith Butler, Jewish Book Week, London.
2007 Jury Member, Panorama – Berlin Film Festival.
2006 Artist in Residence, European Graduate School.
2006 Forgiveness (Feature Film).
2005–2006 Symposia and Lectures with Slavoj Zizek.
2005 Rolling in the Underworld’s Tunnels (book, Hebrew, published by HaKibbutz Hameuchad).
2004 Local Angel (book, ICA, London).
2004 Innocent Criminals (Music Video).
2002 Local Angel (Documentary Film).
1996 Left (Documentary Film).
1996 Re-U-Man Inaugural Presentation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
1995 The Book of Sham, New York.
The film Forgiveness (2006), which had its Middle-Eastern premiere in Ramallah
, recently stirred up controversy when the Israeli embassy in Paris threatened to withdraw funding from the Israeli Film Festival in Paris (Festival du Film – Israelien de Paris http://www.isratim.co.il/) should they open the festival with the film http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3370814,00.html. Aloni (along with Naomi Klein
, John Greyson
, and others) was an initiator of the Toronto Declaration http://torontodeclaration.blogspot.com/, a petition to protest plans to "host a celebratory spotlight on Tel Aviv" because according to the petitioners doing so constitutes "staging a propaganda campaign" on behalf of "an apartheid regime."
Aloni claims that "in all his activities," he "is a strong voice in promoting justice, peace, solidarity and love between Israel and Palestine."http://www.udialoni.com/about/
, the Toronto International Film Festival
, the Tokyo International Film Festival
, the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
, and the Jerusalem Film Festival
. Forgiveness (2006), which took the audience award
at the Woodstock Film Festival
in 2006 http://www.fest21.com/blog/woodstockff/audience_award_winners_announced_for_woodstock_ff, was described by Slavoj Žižek
as “maybe the most beautiful, powerful and important film ever made about the tragedies of the region” http://www.ica.org.uk/Jewish%20Book%20Week:%20Forgiveness+13194.twl. Its theatrical release in the United States opened with Miriam Said, the widow of late Edward Said
, reading the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish
.
In 2007, Aloni was a Jury Member for the Manfred Salzgeber
Award in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival
in Berlin
, Germany
.
, Slavoj Žižek
, Alain Badiou
, and Avital Ronell
, spans the fields of theology
and psychoanalysis
, literature
and philosophy
. His recently-published book Gilgul Mechilot (Forgiveness, Or Rolling In the Underworld's Tunnels), a collection of stories and pensees, includes his politically-charged essays Messianic Manifesto for Binationalism and Reflections on the Coming of the Messiah http://www.forgivenessthefilm.com/Udi/udi0.html.
Aloni coined the phrase “radical leftist Messianism
” to describe his political ideology, which attempts to identify and analyze the theology of secularism, or the unconscious theological underpinnings of secularist and liberal discourses, specifically in Israel. In Messianic Manifesto for Binationalism http://www.forgivenessthefilm.com/Udi/udi0.html, he calls for a radical re-reading of Zionism
, stating that “Any attempt to resist the Law of the Father as violent Zionist extremism only strengthens him. […] We must cleanse Zionism of its nationalistic elements without relinquishing its Messianic fervor for liberty, freedom, and equality.”
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and visual artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
whose works focus on the interrelationships between art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, theory
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
,and action. He began his career as a painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, establishing the Bugrashov gallery in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, a home for contemporary art, cultural and political events. His work in large-scale art led him, while living in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the 1990s, to invent a method for advertising on urban architectural structures. In 1996, Aloni began making films. His documentary, Local Angel (2002), and his first feature-length fiction, Forgiveness (2006), are both radical interpretations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
that have stirred controversy in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and internationally. Aloni also directed “Kashmir: Journey to Freedom” (2008), a documentary about the nonviolent movement for liberation and freedom in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
that opened in the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. He is a member of the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace
Jewish Voice for Peace is a United States Jewish organization which describes itself as "a diverse and democratic community of activists inspired by Jewish tradition to work together for peace, social justice, and human rights [to] support the aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians for security...
and the head cinema coach in the Freedom Theatre of the Jenin Refugee Camp. His book, What Does a Jew Want (edited by Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher, critical theorist working in the traditions of Hegelianism, Marxism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. He has made contributions to political theory, film theory, and theoretical psychoanalysis....
), will be published by Columbia University Press in Spring 2011.
Biographical Notes & Filmography (last 15 years)
2010-12 Antigone In The Jenin Refugee Camp,(Fiction film - work in progress).2009 Kashmir: Journey to Freedom PANORAMA DOCUMENT opening night Berlinale.
2009 Journey in Palestine with philosopher Alain Badiou.
2008 New York. Premiere of Forgiveness.
2007 “Forgiveness and Retribution”: Symposium with Judith Butler, Jewish Book Week, London.
2007 Jury Member, Panorama – Berlin Film Festival.
2006 Artist in Residence, European Graduate School.
2006 Forgiveness (Feature Film).
2005–2006 Symposia and Lectures with Slavoj Zizek.
2005 Rolling in the Underworld’s Tunnels (book, Hebrew, published by HaKibbutz Hameuchad).
2004 Local Angel (book, ICA, London).
2004 Innocent Criminals (Music Video).
2002 Local Angel (Documentary Film).
1996 Left (Documentary Film).
1996 Re-U-Man Inaugural Presentation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
1995 The Book of Sham, New York.
Politics
Aloni's comments on Israel and the Palestinians have stirred controversy. Aloni has called for the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state. He accuses Israel of "apartheid" that "in some ways [] has been crueler in Israel" than South Africa because "the entire judicial system conceals and cleanses the praxis of government-led apartheid."http://www.salon.com/2011/11/09/goldstones_offensive_apartheid_apology/singleton Aloni has described the state of Israel as "unbearable" and "fascist" and he has called for replacing the state of Israel with a "bi-national" state of Palestinehttp://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/10/201110414418645816.html and "free[ing] ... Israel from Zionism."http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/philosopher-for-hire-1.383403 He supports boycotts of and sanctions against the state of Israel and views his work for the "BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement" against Israel as crucial to his seeing Palestinians as a "brother ... with whom I share a common identity."http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/10/201110414418645816.html Aloni has written against what he calls the "the hoax of Israel democracy" and what he calls the "occupation regime [engaging] in a worldwide rebranding of Israel as an enlightened state."http://mondoweiss.net/2010/11/brooklyn-jenin-the-boycott-is-legitimate-for-promoting-peace.html The slogan "From the River to the Sea all People Must be Free" appears on Aloni's website.http://www.udialoni.com/about/The film Forgiveness (2006), which had its Middle-Eastern premiere in Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, recently stirred up controversy when the Israeli embassy in Paris threatened to withdraw funding from the Israeli Film Festival in Paris (Festival du Film – Israelien de Paris http://www.isratim.co.il/) should they open the festival with the film http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3370814,00.html. Aloni (along with Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
, John Greyson
John Greyson
John Greyson is a Canadian filmmaker, whose work frequently deals with gay themes. Greyson is also a video artist, writer and activist; he is currently a professor at York University, where he teaches film and video theory and film production and editing.-Background:Greyson was born the son of...
, and others) was an initiator of the Toronto Declaration http://torontodeclaration.blogspot.com/, a petition to protest plans to "host a celebratory spotlight on Tel Aviv" because according to the petitioners doing so constitutes "staging a propaganda campaign" on behalf of "an apartheid regime."
Aloni claims that "in all his activities," he "is a strong voice in promoting justice, peace, solidarity and love between Israel and Palestine."http://www.udialoni.com/about/
Films
Aloni’s films have been presented in various leading film festivals and universities, among them the Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
, the Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
, the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
The Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The festival is managed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, it is not...
, and the Jerusalem Film Festival
Jerusalem Film Festival
The Jerusalem Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, Israel. The festival was the brainchild of Lia van Leer, who inaugurated it on May 17, 1984...
. Forgiveness (2006), which took the audience award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
at the Woodstock Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was begun in 1999. The festival was first conceived as a part of the Woodstock '99 Music and Arts Festival, with movies being screened as part of that event.-History:...
in 2006 http://www.fest21.com/blog/woodstockff/audience_award_winners_announced_for_woodstock_ff, was described by Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher, critical theorist working in the traditions of Hegelianism, Marxism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. He has made contributions to political theory, film theory, and theoretical psychoanalysis....
as “maybe the most beautiful, powerful and important film ever made about the tragedies of the region” http://www.ica.org.uk/Jewish%20Book%20Week:%20Forgiveness+13194.twl. Its theatrical release in the United States opened with Miriam Said, the widow of late Edward Said
Edward Said
Edward Wadie Saïd was a Palestinian-American literary theorist and advocate for Palestinian rights. He was University Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and a founding figure in postcolonialism...
, reading the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who won numerous awards for his literary output and was regarded as the Palestinian national poet...
.
- Left (1996)
- Local Angel (2002)
- Innocent Criminals (2004) -Music video with DAM (band)DAM (band)DAM is a Palestinian hip-hop group. Based in Lod, Israel, DAM was founded in 1999 by brothers Tamar and Suhell Nafar and their friend Mahmoud Jreri, and their songs are largely about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and poverty...
, Palestinian rap group - Forgiveness (Mechilot) (2006) –winner of Audience Award at the Woodstock Film Festival
- Kashmir: Journey to Freedom” (2008)
In 2007, Aloni was a Jury Member for the Manfred Salzgeber
Manfred Salzgeber
Manfred Salzgeber was a German actor and film producer. He was director of the "Sektion Panorama" at the Internationales Filmfestspiel Berlin...
Award in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Writings
Aloni’s writing, which includes correspondences contemporary thinkers such as Judith ButlerJudith Butler
Judith Butler is an American post-structuralist philosopher, who has contributed to the fields of feminism, queer theory, political philosophy, and ethics. She is a professor in the Rhetoric and Comparative Literature departments at the University of California, Berkeley.Butler received her Ph.D...
, Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher, critical theorist working in the traditions of Hegelianism, Marxism and Lacanian psychoanalysis. He has made contributions to political theory, film theory, and theoretical psychoanalysis....
, Alain Badiou
Alain Badiou
Alain Badiou is a French philosopher, professor at European Graduate School, formerly chair of Philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure . Along with Giorgio Agamben and Slavoj Žižek, Badiou is a prominent figure in an anti-postmodern strand of continental philosophy...
, and Avital Ronell
Avital Ronell
Avital Ronell is a Professor of Philosophy at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee and a Professor of German, comparative literature, and English at New York University, where she co-directs the Research in Trauma and Violence project...
, spans the fields of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. His recently-published book Gilgul Mechilot (Forgiveness, Or Rolling In the Underworld's Tunnels), a collection of stories and pensees, includes his politically-charged essays Messianic Manifesto for Binationalism and Reflections on the Coming of the Messiah http://www.forgivenessthefilm.com/Udi/udi0.html.
Aloni coined the phrase “radical leftist Messianism
Messianism
Messianism is the belief in a messiah, a savior or redeemer. Many religions have a messiah concept, including the Jewish Messiah, the Christian Christ, the Muslim Mahdi and Isa , the Buddhist Maitreya, the Hindu Kalki and the Zoroastrian Saoshyant...
” to describe his political ideology, which attempts to identify and analyze the theology of secularism, or the unconscious theological underpinnings of secularist and liberal discourses, specifically in Israel. In Messianic Manifesto for Binationalism http://www.forgivenessthefilm.com/Udi/udi0.html, he calls for a radical re-reading of Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
, stating that “Any attempt to resist the Law of the Father as violent Zionist extremism only strengthens him. […] We must cleanse Zionism of its nationalistic elements without relinquishing its Messianic fervor for liberty, freedom, and equality.”
Visual Art
- Re-U-Man Interactive Project http://udialoni.com/re-u-man/ –inaugural presentation: Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
; also exhibited at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the 22nd St. Bridge in New York - Book of Sham: Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, New York
- Parhessia: Ramat Gan Museum for Contemporary Art, Israel
- God Is Dead Already From the Beginning –a conference with the participation of Umberto EcoUmberto EcoUmberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
and Moshe Idel, Mishkenot Shaananim, Israel - among others
See also
- Udi Aloni website: http://www.udialoni.com
- Forgiveness Official Site: http://www.forgivenessthefilm.com
- Review of Forgiveness in the London Independent: http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/news/article1705590.ece
- Local Angel Official Site: http://www.localangel.net
- Audio lecture, Aloni and Judith Butler at Jewish Book Week, London 2007; http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2007/040307n.php
- The Re-U-Man Interactive Project: http://udialoni.com/re-u-man/
- "The Dimensions of Art": Alain Badiou on Aloni's "Forgiveness." In The Symptom; Lacan.com: http://www.lacan.com/symptom/?p=56