As part of Srugim’s film project “My First Film, Director’s Version,” director Oren Ben Simon describes how he made his debut feature, “Moris.” The series interviews filmmakers about the moment a dream becomes an actual film, and Ben Simon says every Israeli film begins with a first step taken by someone willing to risk the leap.
Ben Simon says the film is about an urban poet in early Tel Aviv, just before the city is overtaken by high-rises. He says the character emerged during the years when he was organizing rough poetry nights at Riff Raff, described as the first hipster bar in Tel Aviv, and through conversations with cultural figures, including Reuven Dotan, a friend of David Avidan, and others who were less known.
He says the script “wrote itself” in parts, when inspiration came. He developed the project through a development grant from the Yehoshua Rabinovitz Foundation, with additional independent financing. Working with actors was, in his words, “a lot of fun,” because he lives in a creative environment and things happened naturally. On set, he felt responsibility, pleasure and great satisfaction.
Ben Simon says seeing the footage in the editing room was “beautiful,” because words turned into a kind of virtual reality. He presented the film to audiences in sections, because the script is written like poetry. The most surprising reaction, he says, was that the music he composed for the film reminded viewers of Ennio Morricone. Asked what personal experience he tried to convey, he said that he and the actress became lovers. He adds that the film did not change him as a director, because he remained the same person.
