Ilan Moshenzon, Director of 'The Squad Commander,' Dies at 82
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Film director Ilan Moshenzon, celebrated for his 1970s film "The Squad Commander," died Wednesday at 82. The Tel Aviv native studied history and theater before pursuing filmmaking in London, where he wrote "The Squad Commander," a film about childhood street gangs that addressed the Holocaust and represented Israel at the Berlin Film Festival. Moshenzon also had a significant career in television and taught film for over two decades at Tel Aviv University. He is survived by his late wife, Edna Ben-Ari, a museum curator. His funeral will be held Thursday.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Film director Ilan Moshenzon, known for "The Squad Commander," died Wednesday at age 82.
- His 1970s film "The Squad Commander" addressed the Holocaust and represented Israel at the Berlin Film Festival.
- Moshenzon also taught film for over two decades at Tel Aviv University.
- He co-founded a master's program in film at Tel Aviv University.
- His wife, Edna Ben-Ari, a senior curator, passed away eight months ago.
- His funeral is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at Yarkon Cemetery.
Acclaimed Israeli film director Ilan Moshenzon, best known for his 1970s film "The Squad Commander" (Roba Chuliyot), passed away on Wednesday at the age of 82. Born in Tel Aviv, Moshenzon's early influences included Italian cinema and directors like Fellini and Antonioni, as well as the French New Wave. He initially studied history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before pursuing his passion for art at Tel Aviv University's theater department. Moshenzon also served in the Air Force's filming unit during his reserve duty, creating instructional and promotional films.
From 1970 to 1973, he worked as a resident director at the Educational Television, writing screenplays and producing numerous programs. After directing the short film "The Wedding We Wanted to Forget" in 1974, he traveled to England to study filmmaking at the London Film School, graduating with honors. It was during his studies that he wrote the screenplay for "The Squad Commander," a semi-autobiographical film about street gangs of 10-12 year olds in Tel Aviv leading up to Israel's third Independence Day. The film, considered one of the first to extensively address the Holocaust, was Israel's official entry at the Berlin Film Festival, and its screenplay won the Shai Ophir Award.
Film critic Meir Schnitzer described the film as a "faithful, sometimes overly impressionistic, cut of the early years of the state, with their unique atmosphere, rationing, Holocaust survivors searching for lost relatives, rapid emigration, and the cultivation of statism and nascent nationalism." Moshenzon was also active in the "Kitz" (Young Israeli Cinema) group in 1977, which advocated for quality Israeli cinema and contributed to the establishment of the Israeli Film Fund.
Between 1977 and 1982, he directed and produced documentaries for Channel 1 through his production company "Castel." In 1986, he directed his second feature film, "Crazy Weekend." Moshenzon also had a distinguished academic career, teaching film at Beit Zvi and later at Tel Aviv University for over twenty years, starting in 1991. In 2002, he co-founded a master's program for university graduates in film at Tel Aviv University, which he directed for eleven years until his retirement.
Moshenzon was married to Edna Ben-Ari, a senior curator at the Tel Aviv Museum for 30 years, who passed away eight months prior. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the Yarkon Cemetery.
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