Fantastisch

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Fantastisch

Following a long string of illnesses, Shmulik Leshed decided, at the age of 55 and following a health book he read, to turn around the course of his life. In addition to his occupation as a well-known plumber in Haifa, he became a street player and a clown. Since then and to this very day, at the age of 100, he goes around Israel and the world, armed with an accordion, playing and making people happy.
For the past 15 years, Shmulik is accompanied by Mira, a Russian immigrant who is his faithful but exhausted caregiver, forced to follow him in his unexpected adventures and travels abroad. Shmulik refuses to take the tranquilizers his psychiatrist recommends and like the famous bunny in the battery commercial, he never tires. What is Shmulik‘s secret charm?
This unpredictable film exposes the demanding, humoristic and compassionate relationship between Shmulik and Mira. It breaks stereotypes surrounding the issues of aging and challenges the reflexive way people perceive Shmulik, dismissing him as a “curiosity item” or just another nutty street beggar.

Festivals and Awards:

Haifa International Film Festival, Israel, 2013, Epos Art Film Festival, Israel, 2014

Director: Ofra Sarel-Koren

Producer: Yahaly Gat

Production Company: Muse Productions

Cinematographer: Ron Katzenelson, Guy Refael

Editor: Bracha Zisman-Cohen

Original Soundtrack: Avi Benjamin

Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television, The Second Television and Radio Authority

Script: Ofra Sarel-Koren

Distributor: Ruth Diskin Films Ltd.

Subtitles: English

Film Name in Hebrew: פנטסטאיש

Following a long string of illnesses, Shmulik Leshed decided, at the age of 55 and following a health book he read, to turn around the course of his life. In addition to his occupation as a well-known plumber in Haifa, he became a street player and a clown. Since then and to this very day, at the age of 100, he goes around Israel and the world, armed with an accordion, playing and making people happy.
For the past 15 years, Shmulik is accompanied by Mira, a Russian immigrant who is his faithful but exhausted caregiver, forced to follow him in his unexpected adventures and travels abroad. Shmulik refuses to take the tranquilizers his psychiatrist recommends and like the famous bunny in the battery commercial, he never tires. What is Shmulik‘s secret charm?
This unpredictable film exposes the demanding, humoristic and compassionate relationship between Shmulik and Mira. It breaks stereotypes surrounding the issues of aging and challenges the reflexive way people perceive Shmulik, dismissing him as a “curiosity item” or just another nutty street beggar.

Festivals and Awards:

Haifa International Film Festival, Israel, 2013, Epos Art Film Festival, Israel, 2014

Director: Ofra Sarel-Koren

Producer: Yahaly Gat

Production Company: Muse Productions

Cinematographer: Ron Katzenelson, Guy Refael

Editor: Bracha Zisman-Cohen

Original Soundtrack: Avi Benjamin

Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television, The Second Television and Radio Authority

Script: Ofra Sarel-Koren

Distributor: Ruth Diskin Films Ltd.

Subtitles: English

Film Name in Hebrew: פנטסטאיש

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