The Children of San Simon
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The Children of San Simon
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Sima Shimony, age 69, embarks on a mission to find her friends and staff from the “ALYN” Institute for Children with Disabilities, that was situated in the secluded San-Simon monastery on a hilltop in Jerusalem, in the 1960s. Armed with a small camera attached to her wheelchair she sets on a journey across the country together with her friend Pini Newirth, also a polio-child, to unfold and reclaim the story of the children of the Polio epidemic. In a futile attempt to rebuild their bodies so they could walk – the children were subject to excruciating medical procedures with no parents or family at their side. But growing up together forged a group of remarkable, self-driven women and men with disabilities, who eventually launched the Disability Rights movement in Israel.
Festivals and Awards:
Docaviv International Film Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2024
Director: Shachar Gal-Nur
Producer: Mooly Landesman, Tslil Landesman
Production Company: Sadot North LTD
Cinematographer: Ran Aviad
Editor: Kobi Netanel
Soundtrack Editor: Erez Eyni Shavit
Original Soundtrack: Itamar Doari
Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television, Galil Foundation, Mifal Hapis, Gesher Foundation
Colourist / Online Editor: Aviran Aldema
Production Design: Elad Elharar
Script: Shachar Gal-Nur
Research: Shachar Gal-Nur, Sima shimoni
Subtitles: English, Hebrew
Film Name in Hebrew: הילדים ממנזר סן סימון
Sima Shimony, age 69, embarks on a mission to find her friends and staff from the “ALYN” Institute for Children with Disabilities, that was situated in the secluded San-Simon monastery on a hilltop in Jerusalem, in the 1960s. Armed with a small camera attached to her wheelchair she sets on a journey across the country together with her friend Pini Newirth, also a polio-child, to unfold and reclaim the story of the children of the Polio epidemic. In a futile attempt to rebuild their bodies so they could walk – the children were subject to excruciating medical procedures with no parents or family at their side. But growing up together forged a group of remarkable, self-driven women and men with disabilities, who eventually launched the Disability Rights movement in Israel.
Festivals and Awards:
Docaviv International Film Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2024

Director: Shachar Gal-Nur
Producer: Mooly Landesman, Tslil Landesman
Production Company: Sadot North LTD
Cinematographer: Ran Aviad
Editor: Kobi Netanel
Soundtrack Editor: Erez Eyni Shavit
Original Soundtrack: Itamar Doari
Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television, Galil Foundation, Mifal Hapis, Gesher Foundation
Colourist / Online Editor: Aviran Aldema
Production Design: Elad Elharar
Script: Shachar Gal-Nur
Research: Shachar Gal-Nur, Sima shimoni
Subtitles: English, Hebrew
Film Name in Hebrew: הילדים ממנזר סן סימון