Amos Guttman lived his life with a single focus: to make films, his way, about the subjects that meant something to him. Exploring themes that were otherwise ignored by Israeli cinema in the 1980s and 90s, Guttman was uninterested in keeping his audience comfortable and his uncompromising approach produced celebrated cinema. At the same time, his life was a paradox: a gay man credited with making the first queer Israeli film who was not always accepting of his own sexuality, and a confident, rebellious director who still longed to be admired for his work. Taboo: Amos Guttman delves into the filmmaker’s story through an insightful combination of archival footage, contemporary interviews with those closest to him, and his own words. Central to the narrative is Guttman’s final interview, captured by his faithful assistant while his devoted mother looked on. Director Shauly Melamed’s chronicle of Guttman’s life and work leaves the audience feeling that Guttman’s best films were yet to come when AIDS took him at just 38. —Laura Henneman
United States Premiere