Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media Festival - Legend of Destruction

Directed by Gidi Dar
Animation Feature | Israel | 2021 | 93 min | English and Hebrew with English subtitles

The Land of Israel is under Roman rule. Social inequalities, corruption, and injustices are rampant. The masses are crushed by imposing taxes, while the aristocracy lives a life of unimaginable wealth. Polarized Jerusalem is a powder keg about to explode; cries for freedom, justice, and equality in the name of God are prevalent. Secret groups of Zealots roam the streets, causing havoc and hatred. When the rebellion against the Roman oppressor breaks out, it swiftly escalates into a full-blown vicious civil war. A devastating famine, fueled by a quest for justice and revenge, cripples the city. When the Roman legions eventually unleash their wrath on emaciated Jerusalem, disaster is inevitable. LEGEND OF DESTRUCTION’s visual style was created with 1,500 original paintings by David Polonsky and Michael Faust, the artists behind the Oscar-nominated Waltz with Bashir (2008), while the original music and score, written by Assaf Talmudi and Yonatan Albalak, are nothing short of amazing. Based on Talmudic legends and the accounts of Yosef Ben Matityahu (Josephus Flavius), Gidi Dar’s stunning epic depicts the dangers of greed, social injustices, corruption, polarization, political hubris, and, above all, religious fanaticism in the name of God. These events took place some 2,000 years ago, yet the timeliness of this seminal story to the Jewish people is shocking.

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