NEW SG Interview: Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado – Rabies0

By Fred Topel

You may know about all the complicated problems facing the country of Israel if you keep up with the news. However, there’s one aspect of Israel’s political situation that’s going underreported. Their film industry produces no fun movies. But, finally, a duo of filmmakers is breaking their country out of the serious, somber movie rut.

I discovered Rabies, the first Israeli slasher movie, at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. It has played a few other festivals like Tribeca and London FrightFest, and it will come around again at ScreamFest in Los Angeles this month. It’s sure to get more attention for blowing the lid off an entire genre, let alone a local film industry.

It’s better not to know too much about the film so it can surprise you, but it does involve a group of young characters in the woods who have some bad guys after them. The cast of Israeli stars will be largely unknown to international audiences, unless they’re really worldly. So you’ll discover some exciting new talent and you won’t believe where the story takes them.

Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado made their feature film debut with Rabies. Keshales was a teacher and film critic, and Papushado was his student. Their simple thought of “why not make a slasher movie in Israel” has brought them around the world to discuss the festival favorite. In Austin, we spent a full 30 minutes talking about world affairs and the cultural differences in the language of cinema.

Read our exclusive interview with Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado on SuicideGirls.com.