photo taken by Conny Drees
1.+2. October,
2026
Filmfest Hamburg
with "Esther" -
A film portrait by Shaked Goren
about Esther Ofarim
As part of the Filmfest Hamburg, the
award winning film "Esther" was screened on 1st October at the Hapag-Lloyd AG, 19:30
and 2nd October, Metropolis at 16:30.
The film was presented in its original Hebrew version with German subtitles.
The evening of 1st October was especially memorable because Esther herself attended the screening, and many photographs were taken.
She even gave the film two thumbs up and was in excellent spirits when director Shaked Goren knelt before
her:
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photo taken by Roel van Nieuwenhoven
Articles of the press:
Info from the website:
"DOCUMENTARY FILM Sometimes you have to leave a country to find your voice. This moving portrait of Esther Ofarim weaves together late-night telephone calls between Tel Aviv and Hamburg with rare archive footage to create a story that both reveals and conceals. Esther Ofarim was an international pop star in the 1960s – celebrated at the Eurovision Song Contest and in the German charts, yet increasingly alienated from her own homeland. The film makes her seem approachable without detracting from her legendary status, and weaves together images, words and music into a finely crafted montage that tells a story of both personal and European history.
Direction:
Shaked Goren is an Israeli documentary filmmaker. His work combines personal stories with social issues. He won the Best Director award at the 2026 Docaviv Festival for Esther."
More details about the film, an outtake and the official trailer you can find here.
Click here
for more info about the event.
Deutsche Info von der Webseite:
"DOKUMENTARFILM Manchmal muss man ein Land verlassen, um seine Stimme zu finden. Dieses bewegende Porträt von Esther Ofarim verwebt nächtliche Telefonate zwischen Tel Aviv und Hamburg mit seltenem Archivmaterial zu einer Geschichte, die zugleich offenlegt und verbirgt. Esther Ofarim war in den 1960er-Jahren ein internationaler Popstar – gefeiert beim Eurovision Song Contest, in den deutschen Hitparaden, doch der eigenen Heimat zunehmend entfremdet. Der Film lässt sie nahbar werden, ohne ihren legendären Status anzutasten, und verknüpft Bilder, Worte und Musik zu einer fein reflektierten Montage, die von persönlicher wie europäischer Geschichte erzählt.
Regie:
Shaked Goren ist israelischer Dokumentarfilmer. Seine Arbeiten verbinden persönliche Geschichten mit gesellschaftlichen Fragen. Für Esther erhielt er beim Festival Docaviv 2026 den Regiepreis.."
Hier
gibts mehr Infos zu dem Event.
Mehr Details zum Film, eine unveröffentlichte Szene sowie den offiziellen Trailer gibt es hier.
