An Intimate Look at Youth Culture in Modern Israel
From punk skate collectives to the traditional rituals.
Globalization and the Internet has broken down many of the walls that once separated cultures. A new youth generation borne from this international Internet culture now stretches between different parts of the world, absorbing and influencing various subcultures and scenes of contemporary pop culture. One region that doesn’t receive quite as much attention for its youth culture is Israel, and London-based filmmaker Yoni Lappin set forth to shed light on the various experiences of growing up in modern Israel.
The visual narrative, from NOWNESS‘s Directors’ Cuts series, offers an intimate look at the diverse scenes, the punk skate collectives, the underground parties and the traditional rituals that anchor much of Israel’s cultural identity and its burgeoning adolescence.
“The country is a complex place with so many different viewpoints and interpretations,” Lappin notes. “You are seeing these people come together not only to show their appreciation for the sounds that are influencing them, but who are also beginning to creatively interpret things in their own way. Originally, this film was simply about youth culture in Israel—but it moved me far more profoundly than I had thought, documenting an exciting young generation from different backgrounds, who have fresh ideas, a sense of empowerment, and an intense energy.”