Thought provoking film at Circus cinema

Currently showing at Circus Cinema notes to eternity, directed and produced by New Zealander Sarah Cordery, is a meditation on the Israel-Palestine conflict centering on the lives and ideas of three Jewish Americans: world renowned public intellectual Noam Chomsky, writers Sara Roy and Norman Finkelstein, and internationally acclaimed British foreign correspondent and author of The Great War for Civilisation, Robert Fisk.
All four have strong connections to the issue, not least Roy and Finkelstein, who are the children of Holocaust survivors. All four are robust critics of Israeli policy.

notes to eternity traces the historical events and cultural influences that frame their lives. “Impressive and affecting”, the film has been described as a “philosophical meditation” on the issue (The Lumière Reader).
An exploration of the very act of representing injustice suffered by another, the film is also a testament to the realities of dispossession that reverberate through all narratives of forced displacement and colonisation.
“As a filmmaker, I’m interested in the bigger picture: what drives people to do what they do, to commit the crimes they commit,” says Cordery.

The film was shot over a number of years primarily in Israel-Palestine and the United States. It contains the work of celebrated NZ cinematographer Alun Bollinger and award-winning NZ graphic novelist and artist Ant Sang. The soundtrack includes recent NZ Arts Laureate recipient Delaney Davidson and NZ band The Renderers.
The film is currently screening weekly (several sessions per week) at the Circus Cinema. Sarah Cordery will be attending on Friday 8 July for a Q&A with the audience following the screening at 5.30pm.

“Inspired and inspiring example of world-class film craft” – The Lumière Reader
“Impressive” – Bill Gosden, New Zealand International Film Festival