The exhibition Filmon Berhe - Short Films presented for the first time in an art center two short films by Filmon Berhe (b. 1990), an Eritrean asylum seeker living in Israel. Berhe was born in the Gash-Barka Region, the Eritrean South-West, and lived there until the age of twenty. Nine years ago, Berhe emigrated alone to Israel. His journey included passage through Sudan, Egypt, and an imprisonment period of a month-and-a-half at the Saharonim Prison, solely on account of his being a refugee. In Israel he discovered the medium of video, which was not accessible for him in his homeland. Filmon studied filmmaking at the CEC - Community Education Center - situated in Tel-Aviv’s Central Bus Station.

1:1 is proud to present original artwork from within the asylum seeker community, which does not enjoy proper exhibition opportunities in the Israeli art scene. The films, social video dramas, have all been shot in Tel Aviv, in streets, parks, restaurants and apartments, mainly in the Neve Shaanan neighbourhood, and offer a new view of the absorbing city, a bustling metropolis, home to refugees and migrants. The Tigrinya-speaking films have been translated for the first time for the exhibition, and were screened with English subtitles. The films were scripted, shot, directed, produced and edited by Berhe, who also composed and performed the musical score. All of the actors in the films are African Asylum seekers living in Israel.

In his works, Berhe touches upon the subjects of war and the seeking of refuge, and portrays everyday occurrences. The films reflect ideas regarding women rights, family values, the importance of collective memory and coping with trauma. Berhe sees his method of filmmaking as composed of three steps: deeply observing what happens around him, divining from these lessons and their meanings, and then mediating his understanding of the situation in the form of a video. His works present a personal voice and a cultural critique of contemporary issues, together with a call for closeness and solidarity in light of what happens to his people, refugees of Eritrea’s dictatorial regime, and present-day human beings, at large.

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Opening: 27.7.2019

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Curated by Omer Krieger

Production Assistant: Nimrod Vainer