“Mr. Kohl’s Final Hour,” a film based on Joshua Sobol’s award-winning play, was recently screened at the ICARO International Film Festival held in Antigua, Guatemala. The festival, which is held each November in the Central American country, hosts more than 50 films, along with a significant number of international guests.
The Ícaro International Film Festival in Central America is a project created and produced in Guatemala by Casa Comal Arte y Cultura with the financial and organizational support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, in cooperation with diplomatic representations accredited in Guatemala, organizations, companies and friends of the Festival.
The film is a monologue delivered by a single actor. Attorney Mickey Kohl has an hour left before he enters prison for assaulting a judge who has ruled against him. Standing at the entrance to the jail, Kohl’s receives a phone call from the courthouse librarian – she has information that may change the trial’s verdict that has cost him his wife, his career and his freedom. During that final hour, through telephone conversations with the women in his life and flashbacks of memory, Kohl discovers the truth about the trial and takes stock of his life.
The film was shown at the festival before a capacity crowd on December 8 on a giant screen placed on the wall of the old church in the city. Director Doron Eran spoke to the audience before the screening and discussed the making of “Mr. Kohl’s Final Hour” and independent filmmaking in Israel.
The screening of the film at the festival took place with the assistance of the Israeli Embassy in Guatemala. "We were very happy to take advantage of director Doron Eran's stay in Guatemala for the purpose of presenting his films to the local audience at the ICARO festival. Israel and Guatemala share a great friendship, and the promotion of Israeli culture in the country is an important part of our work here.”
In November and December, Eran was based in Antigua for the filming of “10 Kilos of Cocaine,” which will feature Israeli actors Daniela Kertesz, Luna Mansour and Eyal Rozales, along with local stars Juan Pablo Olyslager and Juan Diego. The film was shot by Hollywood cinematographer Barry Markowitz. The movie is based on the true story of Sharon Yitzhaki, an Israeli woman who was framed in a drug smuggling scandal for possession of 10 kilos of cocaine and was sent to the Mira Flores women’s prison in La Paz, Bolivia, known as one of the toughest penitentiaries in the world. The screenplay was inspired by her best-selling book describing her experiences. The film production in Guatemala is the first collaboration between filmmakers from both countries.