Yolande Zauberman

Yolande Zauberman is the queen of almost magical immersion. She has a gift for approaching people in a singular way. For capturing an almost palpable essence. For grasping a vibrant humanity that she uncovers behind the unspoken, the taboo, the forbidden, the impossible. Her documentary approach is a case of unveiling. She brings her camera as close as possible to faces, to skins, in a cross between an investigation and a romantic journey. Borders dissolve to tell the story, precisely, of overcoming barriers and territories, and the questioning of heartbreak, by showing individual destinies. Following on from Classified People *in South Africa and *Caste Criminelle in India, in which she explored social, cultural, racial and marital processes, she has continued to probe human perturbations in Israel, following on from Would You Have Sex With an Arab? and M , which she is now completing with a third, nocturnal mirror.

La Belle de Gaza*. A magnificent title that sounds like a promise. Like an invitation to a tale of a thousand and one nights, to a shimmering despite the shadows, to a ray of light in the darkness, to hope alongside horror. The filmmaker delves into the unthinkable, the unfathomable, in search of a possible link. Her cinematic gesture itself is an outstretched hand, via the projection of her gaze, between herself and the other. Here are transgender women, populating a street, but also other spaces, and some of them encountered on the set of* M . They all relate, as in a sororal puzzle, a part of destiny, and a part of History. Different generations, different backgrounds, different characters. But all of them, through the words they speak into the camera, through their presence and their assertive bodies, convey the dream that has become a reality, the dream of facing life with their truth -- that, and the path they have travelled: existentially, mentally, emotionally, physically and sometimes geographically.

The famous Belle de Gaza is the subject of Yolande Zauberman's research here. Was she really found or not? Legend or reality? Everyone can project their own vision. Behind the mascara, the pupils accept the presence of the lens, while playing with laughter or the netting of the veil. As often, what matters is the journey, not necessarily the arrival. This is a thrilling yet gentle journey through the mysteries of an opaque Tel Aviv, focused as it is on the figures and silhouettes of these modern-day heroines, who not only blur the lines between feminine and masculine, but also unite Israel and Palestine, Jew and Arab, here and elsewhere. The director's approach is intended as a humanist band-aid and a love letter in the midst of depression, filmed before 7 October 2023. A terribly moving act of looking.

Olivier Pélisson