'It's Not Time for Pop' in Prestigious Competition, Cannes Film Festival

"It's Not Time for Pop," a 14-minute film, marks Amit Vaknin's directorial debut as part of her studies at Tel Aviv University's film school. The story unfolds on Memorial Day, where the protagonist, Ya'el, hopes to secure a rundown apartment in southern Tel Aviv, shying away from commemorating her father's death in the Second Lebanon War. Directed by Vaknin and shot by cinematographer Shay Ater, the film aims to juxtapose the grittiness of southern Tel Aviv with Ya'el's aspirations, capturing the tension between her personal journey and broader societal narratives. The film was shot in September 2023 and received support from the Blavatnik Fund. Vaknin, a young filmmaker residing in Tel Aviv, crafted this film as part of her second-year studies at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University. She filmed the movie well before October 7 and thinks a lot about how it can be interpreted differently now, currently in her third year, she is also working on her second short film, "Nights," which delves into Israeli collective narratives alongside everyday life. Additionally, Vaknin serves as the international competition director for Tel Aviv's Student Film Festival, scheduled for August 2024.

This marks the 18th time a film from the school has been accepted into Cannes' official student competition. The Cannes Film Festival, celebrating its 77th year, will take place from May 14th to 25th in Cannes, France.

Despite glimmers of success, such as Eurovision contestant Eden Golan's impressive fifth-place finish, Israeli academia, arts, and culture face a challenging time globally, marked by widespread and vocal anti-Israel protests.

Nervous about both how her film will be received and how people will behave towards her, Vaknin insists that ultimately, she believes in humanism and the goodness in people. She wants to believe, she says, "that I can come back and say I have hope."