Archive of films Esther's Book / Esther's Bok

Sweden
2004, 15 min

Section: Documentary Films - Competition
Year: 2004

A documentary investigating the Old Testament book of Esther through a fifteen-year look at the Jewish holiday of Purim, which celebrates the miraculous victory of Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai over treacherous Prince Haman.

Synopsis

A love story about power, intrigue, and courage. In the book of Esther, which relates events that took place nearly 3,000 years ago in Persia, Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai triumph over Prince Haman’s plot to annihilate their people. The holiday of Purim celebrates the Jew’s miraculous victory over Evil. Shot over the course of fifteen years, photographer and filmmaker Esaias Baitel’s documentary records how the inhabitants of Jerusalem’s ultra-orthodox quarters honour this holiday. Esther’s Book is a documentary about unshakable faith, optimism and unrestrained manifestations of joy – the essence of Purim.

About the director

Esaias Baitel (b. 1949, Trelleborg, Sweden) was born into a Polish-Lithuanian family which fled to Sweden from the Nazi threat. He graduated from Uppsala University and in the following 25 years gained international fame working as a photographer in New York, Paris and Jerusalem. The Zone took last year’s award for a documentary under 30 minutes long at Karlovy Vary.

Contacts

Telepicture Marketing
16 Gun Wharf, 124 Wapping High Street, E1W 2NJ, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 726 516 44
Fax: +44 20 748 127 66
E-mail: [email protected]

Bokomotiv - Freddy Olsson Filmproduktion
Svandammsvagen 6, SE-12632, Hägersten
Sweden
Tel: +46 8 10 31 99
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.bokomotiv.se

Swedish Film Institute
Box 27126, S-102 52, Stockholm
Sweden
Tel: +46 866 511 00
Fax: +46 866 118 20
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.sfi.se

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About the film

Color, 35 mm
International premiere

Section:	Documentary Films - Competition

Director:	Esaias Baitel
Screenplay:	Esaias Baitel
Dir. of Photography:	Harry Tuvanen
Editor:	Alberto Hersckovits
Producer:	Freddy Olsson
Production:	Bokomotiv - de Geer and Olsson AB
Contact:	Telepicture Marketing, Bokomotiv - Freddy Olsson Filmproduktion, Swedish Film Institute

Guests

Esaias Baitel

Gunnar Almér

Film Institution Rep.