The short documentary Spleen and Failure featuring Yonit Naaman’s poetry is available to watch at the top of the page.
Yonit Naaman is a poet, literary researcher, and co-editor of “Haoketz (The Sting)” website. In the episode Spleen and Failure of the web series A Tale Of Five Israeli Poets, directed by Alon Levi, Naaman opens up about her experiences and personal life through her poetry. The video provides an intimate and captivating look into Naaman’s world, as she shares her thoughts on body image, shared parenting, and the stigmas surrounding her Yemeni heritage and sexuality.
A Tale Of Five Israeli Poets is a web series that highlights the works of five prominent Israeli poets, each with a unique life story, writing style, and perspective on poetry. The five episodes form a mosaic of diverse characters, who collectively share the story of Israeli poetry, society, and life. The poets included in the series are Eli Eliyahu, Roy Hasan, Yonit Naaman, Saar Yachin, and Dalia Felach.
The series is crafted with great talent and a touch of humor, showcasing the poetry through stunning visuals and unconventional interpretations. The poets, along with family members, actors, and singers, bring the poems to life, making poetry accessible and interesting for all. The series also provides an up-close look at the poets’ daily lives and homes, accompanied by the witty narration of Micha Shitrit, breaking down the pedestal of poetry as an art only for connoisseurs.
In the episode featuring Naaman, viewers are invited into her home and captivated by her unique perspective on life and her poetry. Through inspiring cinematography, graphics, and humor, the episode takes viewers on a journey into the heart of Naaman’s poetry and thoughts.
Director Alon Levi says: “I started the series A Tale Of Five Israeli Poets because I wanted to be friends with, or at least get to know, one of Israel’s most captivating poets, Eli Eliyahu. So, I decided to meet him and suggest he go on a journey – to do an episode about him and his poetry. But, I wanted to create something different from the classic films about poetry – something “poppy”, rhythmic, and un-boaring. So, the first film I made was completely independent. Then the idea came to me to expand it into a whole series. I decided to make five episodes, each of which would focus on a different character who has a different approach to poetry, both in life and in art. Each poet perceives the act of art, or poetry, in a unique way. This was my starting point. My idea was to merge the cinematic rhythm with the poetry and the character of the poet. This is how it turned out that each episode presents a different possibility for creation. Eli Eliyahu thinks of poetry as a light blow to the tinsmiths of the world; Roy Hasan sees it as part of a Political-Sephardic move that challenges the hegemony; Saar Yachin perceives our existence as a cosmic fragment that needs to be transcended and writes transhumanist poetry; Dalia Felach chooses absence and non-being as a creator who hides and separates herself from creation; and Yonit Naaman connects the body, femininity, and politics to the odyssey of leaving home and returning to it.”
