{"id":57277,"date":"2025-10-06T08:31:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T08:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/57277\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T08:31:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T08:31:07","slug":"eran-riklis-on-his-thriller-series-co-penned-by-faudas-moshe-zonder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/57277\/","title":{"rendered":"Eran Riklis on His Thriller Series Co-Penned by “Fauda'”s Moshe Zonder"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tProminent Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis<\/a>, known for his Middle-East set humanistic films \u201cLemon Tree,\u201d \u201cThe Syrian Bride\u201d and most recently \u201cReading Lolita in Tehran\u201d feels angry and frustrated over the political leadership in Israel that has led nearly 4,000 entertainment industry names to boycott Israeli film institutions, viewed as \u201ccomplicit in war crimes\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\n\tRiklis has been selected for the Tallinn\u2019s TV Beats, Co-Financing Market (Nov. 7-8) with his upcoming TV drama \u201cThe Abduction of Yossele Schumacher,\u201d commissioned by Israel commercial channel Keshet<\/a> 12. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe filmmaker is eager to find European partners in Tallinn for his six-part drama thriller. But he alsohopes that anti-Israel sentiments from some parts of the global industry won\u2019t impact his dream to bring to the screen yet another work building bridges between people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIsrael is not in the best [political] position and I hope that nothing political will stand between me and making the series,\u201d he tells\u00a0Variety\u00a0in a video call from his home in Tel-Aviv. Similarly, Riklis feels sorry for the controversy over Israel\u2019s Oscar entry \u201cThe Sea\u201d featuring a young Palestinian boy, risking his life to go to the beach in Tel Aviv, and subsequent threat from Israel\u2019s culture minister Miki Zohar to axe funding to the Israeli Film Academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI mentored \u2018The Sea\u2019s\u2019 director Shai Carmeli Pollak when he attended the Sam Spiegel International Script Lab with the project. I loved the story and gave Shai confidence to direct it. I then saw the film at the Jerusalem Film Festival and cried for an hour and a half. It\u2019s a simple yet complex story and absolutely beautiful. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe fact that the Israeli Film Academy voted for it [as Oscar entry] was a surprise, but it\u2019s the best film that represents Israel right now. It\u2019s good to join the [Oscar] race with this kind of story,\u201d notes the filmmaker, a firm believer that art transcends political boundaries and that storytelling can open people\u2019s hearts and minds.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs a filmmaker, I want to remain optimistic,\u201d says Riklis who was a 19-year old Israeli soldier during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and lost many close friends. \u201cI faced the Egyptian army for months. It was a horrible war. But then, who would have imagined that a few years later, in 1979, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat would sign a peace agreement [the Camp David Accords] with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, who had very right-wing views. So I always try to remember these events,\u201d insists Riklis. \u201cThere are always people trying to make changes and succeeding; we need to have hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tEran Riklis<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Marie Gioanni<\/p>\n

\n\tThriller series based on true events<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter \u201cReading Lolita in Tehran\u201d which tackled women resisting the oppressive clerical regime in Iran, Ricklis\u2019 next project, the TV show \u201cThe Abduction of Yossele Schumacher,\u201d looks at a different religious extremism, closer to home for the filmmaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe story is based on the true case of the abduction in Israel of a seven-year-old Jewish boy, Yossele Schumacher, by his ultra-Orthodox grandfather in the early 1960s, to prevent him from being raised as a secular Jew by his parents. Following an intensive international search led by Israel\u2019s secret services Mossad for nearly two years, the boy was eventually found in the U.S. and returned to his parents. According to the logline, the abduction \u201cleads three women to clash over his fate and faith and to a fierce conflict between the Israeli Mossad and the impenetrable web of the orthodox community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRiklis, who was only six-to-seven years-old at the time of the events, has a vivid memory of the case that became a cause c\u00e9l\u00e8bre, dividing the Israeli society. \u201cOvernight, from a small family dispute, the story became huge, opposing the secular and ultra-Orthodox population in Israel. Our Prime Minister at the time Ben Gurion was afraid the case would lead to a civil war, so he asked Mossad to intervene,\u201d Riklis explains, before adding: \u201cWith no documentary made about the case, the Yossele Schumacher story felt like an old memory being lost, until three years and a half ago, when I spoke to someone who mentioned it. I contacted Yossele, found him and told him about my idea to bring his story to television. He said \u201cyes and yes again. I\u2019ve just been waiting for this to happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRiklis then contacted seasoned screenwriter Moshe Zonder, known for \u201cFauda,\u201d Apple TV+ spy thriller \u201cTehran\u201d and the recent Series Mania winning show \u201cThe German.\u201d The two had collaborated earlier on Riklis\u2019 local hit \u201cZohat\u201d (1993) and \u201cVulcan Junction\u201d (1999). \u201cI felt Moshe would be the perfect co-creator and co-writer of the series. He has a great skill in balancing drama and thriller, so I was thrilled when he agreed to board the project,\u201d Riklis says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDigging deeper into the plot and storyline, the filmmaker says \u201cthe main dramatic thread will be the search for the kid, but the series will contain three dramatic layers. Firstly, the core of the story will be about three equally flawed women. Madeleine Feraille, Yossele\u2019s abductor, a former French resistance fighter who converted to Judaism after WWII. Then the boy\u2019s mother, Ida Schumacher, and the Mossad agent Judith Avrahami. For various reasons, the three women are grieving a child. \u201cThat\u2019s the emotional core of the series,\u201d says Riklis.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe second layer will be the thriller, with the Mossad search for the boy between Israel, Italy, Germany, France, England and the U.S.. \u201cYou will be on the edge of your seat, like with a Liam Neeson thriller,\u201d promises the filmmaker. Then the third element will be the complex socio-political context, \u201cwith themes about oppression, liberalism, fate versus religion, the Rule of Law vs the Rule of God, issues that are as topical today as 60 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s about pain, love, parenthood, loss, faith, fanaticism and about secrets and lies on so many levels,\u201d adds the filmmaker who feels the project has \u201call the right ingredients to turn into exciting and profound must-see television for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe project, with an estimated budget of around \u20ac1.5 million ($1.7 million) per episode, is being produced by Riklis\u2019 own shingle Eran Riklis Production and Moshe Edery of United King Films, one of Israel\u2019s most-established production and distribution outfits and a long-time partner to Riklis. Israel\u2019s commercial channel Keshet 12, is on board.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt Keshet, we are passionate about telling Israeli stories that reflect our unique culture while resonating with audiences everywhere,\u201d says Keshet 12 head of drama and comedy Karni Ziv. \u201cWith Eran Riklis at the helm, this project promises to be a moving family drama with a strong, suspenseful edge, and we are excited about its potential to connect with viewers both in Israel and beyond.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAs one of eight projects selected for Tallinn\u2019s TV Beats Co-Financing Market, part of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival\u2019s Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, the series will vie for the coveted Council of Europe Series Co-Production Development Award worth \u20ac50,000 ($58,700).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt Tallinn, I hope to find co-producers who love the project. I\u2019m particularly looking for partners from traditional sources of financing \u2013 public funders, broadcasters, and also streamers,\u201d says Riklis who hopes to go into production in November 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prominent Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, known for his Middle-East set humanistic films \u201cLemon Tree,\u201d \u201cThe Syrian Bride\u201d and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57278,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[146,42958,85,46,42959],"class_list":["post-57277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-eran-riklis","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-keshet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}