"Hill 338": A Love Letter to Israeli Cinema Classics

Half a century after "Givat Halfon Eina Ona" (Halfon Hill Doesn't Answer) entered the pantheon of Israeli cinema, comes "Givat 338" (Hill 338) — a new film created as a tribute to the beloved classic. The creators clarify that this is not an attempt to recreate the original, as an iconic work like "Givat Halfon" cannot truly be replicated. However, with Yael Poliakov, daughter of Poli who starred in the original, and Lior Dayan, son of the original writer Assi Dayan, the connection becomes deeply personal. We went to the premiere to ask them a few questions.

"It's actually happening," says Poliakov in a conversation with mako. "I really don't believe that 50 years later, I'm here to do a tribute to it. It's really funny, it's a moment. If my father knew, he would find it hilarious."

What would Poli think of the film? "He would have loved it."

Did your mother see it? Did she like it? "She won't see it, she won't like it. She doesn't like things at all. She said it would be huge shit and that I look like Izhpan. She insulted Izhpan."

Lior, would your father have liked the film? "Yes, I'm sure. He would have laughed a lot."

Among the cast is Shahar Hasson, who recently received the title of Stand-up Comedian of the Year from mako for the third time in a row. "This is my first film at 50, and I hope not the last," he says. "All my childhood I admired 'HaGashash HaHiver,' and I was in shock when they offered me a role. We do stand-up at four in the morning in clubs, and suddenly to do something that is part of the DNA of Israeli comedy is special."

Aren't you afraid to touch such a classic? "I didn't touch it. I arrived, I worked — it's all on them. If it crashes, talk to Erez, Ilan, Maya, and Eyal (the creators). I'm not the captain of the ship. If there are problems, I jump into the water, get on a motorboat, and move away."

For Kim Or Azulay, the one most satisfied with her casting for the lead role is her husband, basketball player Iftach Ziv. "'Givat Halfon' is our daily lexicon. Watching the film with my husband isn't just watching; it's hearing him recite it. I tell myself, 'Wow, I'm going to star in a film alongside Yael Poliakov, Shahar Hasson, Eli Izhpan, and all the milestones of Israeli comedy — and I am one of them.'"

However, Izhpan almost didn't participate. "At first I said no, but my children and wife convinced me," he admits. "We keep telling him, 'Come on dad, go, do it'," adds his daughter Noa Izhpan, who also acts in the film. "It's fun that he goes out, acts, and makes people happy... we need some money."

The creators of the film are Erez Ben-Harush, Ilan Rosenfeld, Maya Sobol, Eyal Apter, and Lior Dayan, who first suggested the idea. "When Lior approached me, I asked, 'Why do you want to do this? Why bother?'," says Ben-Harush. "But after a few months, the idea tickled me. I told him I was ready, provided we create something new."

Ilan, how do you approach such a thing? "With holy dread. It was tough to touch this sacred cow, so we chose not to touch it directly because a sequel is impossible."

Lior: "Many don't want to deal with it because it's the bible of Israeli comedy. The greatest Israeli film of all time."

Erez: "Because the film is so big, everyone had fears. 'Wait, what am I supposed to do — do you expect me to play Romani?' Everyone looked for their place in the original, but when they read the script, they realized there is a new plot and crazy characters. But yes, every main character has a reference to the original. It's fun."

"When we started, there was a process of 'allowed and forbidden.' Here, there is no dealing with Mizrahim stereotypes or sexist jokes. We are in a different world, but there are references to responsibility and negligence. There are small stings — maybe not political, but satirical. It's a film that has a lot of love for the IDF, but it also has criticism of the IDF, the situation, and the recruitment process."

"'Givat Halfon' came out exactly three years after the Yom Kippur War, and so are we suddenly. We realized we couldn't be too blunt. I think the viewer doesn't want to get all the criticism in the face right now. It's too hard. We are in a process of digestion, just like in 'Givat Halfon.' It was very absurd regarding what happened in Yom Kippur, and even there, Assi didn't take it to the end because he understood that people were still recovering."

Let's wish success to "Givat 338," but there was one question we had to ask: what really happened between Lior Dayan and Ortal Amar after their short romance was revealed in "Mehubarim"? "You understand? Now, at the cemetery in Nahalal, we see Assi Dayan's grave plot moving. He says, 'I don't believe it, 50 years after Givat Halfon, it boils down to a question about Ortal'," laughs Dayan. "There are movements in the cemetery in Nahalal at this moment. I don't believe it, what did you do? From 1976 until Ortal Amar. In the end, we will summarize it with this."