Live and Become

Infobox Film
name = Live and Become


image_size =
caption = Theatrical Poster
director = Radu Mihaileanu
producer = Denis Carot (Producer)
Marie Masmonteil (Producer)
Radu Mihaileanu (Producer)
Marek Rozenbaum (Producer)
Itai Tamir (Producer)
Yoram Globus (Associate producer)
Genevieve Lemal (Associate producer)
Alexandre Lippens (Associate producer)
writer = Alain-Michel Blanc
Radu Mihaileanu
narrator =
starring = Shlomo (child) - Moshe Agazai
Shlomo (teenager) - Moshe Abebe
Shlomo (adult) - Sirak M. Sabahat
Yael Harrari - Yael Abecassis
Yoram Harrari - Roschdy Zem
Sarah - Roni Hadar
Papy - Rami Danon
Hana - Raymonde Abecassis
Suzy - Mimi Abonesh Kebede
Shlomo's mother - Meskie Shibru-Sivan Hadar
music = Armand Amar
cinematography =
editing = Ludo Troch
distributor = Menemsha Films
released = flagicon|France 30 March 2005
runtime = 140 minutes
country = France
language = Amharic / Hebrew / French
budget =
gross =
website = http://www.menemshafilms.com/index.php?src=gendocs&link=live_and_become&category=Live%20and%20Become
imdb_id = 0388505
amg_id = 356352

"Live and Become" or "Va, Vis et Deviens" is a 2005 film about an Ethiopian Christian boy who disguises himself as an Ethiopian Jew in order to escape famine and emigrates to Israel. It was directed by Romanian-born Radu Mihăileanu. It won Most Popular International Film at the 2005 Vancouver International Film Festival.

Plot

Shlomo, an Ethiopian boy, is placed by his mother with an Ethiopian Jewish woman whose child has died. This woman, who will become his adoptive mother, is about to be airlifted from a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984. His birth mother, who hopes for a better life for him tells him “go, live, and become” as he leaves her to board the plane. The film tells of his growing up in Israel and how he deals with the secrets he carries, not being Jewish and having left his birth mother.

Cast

*Moshe Agazai as Child Shlomo
*Moshe Abebe as Teenage Shlomo
*Sirak M. Sabahat as Adult Shlomo
*Yael Harrari - Yael Abecassis
*Yoram Harrari - Roschdy Zem
*Sarah - Roni Hadar
*Papy - Rami Danon
*Hana - Raymonde Abecassis
*Suzy - Mimi Abonesh Kebede
*Shlomo's mother - Meskie Shibru-Sivan Hadar

Awards

International

* Best Screenplay, Cesar ("French Oscar") 2005
* Audience Award, Berlin Film Festival 2005
* European Cinema Award, Berlin Film Festival 2005
* Ecumenical Award, Berlin Film Festival 2005
* Audience Award, Vancouver International Film Festival 2005
* Golden Swan (Best Film), Copenhagen International Film Festival 2005
* Best Screenplay, Copenhagen International Film Festival 2005
* Jury Prize (Best Film), Valenciennes Film Festival 2005
* Audience Award (Best Film), Valenciennes Film Festival 2005

In the United States

Audience Awards unless otherwise noted
* Boston Jewish Film Festival
* Washington DC Jewish Film Festival
* Miami Jewish Film Festival
* Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
* Detroit Jewish Film Festival (Best Film)
* San Diego Jewish Film Festival
* Orange County Jewish Film Festival
* Palm Desert Jewish Film Festival
* Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival
* Tampa Jewish Film Festival
* Seattle Jewish Film Festival
* Cleveland International Film Festival
* Nashville International Film Festival
* Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
* Detroit Jewish Film Festival (Audience Award)
* Washington DC International Film Festival (Runner-Up)
* Aspen Filmfest

External links

* [http://www.menemshafilms.com/index.php?src=gendocs&link=live_and_become&category=Live%20and%20Become Official Site]

*imdb title|id=0388505|title=Va, vis et deviens

* [http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2006/08/2006-sfjffthe-evening-class-interview.html 2006 SFJFF Interview with Sirak M. Sabahat]