Biography
Silvina Landsmann was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 21, 1965. In the mid-1970s, the family emigrated to Israel to flee the military regime. After graduating from school, Landsmann studied film at Tel Aviv University and then moved to Paris, where she lived for ten years. There, between 1995 and 1997, she made her first documentary film, "Collège", about the problems of migrant children at a school in a town outside Paris. At the Festival Les Ecrans Documentaires in Gentilly, the film won the Grand Prix in 1998.
Back in Israel, Landsmann founded the production company Comino Films. With Comino Films, she realized the documentary "Post Partum" (2005), about everyday life in a large maternity ward in Israel. This film was also shown at numerous international festivals. In 2007 followed "Unto Thy Land", about the Israeli sculptor Moshe Shek.
Landsmann's documentary "Bagrut Lochamim" ("Soldier/Citizen") premiered at the 2012 Berlinale Forum. In it, she accompanied participants in a special program of the Israeli army, in which soldiers can catch up on their high school graduation at the end of their service. In class, it becomes apparent that after three years of military service in the occupied territories, some of the young men struggle with concepts such as democracy and human rights. The film won awards at several festivals.
Also at the Berlinale Forum, Landsmann presented "Hotline" in 2015, about the daily life of the Israeli NGO 'The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants', which among other things looks after the rights of refugees. At the Jerusalem Film Festival, "Hotline" won the award for Best Documentary.
Landsmann also tackled a controversial topic in her next film, portraying the work of the organization 'Breaking the Silence', which is sharply attacked by conservative circles and consists of former soldiers who collect testimonies of those who served in the occupied territories. "Silence Breakers" (IL/FR/DE 2021) screened at several festivals and was released in German cinemas in March 2022.