Tattooed for life
‘The most radical solution is peace, but how can we achieve peace so that Jews and Palestinians can live side by side? Of course killing is not the way, but in any case we have no right not to have hope’. These are the words of filmmaker Kineret Hay-Gillor (1979), who has come expressly to Madrid to present her latest work at the Centro Sefarad-Israel, a short documentary, ‘Tattoed4life’, in which she tells the story of one of the survivors of the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023.
The protagonist is Liraz Uliel, who lost everything she loved that night: her partner, her friends, her dreams... They all died in the indiscriminate massacre against those attending the NOVA festival for peace, a slogan that then, and even more so now, a year later, sounds like sad irony.
Liraz sets herself a mission: to create a fractal tattoo, immortalising the 364 festival-goers who died that night, part of the 1,200 who perished and the more than 3,300 who were injured to varying degrees in that pogrom.
The fractal, the invention of French mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot, is a geometric object in which the same structure, fragmented or apparently irregular, is repeated at different scales and sizes. ‘Liraz told me about her project when she herself already had it underway,’ says Kineret, who adds: ’I thought it was original and different, so I joined in without thinking about it.
Were you motivated by more than just filmmaking?
I immediately felt part of something, of a mission that was worth glossing over and disseminating. I also realised that this film was going to be different. It had nothing to do with the rhythm and pace of my previous films. I had to work fast and well to bring the work to light as soon as possible, so that all the pieces would fall into place: script, production, filming and editing. This testimony could not wait long to see the light of day, perfectly completed.
How far did your involvement in the script and production of the documentary go?
To the very end. I was and am an Israeli citizen, it was clear that I had to contribute to bear witness to what many citizens had experienced, helping to reaffirm Israel's right to exist.
Is Liraz Uliel more than the protagonist of the story?
It is she who finds many people who share her pain and passion, so much so that she tattoos them with fragments of the fractal, each telling a story of loss, fear, faith, love and hope. And she herself, as she connects the dots, also reconnects with herself, so that she finds the courage to face the good she did that night and the hope after so much blackness.
There are still a hundred hostages in the hands of Hamas...
Yes, we want them back home. Their families, but also their closest friends and the general public have shed many tears. But we cannot falter, we must believe in tomorrow, and after weeping there is no choice but to get up.
This seems to be the first stage in the presentation of your documentary. Will it be shown in other capitals? Don't you fear that the polarisation caused by this war will diminish interest?
I certainly believe that it will spread among all the Jewish communities in the world, and especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. In terms of polarisation, there may be a weariness with the situation in the Middle East, but I imagine that the greatest weariness of humanity is with terror, and this is an example of how we can always be surprised by an episode worse than we imagine.
Liraz speaks as he weaves his stories into the skin of the people who have wanted to carry them forever. Each line of ink thus becomes a thread of healing, binding together the wounds left by that tragedy. And, in the words of some of the viewers who come to watch the documentary, we witness the transformative power of art, as Liraz's creations serve as monuments and symbols of resilience. Her ink tapestry becomes a testament to an indomitable human spirit.
Kineret Hay-Gillor is already planning another documentary. Before that, she assures that she will not disdain to go wherever she is called to disseminate and promote this film, which already joins a filmography recognised at film festivals all over the world: ‘How much love’; ‘All that remains’; ‘Shockwaves’; ‘Alone together’; ‘My Holiday Home’ and ‘Past Continuous’ make up her greatest hits. The latter was made in Australia, where he lived a few years ago and where he met an extraordinary couple that he says captivated him, and which meant not only his filmic recognition, but also its great usefulness in educating about diversity and inclusion, conveying a message of safety in the workplace for all.
