Next year in Adis Ababa

New film 'Black on White' documents 'Idan Reichel Project' trip and performance in Ethiopia

Or Barnea |Published: 09.22.07 , 21:07

"Black on White" is the name of a new film by director Tomer Heymann, depicting a visit and performance of the Idan Reichel Project in Ethiopia. The five-day trip served as an opportunity to feature a new song: "Home, Going, Coming Back", which can be heard below.

Heymann's documentary of the trip, which attempts to depict the excitement and questions that arose with the arrival in Adis Ababa, is not an ordinary behind-the-scenes production. "It's not a film that showed me working behind the set," Reichel told Ynet. "Tomer uses the project to talk about identity crisis, self-determination and definitions of home for some of the people who came with us.

"The performance in Adis Ababa was part of a tour in Israel and around the world," Reichel added. "We performed at the Womad festival in England and met the great Ethiopian singer, Mahmoud Ahmed. He saw us and told us that next year there's a big festival in Adis Ababa, and he would like us to attend.

"He spoke with the organizers and they invited us. Usually, when we arrive somewhere to perform, we move on quickly. But in Ethiopia, we wanted to stay five days because it was the first visit for singer Cabra Kasai, who was born on the way from Ethopia (to Israel), but had never been in the country," he explained.

"We also wanted to stay for Avi Wogdaras Wassa, who immigrated to Israel when he was 14 and still travels back and forth and considers Ethiopia home. And also for me, because a lot of my musical inspiration came from there," he said.

So it provided closure?

"On a certain level, yes. And we thought that it would be appropriate to have someone come film and witness it. Tomer, who is an extraordinarily sensitive documentary filmmaker, agreed to come make a movie from the story. I was glad it was him because he's not interested in backstage gossip, but rather uses the project as a platform to talk about what interests him."

You chose to release your single for the movie, but it's not on your third album. What can you tell us about your upcoming album?

"I'm constantly working. I think if you ask an artist or singer what's going on, he'll tell you that he's on to the next thing. I don't work with itineraries and there are advantages and disadvantages to that. I just work all the time, with Gilad Shmueli, a guy that I worked with on my first two albums and there's actually something interesting. Gilad may change the set up, move up stage and start singing."

The film "Black on White" will be screened on Channel 2 on October 11. The project will continue touring and will perform at the arts center in Herzliya on October 19. The next day, they will perform in Kibbutz Ein Horesh and on October 26, will appear in Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem.