"Antarctica" Writer/Director Yair Hochner In His Own Words
This film involves a great deal of personal risk to everyone involved in the production; it may be too hot to handle for some. The dailies for the opening sequences are pretty raw; they show a series of one-night stands, as our main character, who’s gay, brings a new guy home every night. The actor is one of the hottest guys I have ever met in my life and the character seems a bit dangerous, at first. His response to my direction was, “I’m feeling like a kid the night before he’s going to Disneyland.”
The next two days of the shoot were just as crazy. Two cats and three crazy love scenes later, our leads were exhausted. The location was Omer’s apartment, with actors Tomer Ilan and Lucy Dubinchik. I can’t reveal too much about the love scenes, but the cat is another story. The animal was a stray we found in the street; he hid under the bed and when we tried to pull him out, he scratched one of the actors. On our third day of shooting in the apartment, the producer hired a professional cat wrangler who had been trained to act on command for commercial ads and television shows.
When the editor started on the dailies, I was very pleased with our coverage. By the end of the first week, we were done with the first 15 minutes of the movie.
The chemistry between Tomer Ilan and Lucy Dubinchik, (who play a brother and sister in the film), was palpable. The two talented actors have a shared history; they took the same acting classes at the Nissan Nativ Studio. They even bear some resemblance to one another, and I think that they are possibly the most beautiful pairing in the recent history of Israeli cinema.
I encourage ideas and improvisations from my actors. I believe that when a good actor has a deep understanding of the material, a creative exchange with the writer and director can enrich the personality of the character in ways that expand the dimensions of the original vision.
One advantage of shooting on video was that that I could do a myriad of takes and not have to worry about wasting expensive film. I was able to check the coverage at my leisure without adding too much pressure to the proceedings or going over budget.
After we finished the scenes at Omer’s, we moved on to Ronen’s apartment, where we completed thirteen scenes the first day. The location of Ronen’s apartment is my home; you’ll get a tour of my guest room, my office (which became Danny’s room), the living room and the kitchen.
I am very impressed with Guy’s work ethic and I must admit that I’m a big fan; he is a very serious, devoted and talented actor. He did things for the movie (and for me) that I know not a lot of actors in his position would agree to do. Guy is a star in Israel. He works in theatre, TV and composes music. It was an honor to work with him, and I feel very lucky that he was able to help me bring “Antarctica” to life.
I greatly appreciated Guy’s ideas; he was very passionate and seemed imbued with an intense desire to bring out the best in himself. He never wanted to compromise the integrity of any scene, and thankfully, like a true pro, agreed to perform multiple takes. Most of the crew, (myself included), were new to the world of filmmaking; it was a thrill to be able to draw from his experience.
The young dancer and actor in the film, Yiftach Mizrahi, is a break-out star. Looking at his beautiful, 20 year-old-face through the monitor was one of my biggest pleasures on the set. I think audiences will fall a little in love with him, too. Seeing an experienced actor like Guy interacting with Yiftach was a big treat. Although Guy reveals his experience and sophistication, he’s also delightfully young at heart.
Noam Huberman plays dual roles in this movie; he’s the mother of Omer, and an older man who seems to have a crush on him. Noam’s stage name is Miss Laila Carry. Utilizing his special talents, I wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite directors of all time, John Waters, and to his leading lady, Divine. It was a delight to work with an actor who possesses such an extraordinary theatrical background. The first time I saw Noam on the stage was in a nightclub in Jaffa five years ago; I knew, at that moment, that I wanted to work with him. More recently, he performed in a one-man show at the Hasimta Theatre; I finally asked for his phone number.
Noam is one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life. He aspires to excellence at every level. Most of the actors I had known up to this point did not use accessories, special makeup or costumes to develop a character. His theatricality blew my mind. We shot Noam’s scenes in a fancy boutique on Dizengof Street, in Kfar Sava, my hometown, and the town where my grandparents live to this day. He is the only actor who has ever made me laugh so hard that I had to shout “Cut!”
After many days of shooting, I wanted to collapse at home, but instead found myself writing about all the exciting new experiences with the actors. I am very grateful to them for all their hard work, and for lending their hearts, and their amazing talents, to this project.
