Jericho's Echo

Punk is political, and as Liz Nord’s first feature documentary deftly shows, Israel’s punk scene takes on politics ferociously. This graphic, dynamic film will inhabit your ears and mind like a bass line that pounds into your consciousness and stays with you for days. The bands featured (all Israeli Jews) cover the political spectrum (the majority lean to the left) with many musical and cultural influences, but they share a struggle for freedom in a country where religious laws, mandatory military service and national conflict hang over their daily lives. From mosh pits in dark clubs to intimate rehearsal sessions, Israeli punks use words and chords to decry the status quo. Some of the punks serve in the military for part of the week (it’s hard to fit a Mohawk under a helmet), and then hit the clubs on weekends. Bands with names like Useless I.D., Lo Kosher (not Kosher), and Va’adat Kishut (Decoration Committee) struggle to define themselves in a country where punk is not as popular as it is in England or the United States, but where the issues to be protested against are far graver. In a society where people often talk around difficult subjects, Israeli punk screams its truth about the occupation, war and young people fed up with living in fear.

Liz's foray into this project resulted from her passion about both the future of Israel as an American Jew, and her involvement with the independent record label, Negative Progression Records. Liz believes that the independent spirit of punk rock translates well in the world of guerilla filmmaking. Some of her favorite bands include Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Religion and Sonic Youth. Liz's short movies, such as the satirical documentary "Dear Mr Bush," have screened in theatres throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and she has asssisted some of the top local directors and cinematographers with a variety of projects. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Women in Film and TV, and producing the independent news show, Street Level TV. In addition, she has served as a participant and teaching assistant in numerous courses at San Francisco's Film Arts Foundation and has completed a BAVC Video Production Certification. In her past life, Liz was an award-winning graphic designer.