The Property by Dana Modan: How Memory and Culture Become Resistance in Cinema and at the Odesa Film Festival
The Israeli film “The Property” directed by Dana Modan, based on the graphic novel by her sister Rutu Modan, gained particular resonance after the HAMAS attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Although the film telling the story of an Israeli grandmother and granddaughter traveling to Poland to reclaim family property lost during the Holocaust was completed before those tragic events, it became a powerful artistic statement about the struggle for survival, memory, and Jewish identity in the context of new, brutal aggression.
“The Property” is a romantic dramedy that balances the tragedy of history with the farce of daily life. The plot centers on Regina, a Holocaust survivor, and her granddaughter Mika, who travel to Warsaw. Their journey for a family apartment quickly turns into a personal quest: Regina seeks her first love, while Mika tries to understand her family’s history.
- Parallels between the Holocaust and October 7: In the light of the events of October 7 when Israelis experienced the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust themes of Jewish survival, loss, trauma, and confiscation of property have acquired a new, sharper relevance.
Director Dana Modan noted: “I was finishing the editing after October 7 and could only continue because the theme was connected to the idea of Jewish survival.” - Memory as a demand: The film, which initially was a family story about reconciliation with the past and searching for roots, transformed into an act of resistance through memory. The search for property and Regina’s encounter with her past emphasize that even decades after historic traumas, the Jewish people continue to fight for their place and their history.
Scenes filmed at the Jewish cemetery or in the Warsaw Ghetto have gained additional, weighty meaning after October 7. - Resilience of spirit: The light, sometimes comedic tone chosen by the director became an important contrast to sorrow.
It demonstrates the ability of the Jewish people not only to survive tragedies but also to find strength for life, love, and humor.
The Significance of the Odesa Film Festival Screening
The screening of “The Property” at the Odesa International Film Festival (OIFF), held amidst the full-scale war in Ukraine, carries deep symbolic and political meaning.
Solidarity Between Two Fighting Nations
The presentation of an Israeli film reflecting on historical trauma at a Ukrainian festival taking place under shelling became a powerful gesture of cultural solidarity between Israel and Ukraine two nations currently resisting brutal aggression.
- Cultural resilience: Just as Ukraine does not cancel culture despite missile attacks, Israel continues to create and share its stories.
According to the organizers, the OIFF serves as a symbol of cultural resilience under fire. - Universality of war experience: The film about the aftermath of past war and the search for home resonates with the Ukrainian audience, who are experiencing the loss of property, forced emigration, and the fight for their identity.
The story of Regina and Mika searching for memory and “property” finds direct parallels in the struggle of Ukrainians.
A Place in the Special Program “Focus on Poland”
The inclusion of the Israeli-Polish co-production “The Property” in the special “Focus on Poland” program underscores the importance of reflecting on complex historical connections.
- Reflection on history: “Focus on Poland” is traditionally devoted to themes of memory, identity, and the price of choice, which perfectly matches the plot of the film.
The film critically and lovingly portrays Poland, which for many Jews is the place of lost roots. - Dialogue and reconciliation: Placing the film in this subgroup fosters international dialogue about the complex Jewish-Polish past and demonstrates how modern cinema can be an instrument of reconciliation and understanding between generations and nations.
The film reflects the story of a generation that, unlike their parents, seeks to find a common language with the place of their ancestors’ origin.
Cultural Memory as an Act of Resistance and Solidarity
The film “The Property” at the Odesa Film Festival was not just an artistic event, but a testament to the vitality of Jewish culture and an act of cultural resistance that unites Israel and Ukraine in their shared struggle for dignity, memory, and the future.
This story becomes even closer to Ukrainian viewers not only because of the theme of loss, but also through the search for identity, roots, and the right to one’s own past.
Author: Anna Ivkina
About the Author
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