Multinational studio Dori Media Group (DMG) is presenting two episodes of its gripping new series “Amia” at the LA Screenings along with a notable lineup of scripted and unscripted series, encompassing various regions, languages and cultures.
Filmed mostly in Uruguay as well as Argentina, “Amia” is inspired by the terror attacks of 1992 on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and in 1994 against its Argentinian Jewish community, specifically the AsociaciónMutualIsraelitaArgentina (AMIA), the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association.
“Amia” tracks the journey of a Mossad operative grappling with the loss of his sister in the 1992 Embassy attack. He joins forces with a local Argentine journalist to seek justice. The eight episodes of Season 1 delves into the period between the initial assault and the subsequent attack on AMIA in 1994. It primarily features Spanish dialogue, with some English, Hebrew and Persian.
With the 30th anniversary of the AMIA tragedy looming and current events in Argentina making headlines, the timing of the series’ launch couldn’t be more topical. A few weeks ago, Argentine authorities issued a call for the arrest of an Iranian minister allegedly linked to the 1994 attack on the Jewish community building. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Buenos Aires specifically targeted Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s interior minister, who is said to have led the covert operations unit of the Revolutionary Guard during the attack. According to news sources, requests have been forwarded to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where Vahidi is believed to reside, urging compliance with Interpol protocols.
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“We invested a great deal in the development and production of this series, both from a time and financial standpoint,” said Nadav Palti, CEO & President of Dori Media Group, who added that the company is in talks with buyers worldwide to ensure it is viewed by the broadest audience possible.
“’Amia’has taken on added relevancy in light of the recent headlines out of Argentina,” he noted.“It has taken the Argentinian justice system 30 years to get to its recent findings and clearly the timing of ‘Amia’ being released this year coincides with this,” he said, adding: “The story behind“Amia”is about those looking to find the truth about what happened in Argentina 30 years ago and fighting for justice. That is all still playing out in the real world today too, unfortunately.”
By filming in Uruguay, Dori Media shaved off 25% in production costs. “We hired Cimarrón, a local production company to give us production services on location,” said Palti of The Mediapro Studio company. He observed: “The cooperation with both Cimarrón and the Uruguayan government was very successful. As the production progressed and was going very well, we decided to produce almost the entire series there.”
“Wewanted the mediato be partof the story, not onlythroughthe character of Gisela – the TV journalist, portrayed by theamazingMilena Sanchez – sowe usedreal ’90s news footagethroughout the series,” said showrunner Givon Snir, who added: “In themain sceneof the embassy attack, Guillermo Rockamora, the director of the series, came up with the idea of using arealvintage camera from the’90s witha cameraman who wasfilmingon set and was beingfilmed as apart of the backgroundaction. So, wehave a mix ofour shootingreal footage and fake footage, reflectingthe themeof the series – what is true and what is lies.”
“Allthe characters, other than heads of states are fictional, inspired by our extensiveresearch of the events,” he noted, adding that the twin challenges in the shoot included the freezing weather then and coordinating communication among the cast and crew members who spoke Spanish, English, Hebrew, and Farsi.
“Managing four script versions on set added complexity, but ultimately contributed to a richer and more authentic portrayal of the diverse characters and their backgrounds,” remarked Snir who had only high praise for Cimarrón Cine, which also provided production services to Oscar-nominated “Society of the Snow,” among other high-profile projects. “It was not only a true partner to the vision, but also presented world-class talent and services. Together, we were able to overcome these challenges and deliver a high-quality production,” he said.
The LA Screenings Independents run over May 15-17.
