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Forever Pure

Maya Zinshtein
| UK, Israel, Ireland, Norway, Russia
| 2016
| 85 min

Beitar Jerusalem F.C. is the most popular and controversial football team in Israel, and the only club in the Israeli Premier League never to sign an Arab player. Midway through the 2012-13 season, a secretive transfer deal by the owner, Russian-Israeli oligarch Arcadi Gaydamak, brought in two Muslim players from Chechnya. The deal inspired the most racist backlash in Israeli sporting history and sent the club spiralling out of control. As documented in Forever Pure, one season in the life of this famed club becomes a story of Israeli society, personal identity, politics, and money. It’s a window into how racism can destroy a team and a community from within.

Director
Maya Zinshtein
Producer
Geoff Arbourne, Maya Zinshtein, Alan Maher, Torstein Grude
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Section
Panorama
Festival Year
2017