Sincere critique in Israeli filmmaking

Abstract

This article investigates an increasingly observable yet insufficiently studied phenomenon: the emphasis placed by artists on personal experience as the most legitimate inspiration for art. To this end, I introduce the term ‘sincere realism’ to describe an emerging form of personal cinema in Israel, illustrating how sincerity has evolved into a dominant ‘regime of truth’ that moulds modern forms of critique and expression in contemporary Israeli filmmaking. Through a critique of Foucault's concept of ‘regimes of truth’, I argue that ‘sincere realism’ has ethical and political implications and therefore allows a more nuanced anthropological approach to Foucault's concept of power. This perspective offers a fresh insight into how artists negotiate contemporary ‘regimes of truth’.