Flipping Out

Director: Yoav Shamir, Producer: Michael Sharfstein 84 minutes, Hebrew, English, English subtitles Military service is compulsory in Israel for all Jewish men and women. After 3 years of service, they are granted a discharge bonus, which many of them will use to fly to India. Approximately 90 percent will use drugs, and each year some 2,000 of them will need professional help due to drug use. The common name referring to this phenomenon is: "flipping-out". Shot over a period of 2 years, this film follows the "flipping-out" route of Israeli travelers, most of them under the age of 25. The Habad houses, Jewish religious posts, a Warm House sponsored by the Israeli Anti-Drug Authority, a rescuer specializing in bringing these young people back home, and the thousands of young Israelis are all part of this strange world that has become a must stop in the Israeli coming of age process; together they portray a comic-tragic story of an entire society that has perhaps flipped out. Co Produced with NFB of Canada, ITVS International. In Association with: Sundance Channel, BBC, ZDF/ARTE, SBS, VPRO, DR TV, Keshet Broadcasting, The New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television. Haifa Film Festival 2007 Berlin International Film Festival - The Forum