About the Docu-Drama "Altalena"

Last week filming began on the historical docudrama "Altalena," directed by Eli Cohen ("Avia's Summer"). It tells the story of the Altalena, a munitions ship brought to Israel by the Irgun (the pre-state underground militia led by Menachem Begin) during the War of Independence, and the dispute that erupted between prime minister David Ben-Gurion (played by Yossi Kantz) and Begin (Yoram Hatav). B-G ordered the shelling of the ship by the fledgling Israel Defense Forces. The film requires the Tel Aviv skyline of 1948 and will place actors against a computer-generated background. Moti Lerner wrote the screenplay, and the film is being produced by Riki Shelah and Zvi Shapira, with a budget of about $600,000, provided by Keren Makor (the main investor), Keshet Television and the Israel Film Foundation. It has not yet been decided whether the film will be broadcast on TV or screened in theaters.

Source

Head of the Begin Center, Herzl Makov, was interviewed on Israel's Kol Yisrael - Reshet Bet radio on Thursday morning and expressed his concern that the series will present an unhistoric picture and twist facts.

Information published in the press as well as discussions with actors and other persons connected with the production indicate that there is much about which to be concerned.