Director Dan Wolman occupies a very special place in the annals of Israeli film.
His first film "The dreamer" (shot in 1968), broke new ground in Israeli cinema. Not only was it a departure of courageous and defiant proportions from stereotypical local comedy and formula film, but it contravened the aura of the 1967 Six days' War and it's aftermath, when the country was preoccupied with it's victory over the enemy. "The Dreamer" is a sensitive and complex film that can be characterized as Israel's first "personal" film, one that probes deeply into an individual's psyche and explores his conflict with society. The individual who dares to break with the norm and struggles valiantly with society for self – definition is a theme that carries through Wolman's  work and gives him a unique niche among Israel's film – makers.

In his first two features, "The Dreamer" and "Floch", he deals with the plight of the elderly. In "My Michael" a screen adaptation of Amos Oz's novel, Wolman highlights the dreariness and loneliness in the lives of women. In "Hide and Seek" and later in "Tied Hands" he examines homosexuality.
Wolman's empathy with and compassion for the pain of the weak and the suffering find expression in his "Foreign Sister and "Ben's Biography".

Wolman is noted for films that take strong independent positions. The dilemmas of his characters are revealed with integrity and seriousness of purpose, reflecting the ongoing struggle between the individual and the society in which he lives.
Wolman's often – controversial views made it difficult for him to find monetary backing; nevertheless, his films are finely made, with great attention to detail and décor. His style is classical; he is a master of mise en scene. He creates subtle, poetic effects: he has an eye for a world in a face and a wasteland in a landscape. Through his investigation of mysterious and uncommon, Wolman's films uncover universal truths.

  poet & author: Chayym-Zeldis