'Golda' director says former Israeli PM didn't have vision for peace

Mumbai, Aug 22

Guy Nattiv, the director of the upcoming film 'Golda', has shared that the titular character of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir didn't have the vision of how to make peace rather than war and terror.

The director shared that the former Israeli PM had major trust issues especially with the Arabs with whom Israel had a major showdown in the Yom Kippur War under Golda Meir’s regime in 1973.

In the film, the titular character will be essayed by Helen Mirren.

The biopic highlights the arduous journey of Israel’s first and only female Prime Minister through the heart-wrenching Yom Kippur War of 1973.

The film has been helmed by Oscar winning Director Guy Nattiv, and takes a deep dive into the personal and professional struggles of Israel’s Iron Lady as she navigates the unruly trenches of politics.

Opening up about the Israeli PM’s hidden struggles, Director said: “She was very tough. Golda is often called the Margaret Thatcher of Israel. She was really smart, really savvy and knew a lot about the world. She was a great politician, and knew how to handle the Americans. She knew how to bring help outside of Israel. Golda was also a woman with principles, and you couldn't really move her from them."

"She didn't trust a lot of people, especially not the Arab leaders, she wasn’t willing to see a broader picture of the Middle East. Golda knew how to treat and deal with people, and she never lost her composure, but her stubbornness also brought her into dire situations. She didn't have the vision of how to make peace rather than war and terror. As the film depicts, at the time of the war she had cancer and no one knew about it or that she was being secretly driven to a hospital for treatments," he added.

The film also stars Camille Cottin, Liev Schreiber, Ed Stoppard and Henry Goodman, and brings to light the never-seen-before aspects of this controversial leader’s life.

Talking about the real life Golda Meir, the Oscar winning Helen Mirren said: “It's such a mighty character with such an incredible history. The journey of discovery is extraordinary.” Further adding, she said, “She was a great leader.”

Helmed by Guy Nattiv and written by Nicholas Martin, the movie will be released theatrically by Lionsgate and PVRINOX Pictures in India on September 1, 2023.