Album 61
Director: Halil Efrat
Producer: MYTV
Year: 2013
With:
- Yaniv Fridel - mix/production/composition
- Ben Mandelson - guitar
Boris Gelfand in battle
A wonderful psychological thriller about the lunacy that is the life of a professional chess player. I’d been a fan of Halil Efrat since his delightful debut ‘Souvenirs’. So to compose the music for his latest feature doc with my partner Yaniv Fridel was a real pleasure, as we knew in advance the result would be worth watching.
There is an excellent interview with the director about the film from an insightful chess writer in The Hindu here.
Souvenirs, Halil Efrat's very funny debut
Blurb
The World Chess Championship is a juicy battle, rife with passion, power and money. Boris Gelfand has spent his entire life getting ready for this moment; he was raised to become a champion since the age of six. His father devoted all his life to cultivating Boris’ chess skills and imposing a demanding schedule on him. The photo albums documenting the process tell the father’s story as much as that of the son, revealing a simple truth about a man living his own dreams under the Soviet regime through his son. Is becoming a genius worth the price?
Press
A wonderful display of the documentary director's art. Turning the world chess championship into a nerve wracking drama and a careful examination of the impact of parental ambition. Jury's statement
Album 61 sustains the tension right till the end
Awards
Best Script for Non-fiction Award, TELAS TV Festival Brazil, November 2014
Best Director of Documentary Film Award, Jerusalem International Film Festival, July 2012