Moore throws support behind Yoav Shamir doc

January 18, 2012 by Adam Benzine

Oscar-winning documentarian Michael Moore (pictured) has come on board filmmaker Yoav Shamir’s forthcoming film 10-Percent: What Makes a Hero? as an executive producer, and is pledging to match all crowdfunding donations made for the doc through IndieGoGo.

The backing represents the first time Moore has exec produced a documentary. The project has currently raised US$15,412 of its US$30,000 target on IndieGoGo with 14 days to go, and Moore has promised to match the final sum raised for the film.

The documentary asks what makes a hero, exploring the premise that in situations that demand decisive moral action, only a small number of people (the titular 10%) do what would be considered the moral or heroic thing, while most do nothing or behave immorally.

The film will explore “what compels someone to jump into a river or risk his own life to save a stranger, while 10 other people just stand nearby watching,” according to its billing, and will also look at why a minority of Germans put themselves at risk to save Jews during the Second World War.

Israeli documentarian Shamir’s previous docs include 2003’s Checkpoint, which looked at the checkpoints the Israel Defense Forces man in the Palestinian Territories and won prizes at IDFA and Hot Docs; and 2009’s Defamation, which looked at anti-Semitism.

The latter film won the Grierson Award at the London Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival, and the Stanley Kubrick Award for Bold and Innovative Filmmaking at Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival.

“Living quite far from where anything happens, except wars of course, it is very hard to make – and even more so finance – documentaries,” Shamir told realscreen. “On my first shooting trip for 10-Percent to the U.S., I had a stopover in Traverse City.

“I got a big hug [from Moore] and the Kubrick Award for Defamation. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship – I was very excited when Michael Moore took on the executive producer role and was very generous in offering to match every dollar we get until we reach our IndieGoGo goal.”

In a statement, Moore added that he would do everything he could to see that the film gets made. “This is an urgent film, someone needed to make it, and I can’t think of anyone better than Yoav Shamir,” he said. “Shamir is that rare documentary filmmaker who is fearless and willing to show us the uncomfortable truths about the world we live in.

“I have been asked by many documentarians over the years to executive produce their films. This is the first time I’ve said ‘yes.’”

The film is being directed and produced by Shamir, with Karina Rotenstein and Tanya Aizikovich the associate producers. Check out the IndieGoGo page for 10-Percent: What Makes a Hero? here.

Tags: 10-Percent: What Makes a Hero?, Checkpoint, Defamation, IndieGoGo, Michael Moore, Traverse City Film Festival, Yoav Shamir