Ladino: 500 Years Young is a 52 minute documentary directed by Rina Papish. On a singing tour in Spain, Ladino singer Yasmin Levy connects with her identity as a Jew whose ancestors were expelled from Spain 500 years earlier.
The film follows Levy’s rise from the moment she discovers she can sing. As she gets to know herself as singer, she rediscovers her father, Yitzhak Levy, who, in the face of the decline of the Ladino language in Israel, chose to dedicate his life to recording and documenting old Ladino songs before they became extinct. Everything comes together on the trip to Spain, when Yasmin Levy finds her destiny
Ladino: 500 Years Young is the second film in the series THE REVIVERS, exploring the diversity of Israeli society and culture through the eyes of young Israelis attempting to revive and preserve their cultural heritage. It is available to American audiences by permission of Dragoman Films.
Photos of Yasmin Levy in her recording studio (January 2012) come from her Facebook page. Levy’s new album is due in September 🙂
