My Sweet Canary (2012)
Director: Nitzan Aviram | Country: Israel / Greece | Runtime: 80 min | Language: Greek, Hebrew, Ladino
Synopsis
My Sweet Canary is the story of Rosa Eskenazi — the legendary Greek singer of Sephardic Jewish origin who became the defining voice of rebetiko, the soulful underworld music of 1920s and 30s Greece. Born in Istanbul at the turn of the century, Rosa’s journey took her from the streets of Constantinople to the brothels of Athens, from obscurity to stardom, and finally to a forgotten old age in a tiny Athens apartment.
Through rare archival footage, photographs, and recordings, director Nitzan Aviram reconstructs the extraordinary life of a woman who transcended class, ethnicity, and the boundaries of respectable society. Rosa sang for the dispossessed — the refugees, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, the exiles. Her music was raw, sensual, and deeply human.
The film follows a contemporary Israeli musician’s pilgrimage to Greece, retracing Rosa’s footsteps and meeting the people who still carry her memory. Rosa Eskenazi died in 1980, mostly forgotten. This film is her resurrection.
Festival Selections
- Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
- Jerusalem Film Festival
- International Jewish Film Festival
- DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival
- Athens International Documentary Festival
Press
“A gorgeous, melancholy elegy for a forgotten world — Rosa Eskenazi emerges from these frames as one of the 20th century’s most compelling figures.”
— Jewish Journal
“Haunting and beautiful. Aviram has made a film that is both intimate portrait and sweeping cultural history.”
— Realscreen