JERSUSALEM — Ahead of its world premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival, the feature documentary “Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life” has been picked up by Vienna-based Autlook Filmsales for worldwide representation.
The doc from filmmakers the Heymann Brothers will screen Tuesday, July 31 and Sunday, Aug. 5.
“It is an intimate look into the life of world-famous gay porn star Jonathan Agassi, chronicling his journey from being an effeminate young boy to experiencing a rough childhood in a Tel Aviv suburb, through his rise to becoming a global figure in the sex industry,” notes the festival text.
The Heyman Brothers — comprised of siblings Tomer and Barak, who produced — worked on the project for eight years.
They are the directors of “Mr. Gaga,” billed as the most successful Israeli documentary in the country’s history, and award-winning “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?”
The Heymanns funded the project alongside Israeli broadcaster Channel 8, the Makor Foundation and other entities.
The film will be broadcast over four episodes on Channel 8 in Israel, where the Heymanns retain distribution rights.
Autlook Filmsales CEO Salma Abdalla praised the film's “powerful and multi-layered storytelling.”
“While we experience the brutal mechanisms of the porn industry through an intense decade with gay porn star Jonathan Agassi,” Abdalla said, “director Tomer unfolds an even bigger and complex Oedipus-like family story that will speak to a global audience.”
The festival describes the doc as “a rare and intimate look at the world of porn and escorting, as well as on a unique relationship between a mother and son, who courageously redefine familiar family concepts.”
“Agassi built his fame and success on what is considered a global taboo, but in fact pleases millions… This is a film about a lonely person who seeks love and meaning, but is condemned to a destructive lifestyle, understanding that the extreme fantasies he chases are not necessarily his own.”
In an interview last summer with FilmDoo, the siblings were compelled to examine “the biggest porn star to ever have come out of Israel.”
“It explores sexuality, life and motherhood, between London, Berlin and Tel Aviv. It gives you access to this underground world of the sex industry and it’s a very personal life story."
ScreenDaily first reported the Autlook Filmsales news.
The Heymann Brothers are on Twitter here.
Photo source: Jerusalem Film Festival.
