Live and Become

Live and Become (French: Va, vis et deviens) is a 2005 French drama film about an Ethiopian Christian boy who disguises himself as an Ethiopian Jew to escape famine and emigrates to Israel. It was directed by Romanian-born Radu Mihăileanu. It won awards at the Berlin and Vancouver film festivals among others.

Live and Become
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Radu Mihaileanu
Written by	Alain-Michel Blanc Radu Mihaileanu
Produced by	Denis Carot Marie Masmonteil Radu Mihaileanu Marek Rozenbaum Itai Tamir
Starring	Mekonet Ageza Moshe Abebe Sirak M. Sabahat Yael Abecassis Roschdy Zem Roni Hadar Rami Danon Raymonde Abecassis Mimi Abonesh Kebede Meskie Shibru-Sivan Hadar
Narrated by	Patrick Descamps
Cinematography	Rémy Chevrin
Edited by	Ludo Troch
Music by	Armand Amar
Distributed by	Les Films du Losange
Release dates	11 February 2005 (2005-02-11) (Berlin) 30 March 2005 (2005-03-30) (France)
Running time	140 minutes
Countries	France Israel[1]
Languages	French Amharic Hebrew
Budget	€5.3 million[2]
Box office	$3.7 million[3]

Plot

Schlomo, an Ethiopian boy, is placed by his Christian mother with an Ethiopian Jewish woman whose child has died. This woman, who will become his adoptive mother, is about to be airlifted from a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984. His birth mother, who hopes for a better life for him, tells him "Go, live, and become," as he leaves her to get on the bus. The film tells of his growing up in Israel and how he deals with the secrets he carries: not being Jewish and having left his birth mother.

Cast

• Moshe Agazai as Child Schlomo
• Moshe Abebe as Teenage Schlomo
• Sirak M. Sabahat as Adult Schlomo
• Yael Abecassis as Yael Harrari
• Roschdy Zem as Yoram Harrari
• Roni Hadar as Sarah
• Rami Danon as Papy
• Raymonde Abecassis as Suzy
• Mimi Abonesh Kebede as Hana
• Meskie Shibru-Sivan Hadar as Schlomo's mother
• Yitzhak Edgar as Qes Amhra
• Aaron Vodovoz as Kibbutz Boy
• Joy Rieger as Tali

Accolades

International

Award / Film Festival	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Berlin International Film Festival	Panorama Audience Award (feature film)		Won
	Europa Cinemas Label		Won
	Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Panorama)		Won
César Awards	Best Film		Nominated
	Best Director	Radu Mihaileanu	Nominated
	Best Original Screenplay	Alain-Michel Blanc and Radu Mihaileanu	Won
	Best Original Music	Armand Amar	Nominated
Copenhagen International Film Festival	Best Film		Won
	Best Script	Alain-Michel Blanc and Radu Mihaileanu	Won
Cinemania (film festival)	Prix du public		Won
Globes de Cristal Award	Best Film		Nominated
Lumière Awards	World Audience Award		Won
Toronto International Film Festival	People's Choice Award		Runner-up
Vancouver International Film Festival	Audience Award (international film)		Won

In the United States

Audience Awards unless otherwise noted

• Boston Jewish Film Festival
• Washington Jewish Film Festival
• Miami Jewish Film Festival
• Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
• Detroit Jewish Film Festival (Best Film)
• San Diego Jewish Film Festival
• Orange County Jewish Film Festival
• Palm Desert Jewish Film Festival
• Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival
• Tampa Jewish Film Festival
• Seattle Jewish Film Festival
• Cleveland International Film Festival
• Nashville Film Festival
• Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
• Detroit Jewish Film Festival (Audience Award)
• Washington DC International Film Festival (Runner-Up)
• Aspen Filmfest