Arkadij Khaet
Filmmaker—April through July 2023
Based In Germany
Q: You came to Berkeley with your partner, Merle, with whom you co-wrote the film “Masel Tov Cocktail,” and your daughter Maya. What was it like to have that kind of family time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life?
A: In our normal life back home, we didn’t have time to spend as a family. There are all the things that get in the way as you juggle work, wider family obligations, and social life. Here we were isolated but in a very positive way. Since Maya was born I’ve been working all the time, and haven’t had time to spend with her at such a special age. When we arrived Maya was nine months old, and not even sitting. When we left, she was walking. That’s a lot of progress.
Q: Berkeley is a special place to enjoy one’s life.
A: It became like home. We weren’t sure that four months would be enough to make it feel like home, and then in the end we couldn’t believe we were leaving. It was a combination of the city and surroundings, the beauty of nature, the food, and especially the people who made us feel comfortable. We loved the animals, and the fruits and vegetables. In central Europe, we are happy when we have a ripe banana. The city feels both American and European, with the California mentality that makes you feel welcome.
Q: Speaking of progress, you got a lot done while you were at Peleh.
A: My goal was to finish a draft of a script for a new film, which will be my debut as a feature film director. It’s about two parallel stories that communicate with each other. One is about German converts to Judaism. The other is about Jews who want to get rid of their identity. It’s called Germaniacs. In the end, I did have the time and space to finish, and came back with a first full draft.
Q: Which is good because you hit the ground running when you returned.
A: When I was in Berkeley I realized that I wanted to accept an opportunity to write and direct a TV show for BBC Germany, an eight-episode remake of a popular British show. I’ve been hard at work on that since I came back.
Q: You’ve mentioned that every time you visit the U.S., the quality of American Jewish life surprises you, as compared with Germany.
A: It’s always astonishing to see the normality of Jewish life there. How ordinary it is, not loaded with so many things politically and historically. It’s so much easier to be Jewish. You don’t have to constantly explain yourself. You are so fortunate to have that kind of Jewish life, with the community, restaurants, food, books, music, and everything else.
Q: At the end of your residency, you had a chance to screen “Masel Tov Cocktail” at the Elmwood Theater in Berkeley — one of the last movie theaters in the city. It wasn’t your first screening of the film in the U.S., but you said it was still very special.
A: This screening was special because so many of the people I had met in Berkeley were present and we had a robust Q&A after the screening. My previous U.S., screenings happened before Covid, and they were all online. I had never done one in person. It was amazing watching Americans watch your work. There is no more enthusiastic audience than Americans.
Arkadij Khaet was born during the final moments of the Soviet Union. A few weeks after his birth his family left the Republic of Moldova and immigrated to Germany. After graduating from high school he lived in Israel for a while, and then moved to Cologne to start his undergraduate studies in Film and Television. As a student he started to implement his own film projects. Khaet followed this up with a diploma in feature film directing at the prestigious Baden-Württemberg Film Academy. He is a scholarship holder of the Jewish Gifted and Talented Foundation, the Ernst-Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk and part of the programming collective of the Jewish Film Festival Berlin | Brandenburg. His films have screened at numerous festivals worldwide and have won several awards.
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