Since the release of his short film that was accused of being politically charged, "In the Name of the Daughter" three years ago, the young director Liran Shitrit has been receiving a lot of warmth and love from the Israeli right. For them, an Israeli filmmaker who does not identify as a leftist and brings screen characters who express a nationalist ideology is a groundbreaking discovery that must be nurtured.

Indeed, even now when his new film "Burning Lands" is about to be released in Israel, it is evident that he is receiving special attention on that side of the political map.

The 25-year-old Shitrit enjoys the support, as a true independent creator he needs all spiritual support, as well as financial. According to him, the funding for his new film came from a right-wing organization.

Despite all, the director wants to stay out of the clichéd discourse that is used when it comes to Israeli cinema. Others may want to frame his work as right-wing, perhaps because it deals with the rogue settlers of the West Bank, but what motivated him was the complexity of the characters and their personal story within their complicated reality.

"I don't feel that there is anyone directing me, I do what I want to do, and what challenges me are human films"

"Burning Lands" begins in a neglected neighborhood, where the hero, Yair (Assaf Hertz), a juvenile delinquent gets into trouble with his single mother (Ricky Blich) and the law enforcement, and escapes beyond the green line. He finds himself alone in the middle of nowhere and has no choice but to connect with a group of “hilltop boys” (Illegal Israeli settlers) who have set up an outpost for themselves on vacant, but Palestinian-owned land.

As time passes, Yair is drawn into the camaraderie of his new friends, and even joins their violent missions against the Palestinian residents of the area. At the same time, he is employed by the owner of a local vineyard Tovat Lev (Yael Levantal). He finds himself torn between his loyalty to the protective group and the inspiration of the yeshiva rabbi

As far as where the movie was filmed, it all took place in the same area of ​​activity that the characters in the movie operate, in Samaria. "It was very important for me to film in the natural environment where the 'hilltop boys' lives, and to get the amazing landscapes of Samaria with the beauty of nature," he explains.

"This made the production long and complicated, and we needed permission from the army and security guards who were with us in the field. The conditions were difficult for filming; there are many night shots in the film and we were in the wild with expensive equipment. It was cold and the actors had to go to warm up in a tent with stoves in between. It took a while to find the locations that I visually imagined and that will also be relatively convenient for production."

Shitrit noted that his ultimate desire with his new movie was to create an art piece that is “very human, very universal."