What happens when all the “standard” superheroes disappear and the State of Israel is in urgent need of saving? Backup is called in, and it’s dark, funny, and special. At least this is the premise of Giborim, or Heroes – Limited Edition, a five-part mini web series that tells the story of a group of people with disabilities, or as they refreshingly reframe it – superpowers.
The clever and comedic series, which takes less than an hour to watch in full, is a breath of fresh air, representing the whole spectrum of humanity in a way unseen on any screen before. The series is written by two Israeli actors, and best friends, Adam Hirsch and Elior Eliyahu Amsalem, who hope to change how society perceives people with disabilities in Israel and beyond, and break down the stigmas for the community.
The idea came to Hirsch and Amsalem, who also star in the web series, during their second year at Yoram Loewenstein Performing Arts Studio when they worked with people with disabilities and identified a “need to talk about disabilities with humor, not just heartbreak, and deliver it in a new way,” says Amsalem in an interview. As aspiring actors themselves, the duo understood firsthand the challenge of getting roles, and broadly began to wonder, do people with disabilities ever get the chance to see themselves on screen, and can they create something that approaches the taboo topic with humor and inspiration?
Hirsch and Amselem approached the Shalva Center, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, with their idea for the web series, and the Ruderman Foundation, a leading player in the advocacy for inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities, decided to invest in it. And the HEROES were born.
Given the premise, the co-creators knew the creative process needed to look different and spent about a year in pre-production. First, they needed to find their superheroes. After auditioning about 50 people, many from Shalva, they chose the six leading “superheroes” to build the script around. The set was made accessible for each disability, and with a small but precise extra dose of attention, was adaptable to serve any immediate needs that arose, as most people with disabilities aren’t used to being on set for the common 12-16 hour days.
In their 6 days of shooting, directed by Leor Belgazal, Hirsch says they already saw the magic of the series come to life. “A beautiful thing happened. As we’d film, sometimes, there was an audience in the streets, with kids already asking our superheroes about their disabilities, like why do you do these voices, and why do you move like that? Before launching, we already started the conversation we hoped for.”
The series went public over the summer and thousands of people have already viewed it on Mako and YouTube. Hirsch and Amsalem spoke wholeheartedly about their journey, process, and how much they are still learning. “I learned that everyone needs a chance. This was a chance to see people who aren’t normally seen. Also, that entertainment and an important message can go together. We can do a project from our heart, have a greater mission, and also create good entertainment – we don’t need to choose one or the other,” says Amsalem.
“We are proud of the precedent this series will set for the industry in Israel and beyond. We hope more creators are inspired to produce additional series like this in the future,” says Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation.
