KATLOT.
Diary of a Schmatta Revolutionary
A darkly comic project based on the diary I kept during my days as a political detainee in Israel: the characters, routines and absurdities of everyday life inside, and the strange way the impossible quickly becomes routine.
Ktalot: Suzy Surprise - Director's Cut
The story
From diary to stage
KATLOT is being developed as a theatre production together with Theatre HaBira in Jerusalem.
The animated films are concept tests and the basis for the project's next stages. They return to the detainees, guards, prayer, business conducted through prison bars, improvised recipes and legal logic of everyday life inside.
Writer's statement
KATLOT grew out of an urgent need to make sense of an experience that was frightening, humiliating, absurd—and, at unexpected moments, very funny. Humor became a kind of shield: a way to preserve perspective and some sense of myself inside a system that was constantly defining me from the outside.
The films
All films
Diary of a Schmatta Revolutionary | Animated Trailer
The Production Wrap Party
Douglas Adams Meets the Metzada Unit | Official Trailer
Diary of a Schmatta Revolutionary
Promotional Film: Biological Warfare Division, Israel Prison Service
The Dangerous Driver from Tehran | A Persian Folk Tale
What they said
“Fascinating and angering.”
“Deeply affecting.”
The story behind it
I was arrested after driving a friend to a demonstration in Jerusalem, and I am now facing trial. KATLOT grew out of the diary I kept in detention.
Read the storyIn the press
The story as told in Israel and the US.
The Forward
Facing trial for driving someone to a demonstration in Jerusalem, this Israeli wants you to know democracy is in trouble (opens in a new tab)
Opinion, by Amit Cahanovich.
Haaretz · May 18, 2026 · Hebrew
“I didn't take bribes or spy for Qatar. I just didn't stand idly by, and for that I was arrested” (opens in a new tab)
Opinion (in Hebrew), published anonymously while the case was under way.
Where the project stands
Submitted to the Reboot Studios Creator Fund
In development as a stage production with Theatre HaBira, Jerusalem. Artistic Director: Ayelet Rips
The creator
Amit Cahanovich
Amit Cahanovich is an Israeli data professional, independent consultant, husband, and father of three. His work spans Israel and international projects, including engagements with organizations in North America and the Gulf.