SJFF: KARAOKE (Virtual)

Israeli superstars Lior Ashkenazi and Sasson Gabay lead this bittersweet comedy about a downtrodden, upper-middle-class suburban couple who are drawn to their new neighbor, a sexy, charismatic bachelor who holds karaoke evenings at his penthouse apartment. The film is part of the SJFF Israel@75 Birthday Series.

In-Person Showtime: March 11 | AMC | 7:30 pm • Streaming Window: March 20-26

More on KARAOKE (קריוקי)

Moshe Rosenthal | Narrative Comedy | Israel | 2022 | Hebrew w/English subtitles | 103m | PG-13

Nominated for 13 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and winner of the Audience Award at the 2022 Jerusalem Film Festival, KARAOKE pairs Israeli superstars Lior Ashkenazi (LATE MARRIAGE, FOOTNOTE) and Sasson Gabay (SHTISEL, THE BAND’S VISIT) in a bittersweet comedy about a downtrodden, suburban couple in their sixties who are drawn to their new neighbor, a charismatic bachelor who holds karaoke evenings at his apartment. Meir (Gabay) and Tova (Rita Shukrun) are a Sephardic married couple suffocating in the sameness of their upper-middle-class life, slumping towards retirement living in the banal comforts of an upscale apartment complex in a Tel Aviv suburb. When Itsik (Ashkenazi), a sexy bachelor from Miami, moves into the building’s penthouse, their lives are gleefully upended. Under the bright wattage of Itsik’s attentive smile, Meir and Tova start to feel better about themselves and imagine the possibilities of a new chapter of their lives. Joyous and poignant all at once, KARAOKE is an offbeat and optimistic comedy of midlife self-discovery that delights and surprises, laced with wisdom and barbed humor.

Director Bio

Moshe Rosenthal is an Israeli filmmaker who has written and directed multiple award-winning short films including OUR WAY BACK which was nominated for the Israeli Academy Awards. His web series, “Confess,” won several awards including the Grand Jury and Best Screenplay Awards at the 2017 Marseille Web Fest and Best Director Award at the 2017 Sicily Web Fest. “Confess” became the first Israeli web series picked up by an American TV network, with AMC developing the American adaptation of the show with Academy Award nominee Julie Delpy. KARAOKE is Rosenthal’s feature-length directorial debut. Official bio on IMDB.

Guest Bio + REEL DIfference Award Honoree: Sasson Gabay

The award-winning Baghdad-born Israeli actor, Sasson Gabay, is known for his many roles on screen and stage, including as the lead actor of the Beit Lessin Theatre Company’s productions of “Uncle Vanya,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” and “Rain Man,” as well as the Habima National Theatre’s production of “Cyrano De Bergerac.” Recently, he brought his portrayal of an Egyptian police band leader from screen to stage in the Tony-winning musical, THE BAND’S VISIT, for which he won the European Film Award for Best Actor. In 2010, he won the Israel Academy for Cinema’s Ophir Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for POLISHUK, and his role in GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIAN AMSALEM garnered him the Ophir Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2014. Other feature credits include: RAMBO III opposite Sylvester Stallone, HUNTING ELEPHANTS, and RESTORATION. His television credits include: “Stockholm,” “Oslo,” and Netflix’s “Shtisel.”

Seattle Jewish Film Festival Information

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