ISRAELI CINEMA SPOTLIGHT
Avi Nesher | Drama | Israel, 2021 | Hebrew, Arabic w/English subtitles | 128m | PG
In-Person Screening: Saturday, April 2 | 8:50 pm | SJCC
Virtual Screening: Monday, March 28 – Sunday, April 10
Film: Set against the backdrop of the 1948 War of Independence, an Egyptian documentary filmmaker dreams of capturing the perfect image of victory over an Israeli kibbutz, where idealistic youth on both sides are caught in the crosshairs in this epic, Israeli Academy Award-nominee for Best Picture.
Event: J Café Happy Hour – Concessions for sale, including wine and beer online (in advance for a discount) and in the J Café on your way into the theater to be enjoyed in your seats. Buy a reusable, SJFF souvenir cup and get $2 off your first drink purchase. Film introduction by Deputy Consul General Matan Zamir and Producer Ehud Bleiberg of Bleiberg Entertainment, whose father lived on Kibbutz Nitzanim at the time and inspired the making of the film. Details >>
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Full Film Details:
1948. A young and idealistic Egyptian documentary filmmaker travels with a Muslim Brotherhood platoon to the Holy Land to help Palestinian villagers evicted by newcomer Israelis. Stationed on a hill overlooking a kibbutz, Hassanin has high cinematic ambitions inspired by Frank Capra’s film WHY WE FIGHT, and awaits an image of victory he can capture. The kibbutz is filled with a fascinating collection of characters from all over the world, including two Argentinean cousins (Meshi Kleinstein and Eliana Tidhar) and a German pianist who survived the Holocaust, all with their own complex stories. Joy Rieger (PAST LIFE, THE OTHER STORY) plays a young mother and radio operator who chooses to stay and fight even after her husband and son leave. While there are sporadic acts of hostility from both sides, mostly the sheer exuberance of youth is evident. Passion, jealousy, ambition, kindness, mischief, longing, and desire are both rampant on the hill and on the kibbutz. Given the War of Independence’s special place in Israeli mythology, director Avi Nesher audaciously depicts the battle of Nitzanim through the struggles of idealistic youth caught in the crosshairs on both sides in this epic, tragic, and at times comical film, nominated for 13 Israeli Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Director Bio:
Avi Nesher is one of the most daring, important, and influential filmmakers in Israel’s history. Many of his early films are considered iconic and his five latest features were official selections at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nesher has also received Cinematic Excellence awards from both Jerusalem and Haifa Film Festivals and the Culture Ministry. In 2019, he was awarded Best Director by the Israeli Film Critics Association for his film THE OTHER STORY. View on IMDB.
Film Sponsors
Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest
Judy and Nissim Neuman
Lead Sponsors
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Thank you to all of our sponsors: view here >>.
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