Discoveries from Israel World Cinema

Six friends reunite under the full moon to eat steak, drink beer, and smoke, an ongoing tradition captured on a camcorder. A raw, unfiltered look at friendship, ritual, and time passing.

"I'm so generic it makes me sick" Follows Haya Moshka Modbuk, a 19-year-old Haredi from Haifa who serves in the IDF, discovers that she is a lesbian and, by the way, a professional rainstick player. Haya Moshka lives with her mother, Ravshake Modbuk, a divorced woman in a Haredi society who is trying to survive and confronts her daughter after an incident with the rainstick. Modbuk goes through a journey of adulthood and struggles with her complex Israeli identities in front of her family and Israeli society. A parody of Israeli and high school films.

A woman who has been sexually assaulted goes to a cemetery to commit suicide. There she meets her attacker who intends to do the same thing.

Rock Girl", Tzipi Bader's successful docu about Ricky Gal

On October 7th, 1973, two gun patrol boats were sent alone on a suicide mission to attack the Egyptian coast. Miraculously, the boats returned after being stuck on the shallow shore under heavy fire. After 50 years, the investigations revealed the story of the hero from the battle whose story disappeared till this day, the late Hertzl Elmalem, along with the story of the fighters who returned. The Battle of Marsa Talamat in his name, became part of the battle ethos of the ISR Navy on Yom Kippur and in general.

A short film.

Blindly trapped in an abusive relationship, Maya has to face the reality she’s trying to repress. When she is exposed to her hidden depths she becomes violent herself.

Irmi and Asia's wedding film

“The Inner Truth”, led by Hila Alroi, the health correspondent of Channel 13, and directed by Liran Atzmon, sets out to examine how the transgender issue, while indeed affecting a very small percentage of the population, is at the heart of the media attention, discourse on social networks, a matter of dispute for organizations dealing with the subject (both in terms of community rights and in the struggle against its legitimacy), protests, films, and books.

Danny and Yaara are a couple. Danny works in high-tech, Yaara is an anonymous theater actress. They have relationship problems but they don't talk about them and pretend that everything is fine. One day, Yaara gets an audition for "The maids." She asks Danny for help in preparing properly, but when the two start acting out the script, the problems in their relationship surface and things start to deteriorate.

Wissam and his wife's dream of a better life for their daughters in Jerusalem becomes a Kafkaesque nightmare when their citizenship application is rejected.

Gali works as a mine clearer at a mine clearance site in the south of Israel. As the only female on the team, she makes every effort to fit it and become one of "the guys."

On her 34th birthday, Ronit, a solitary Ethiopian woman, spends the night with a stranger—a younger, injured trucker who, like her, carries the weight of loneliness.

On a chaotic and violent morning, Dana balances keeping her son safe while repelling her husband's aggressive behavior.

A student documents his life as he decided to live in the woods for 18 months.

Whilst the towns shiny big theater attracts a crowd of people, a marionette puppet performs at the street corner and barely catches the interest of one spectator. His master, an old man in his last years, cannot keep up with the marionette pace and give his the support he need to succeed. Desperation turns to hope when he discovers that the big theater is conduction a talent show that could bring him his long awaited fame. But the way over is quite complicated when you are a puppet with feelings.

Danny Kushmaro makes his way to the northernmost city on Earth, with the goal of entering the icy waters and being closest to the marine super predator, which is at the top of the food chain, the orca - the killer whale

Short animation by Amit Cohen & Lena Valero

Young boy that wants to join a tribe of hunters must face a test: Killing a wounded bear.

The film documents the last year of World War II and the Holocaust in Budapest, as depicted in the diaries kept by Jewish citizens living in the city and their neighbors. The diaries describe the daily degradation of the situation, the persecution of the Jews, the battles that destroyed the city and the disillusionment that marked the end of the war.

The journey and friendship of Ravid Plotnik and his musical producer Yishai Swissa, as they create the record 'Toch Kedey Tnua'.

In Jerusalem, a performer dressed as a clown officer appears at rallies and high-pressure locations. She safeguards the protesters and fearlessly confronts armed situations while distributing heart-shaped stickers. During a volatile rally, she is incarcerated and her costume is forcibly removed. Despite her widespread recognition, her true identity remains a mystery. Following her release from prison, her motive is revealed.

In Israel's Negev desert, Farhan Al-Nabari (72) - a fearless arbitrator, fights to prevent the next killing between feuding Bedouin families. His tent, a "place of refuge," anchors tradition amid rising youth violence challenging state and tribal authority. As societal desperation and poverty intensify, Farhan faces a profound struggle: the State of Israel demands the uprooting of his tribe from its home of 71 years. Amid frantic reconciliation efforts between tribes, this poignant tale unfolds-a clash between ancient traditions and modern mandates. Farhan fights to preserve his community's legacy, navigating a delicate balance between the timeless laws of the desert and the new world.

The film follows Jacqueline Kahanoff’s writings, as an elderly woman confronts the revelation of uterine cancer, marking the commencement of a new chapter. It captures her fears of treatments, the isolation experienced as a patient in a healthy world, and the peculiar beauty emerging amidst the agony.

Israeli musical adaptation of Aladdin

Two teens in Israel, one secular and one orthodox. They live their lives until their paths cross. A short film based on the poetry of Nurit Zarhi - Kilfati Tapoz

A hand- drawn animation short about two people falling in love while flying.

This film is a story of the groundbreaking journey undertaken by a unique individual who fought an uphill battle in his personal and public life, with exclusive access of the director to the archives of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and his inner circle. The film explains the Rabbi’s political and religious points of view, while exposing behind-the-scenes stories of historical events in Israel and the Rabbinical influence on them. Although perceived as a controversial persona throughout his life, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was with no doubt a leading image in the religious world, as a rabbinical decision maker who often ruled with creativity, originality, and surprisingly liberal in his approach and understanding of modern day life. The film tracks his path in becoming a powerful religious leader.

A director obsessed with Israel's first private detective revives, with the help of artificial intelligence animation, a murder investigation from 1937 that was never solved. Combining two investigations, one from 1937 and the other in the present, reveals a new facet to a story that includes Nazi spy cells, "Hagana" assassination units, double agents, and a principle of maintaining "state security" that continues to this day.

Dani accompanies her mother Gabi to plastic surgery. With sensitivity and courage she observes her older mother, who refuses to come to terms with her age. They argue about looks and beauty without reaching an agreement. Will Dani manage to shake off the legacy of conservative femininity that her mother is trying to instill in her? And will Gabi agree to accept her daughter as she is?

Adam Ginkgo Grant's final film project

Its hard to be a teen lesbian and go through abortion

Shalom and Tommy are back for the first and last time in the movie version of the beloved short series, It's been a long time since the last adventure, and now Shalom and Tommy need to go and come back to the spotlight and stop the new pandemic that is beginning to spread. On the way they will laugh, cry, and might even see some new faces... Watch Shalom and Tommy's journey in The Tik-Tok Pandemic Movie. Coming 2023. —Amit Zadikario

Silent color home movie by JDC Executive Vice Chairman Moshe Lewit, showing the arrival of a ship bringing new immigrants, presumably to the port of Haifa, and scenes of a temporary immigrant camp. One of the locations is likely to be the Sha’ar Aliyah clearing center near Haifa, often referred to as Israel’s Ellis Island. Sha’ar Aliyah was opened by the Jewish Agency in March 1949. Later scenes depict agricultural training and irrigation projects. There is a brief shot of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion greeting members of the visiting group.

Gestures of Resistance connects the personal testimonies of some of the last survivors of the Holocaust from Romania, Czech Republic and Slovakia through their presentations of antifascist resistance - chapter 1: Armed Resistance, chapter 2: Civil/Political Resistance, chapter 3: Resistance through Art, chapter 4: Resistance through Solidarity.

Shay-Lee and Yahav spend a night of love and memories between worlds together. A young widow meets the ghost of her dead husband when she needs him the most. The filmmaker, Yahav Winner, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on the October 7th massacare after attempting to stall them in order to allow Shaylee Atary, his wife, to escape with their newly born daughter Shaya.

Short film in competition for AROMA film competition.

From the corner of his bedroom, a lonely man follows a friendly cockroach into a surreal desert, stretching infinitely.

The film's author is against the military aggression launched by his country. He leaves Russia and travels to Germany, where his friend is helping Ukrainian refugees flee to the West. Meanwhile, the director's parents, who have fled Ukraine to Moldova, are waiting for his help. His adult son, in the meantime, who has stayed in Russia, talks with him on Skype about how Russia is fighting global evil and the importance of being a patriot and supporting one's country.

A mother and daughter attempt to rebuild their relationship, which fell apart in the shadow of childhood trauma. Armed with a camera, the director returns to her childhood home in search of recognition. Between bags of clothes, the generation and memory gaps are revealed. Despite the geographical and mental distance between them, they share a common desire for love and closeness.

Ruth, a religious married woman “in the closet”, undergoes conversion therapy and prays for a miracle which will heal her heart from her love for a neighbor, a religious woman cello player. What happens when God forces her to confront her passion at a decisive holy moment?

Ohad Milstein’s documentary follows four narratives of voluntary loneliness which traverse distant, cooler orbits around the warm Israeli sun. A butterfly collector, a man with a bionic hand, a self-sufficient family living in the outer reaches of a desolate forest, and a pet taxidermist. All of these individuals inhabit their own respective spaces and are wholly devoted to their world and nowhere else. Between them is one man with his camera who, via the people and the places explores the emotional, artistic, and technological conditions that allow and sustain the very existence of his own filmmaking.

Joined by his camera, Jonathan accompanies his grandparents as they venture off to explore Bhutan for their 60th anniversary; a journey in which he’ll witness the delicate intricacies of their relationship begin to slowly unfold.

A moving and thought provoking film about Eve, a teenager studying filmmaking at 'Hadash High school' in the prosperous northern part of Tel Aviv while living in Kfar Shalem, a poor neighborhood on the southern side of town. Eve and director Amir Har-Gil set out on a journey in which they document her family's life including her mother Nava who after being abandoned by her husband keeps a day job in a kindergarten and a night job as a cleaner; her brother Itzik who serves in an elite combat unit of the IDF; her sister Sari who begins to recognize the socio-economic gap between herself and her classmates at her new junior high school.

Through the story of the late Shulamit Aloni the film traces the history and current situation of the two extremes at which she chose to position herself – feminism in gender issues and the left in Israeli politics. The film asks how and why Aloni chose these extremes rather than yielding to the warm embrace of the consensus where in fact she grew up and developed. Did she leave the consensus behind or did she reach its outer limits and remained within them?

Dani Bassin is a popular singer in Israel. Baba luba follows him on his journey back to Brazil, his native country, 36 years after his father left him and his mother there. Since he was four years old Bassin has not heard a thing from him. When Bassin and the film crew arrive in Brazil they have very few leads concerning his father's whereabouts, they do not even know whether he is still alive. They undertake a real search, which has been captured on film with the suspense of a detective story. Bassin discovers a police file on his father and he finds out that his father has twice remarried. He meets family members of whom he never knew they even existed. Finally he meets his father. Director Julie Shles has managed to register both the exciting and dramatic episodes of the trip, as well as the moments of despair and agitation. This also makes the film a universal study of the ideas about fatherhood and family ties and the search for love that every human undertakes.

A Palestinian refugee visiting his ruined village is documented in an Israeli film. Amazingly, out of pure coincidence the same person is filmed again returning to his village in a different film, thirty years later. Will it be possible to film the return scene for the third time?

Yisrael was born into a loving American ultra-Orthodox Jewish family from Jerusalem. As he grew up and discovered that he was attracted to both men and women, everything changed.

Binyamin Haneman's graduation project is dedicated to his homeland — the Israeli settlement of Psagot, situated on the border with Ramallah and Palestinian villages. Using a camera, old photographs, and conversations with two other individuals from Psagot — poet and writer Yonatan Berg and artist Yifat Steinmetz — the director reconstructs the history of the place where, during their childhood, there were no fences with barbed wire and armed militants on the border between the two countries. He remembers how in 2000, at the start of the Second Intifada (escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), the town rapidly transformed into a site of deadly conflict between two nations, ideologies, and religions.

Meitar Libi Flam's student work is a lyrical self-portrait of the 26-year-old filmmaker, woven from dreams and fantasies, words, music, and visual images. Flam believes that art helps formulate and convey the most hidden feelings that otherwise remain unreflected, causing restlessness and anxiety. In this sense, the artistic form serves as a way to delve deep within oneself and holds a therapeutic function. The film by Flam reached the semi-final stage of the Student Oscars (2021) and was also honored with a special mention by the jury at the Bordeaux Short Film Festival (2022).

A young couple is torn between their place in the Israeli Haredi (Ultra - orthodox) community and their desire to give their autistic son the chance to win independence and be integrated into society.