Discoveries from Israel World Cinema

The heritage of a never-opened suitcase reveals for the children the secret history of their parents. The Boers were one of the many Jewish families who managed to escape the holocaust by crossing the Pyrenees. Although there are many stories that have been written about it, there has never been one so well documented. The Jewish Wedding tells the emotional legacy of the Holocaust for second-generation Jews, and how they cope with the silence about a story they are afraid to remember.

From Tel Aviv, the first Israeli lesbian love story, It's That Age. Daniella is a bratty, confused teen who keeps singing "The Man I Love" to herself; instead of a man, she finds Michal, a 32-year-old sculptress who lives in a seductive, overblown studio apartment. They embark on an intense and moody affair, bound to end in tears - but affecting along the way.

Nimi wants to die. He stages fake suicide attempts every day for 10 years now. His sister, Vic, is tired of it. She wants him to stop talking and start doing.

A man and a woman have an intimate conversation about birds and everything between them.

Teenage girl is coping with her sexuality due to a relationship with a girl. This happens in the background of her living with her father that her mother left years ago for another woman.

Uri lives on his own. When a single mom and her young son move in next door, things become very strange.

Israeli Haredi women are expected to be good wives to their arranged husbands, take care of their many children, be the main breadwinner while their husbands study religious texts, and always vote as their Rabbis tell them to. They are not supposed to write political articles using a woman's name, and most definitely, they're not supposed to run for Haredi Parliament parties. In fact, Israel is the only country worldwide with parties that officially deny women.

In the beginning of the 21th century Hadar HaKarmel was the beating heart of Haifa, a lively place and a cultural center. Since then, it has been emptied and neglected, while it's prestigious past is present in every corner and in its special human combination. The movie portrays the story of the neighborhood by meeting with some of its most interesting residents.

In Israel, one learns at a young age of the country’s constant “state of emergency”. The education system in collaboration with the “Homefront Command Office” are dedicated to inserting that notion into the public’s mind. The film follows a class of fifth-graders in their mandatory course on “Home-Command Education” while at the same time follows the adult world, where through an on-going series of drills and simulations they prepare for the next war to come.

Uri Avnery is the man who Israelis have loved to hate for over 50 years. For the first time the cinema gets to grip with the complex, contradictory and controversial figure of "the last Mohican of the radical left", the veteran peace campaigner and prominent journalist. It is a depiction of an uncompromising perpetual warrior who has paid a high personal price for his total loyalty to his beliefs. The film shuttles between past and present, between Avnery's public persona and the psychology of his inner world. It combines archive footage with present-day scenes to produce a well-rounded portrait, while simultaneously examining the very question it has set out to answer: how does one create a cinematic portrait?

"Cosmos" is the story of cosmonaut Mark, whose spaceship on the way to Earth collided with a school of giant electric fish. The fish de-energized the ship, and there was a crash. Throughout the cartoon, Mark tries to fix the ship, balancing between despair and hope. He really wants to go home to his son.

The animated triptych shows a sophisticated satirical look at the Zionist settlement in the Land of Israel. The seasons, agricultural work, kibbutznik dances and much more move endlessly in a circle in it, combining Jewish proverbs and images from the history of art, reminiscent, in particular, of the paintings of Brueghel and Bosch.

In a town where the adults live on ground level and children refuse to come down from the treetops, a series of interviews sets out to discover - what is it exactly that the generations misunderstand about each other? This animated documentary highlights the absurdity of childhood, adult-ness, the internet, and generational gaps.

A minor politician, suffering with a temporary sexual disorder that is soon to be written about in the local press, is sent anonymously to Eilat for rest and pleasantries. His wife, believing he was on a trip abroad also goes to Eilat on the advice of her friend.

Tom adopts a dog with a hereditary skin disease. The special bond between them leads Tom to discover her hidden identity – she is a he, a transgender man

After a one night stand, a seventeen year old ponders the uncertainty of his future and the comforts of home.

In this total creation, the artist takes upon himself all roles of filmmaking, to create a personal retrospective view of the traumatic scenes he went through during his military service. The artist raises questions about gender, masculinity, sexuality and violence while reconstructing and intensifying his military experience as a homosexual.

Roni surprises Ellie on her birthday at the Dead Sea with her friends. The attempts to make Ellie happy only deepen the gaps, and just before the lowest place on earth she’ll have to decide.

Young filmmaker Timor David is following his friends around in this 50 minute movie filmed in the span of one night.

The story of Taliya's quest for finding love in the estranged world of Internet dating, based on a mouse, a keyboard and Photoshop tricks. In this comic-tragic voyage with the guidance of her flat-mate (extravagantly & cynically gay), she wanders from hope to humiliation.

The film follows a dialogue between the filmmaker and his Saba (Hebrew for Grandpa) at the last chapter of his life. Saba Beno tells his life story in his own words while trying to find the meaning of it all.

Arava is a straight-A high school student who studies craft. When the king of the school starts studying in her class they begin to fall in love even though they are from different statuses. Will love win?

At a family dinner, pressure builds up as Omer refuses to say "Well done" to his Reality TV winning cousin.

A melodramatic couple, who are both actors, are going to buy a kitchen. Things get problematic when the woman, who thinks she is more famous than her partner, asks for a celebrity discount.

Set in 1994, homophobic Amit returns home; a year after the death of his twin brother, Yoni, who died of AIDS. Amit is surprised to find that his family and Yoni’s former partner are going to a drag show in Yoni's memory.

An atmospheric and vague, painterly animated short that envisions a view upon an old house cat who bids farewell to his home in his final moments.

An abstract uncontrollable ride towards the alluring, glamorous and unreachable which guarantees satisfaction and success but also destruction and realization.

A personal video dairy: a coming of age story about being a teenager and figuring out your sexual identity.

As a young Haredi boy, Shmuel-Haim Pappenhym knew he must cover his eyes during Independence Day fireworks so as not to participate in "Zionist celebrations". Today, as a radical Ultra-Orthodox leader, he organizes mass demonstrations against the State of Israel. He is also the editor of an influential magazine of a radical Jewish sect known for not recognizing the State of Israel. In contrast, Ultra-Orthodox parliament member, Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, served in the Israeli Army, and has been involved in mainstream politics for many years. As national election day approaches, Ravitz anxiously tallies his party's projected parliament seats. Conversely, Pappenhym is counting on high numbers of voter abstentions. For Pappenhym, participation in Zionist elections is a grave sin.

A documentary about Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli in space

An urban environment reflects the inner feelings of a city walker.

A young woman is looking for a teen she's responsible for as part of her volunteer work. When she finally finds him, she's exposed to his real life.

Guy and Lior, both males, are about to bring a baby to the world with a female couple who's looking for the same thing. During this process Guy is going through a sexual identity crisis and betrays Lior.

Grace came to Israel from the Philippines 20 years ago in search of work. Here she met and married an Israeli, and had three sons. After her divorce, she began to rediscover her sexuality finds herself torn between her love for a woman who returned to the Philippines, and her children's desire to be Israeli and serve in the IDF.

Teamwork and treachery, devotion and deceit intersect in this surreal and strangely comic tale of bureaucratic breakdown, set in a museum with a pernicious pecking order.

Daniel, a gay right wing extremist want to meet with his lover and goes through a violent night on the way to him.

A short film that follows Alice, an addled teenager, suffering from sleep paralysis due to the struggle of keeping her sexuality a secret from her family and society.

Tonight, Tom comes over to meet her younger girlfriend's group of friends for the first time. As the evening unfolds, she discovers a different side of herself, her girlfriend, and their relationship, when confronted with her friends. At the end of the night, she'll have to make a choice.

The film portrays the events of a single day in Cairo of 1954, as they unfold through the personal story of the now 97-years-old Jacques Motola. Through present-day conversations with his granddaughter, his memories of past reveal the story of an aging artist and still somewhat a man of mystery.

A man picks up a discarded painting and finds the artist who agrees to meet him. They befriend each other and she tells him how she survived the Holocaust before travelling to Hungary together.

At the heart of this film are two extraordinary characters. It is a mystery how director Hillel Rate managed to persuade them to let the camera so close, to invite the filming crew into their home and share their most private moments. Moshe Mishuris, a 37-year-old lonely Ashkenazi Jew came from Russia with his elderly father, and now they live together in one tiny apartment. Their main source of income is donations from the audience of their YouTube channel, where they talk about Judaism in Russian. Moshe is single, he had proposed to different women twice, but it didn’t work out. When he goes to the matchmaker and it’s hard to tell whether he is hoping to get together with someone or is fearing it. The most unexpected thing is that the film is open-ended. The director leaves Moshe perplexed, but not alone because in any case he stays with his father, a man who is almost a saint and dedicated his entire life to his faith.

Sixteen-year-old Eitan wants to live in Amona where he was born, but that territory is still disputed. The most persevering squatter, he builds a house out of stones there together with his friends, which without any fuss gets destroyed by the police. "Never Locked" - a film with that name eloquently describes Eitan’s dream house - explores the question of whether people can live where they want and are able to live in their own country, of what makes places home, and talks about the feeling of being at home itself.

The director's mother's last wish was to be buried as a Muslim in Omer, her Jewish hometown, where she lived for 20 years. During the process of separation from the mother, the film reveals the family intimacy, secrets, and dilemmas, raises serious questions about women's identity, nationality, and the meaning of home.

A snapshot of Israel, as seen through the lens of eleven selected children from different backgrounds and demographics. This candid view casts an intimate and personal light on Israel's youth. We explore what they see, how they think, what they learn, and the astonishing impact their thoughts and lives have on their country and the world they are rapidly inheriting. It's their opinions that matter, as they are the ones who are creating our future.

On the night of March 5, 2002, an armed terrorist opened fire on civilians dining in a Tel Aviv restaurant. Druze policeman Salim Barakat quickly arrived on the scene and bravely eliminated him. However, he was killed by the terrorist. For ten years, Jamal, Salim's brother, has been attending annual police ceremonies in commemoration of his brother. Suspecting they may be withholding information, he decides to go on an investigative journey to find out who killed his brother. This is the story of a bereaved brother facing the Israeli security establishment, of a Druze facing the State of Israel, and more than anything, of a man facing himself.

Avi Cohen has just been informed that he is the most average man who ever lived. Overnight, he reluctantly becomes a national icon and instant celebrity. With his wife’s enthusiastic urging, they translate the situation into a business venture that goes surprisingly awry.

Noa is a rookies commander in the army. One day she discovers a love letter from one of her female soldiers. While struggling to understand whether the letter is a joke or not, Noa will have to choose between her safe restrained world and her urge to feel, at least for a brief moment, loved.

Yishai Orian, the owner of an old Volkswagen beetle is about to become a father. His mechanic says that the car will not last long, while his wife complains that the car is unsuitable for a baby. Attempting to keep his beloved car, Yishai goes on a journey that begins with the previous owners of the beetle, continues to Jordan to renovate the old car, and ends with the birth of his first child.

A deep and sensitive look into the story of a boy who insists to follow the wishes of his heart as he grows up and tries to develop his sexual identity.

The film observes a trans-formative trio of an Israeli family of Yemenite descent to the grand Canyon. The trip in a small RV, across the desert,discloses the fractures and varying prospective among the family members. It centers on the Conservative father who's worried about his youngest son, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: a father who struggles with differences between him and his middle son, who emigrated from the country years ago: and a father who refuses to accept the fact that his eldest son is gay. 'Family Time' is a universal story, with children trying to find self-fulfillment verses the dreams and hopes of their parents.

Yaki just wanted to make a porn film. As a child growing up in an ultra-orthodox family (very religious), he never even heard about this "dubious" genre. Actually, he never even encountered the world of television and film. After shooting his little film, he starts developing his interest in video-art, with the help of his good friend Ricardo. Through this medium he explores the connection between sex and religion, myth and anxiety, body and soul. This is his self portrait.

Intersecting sad life stories in a quite, hard-living neighborhood.

This chilling documentary brings to light an overlooked but crucial episode in Holocaust history - the Euthanasia Program. Instituted in 1939 by the Nazi's to eliminate the mentally handicapped, this systematic killing program was the pivotal first step toward mass extermination.

Alon, a married man in his thirties, falls in love and obsessively stalks Jonathan, a ballet student who lives with his older boyfriend. When Jonathan finds out, he becomes a stalker himself.