This year the embassy held a series of trivia quizzes on the movies, from what appears in the films to even detecting which film that a certain audio came from. The winners of those quizzes then received a goodie bag from the Embassy via a raffle that Ambassador Karni did.

 

2020 Movie selection:

 

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Directed by: Gur Bentwich
Cast: Gur Bentwich, Maya Kenig, Dover Koshashvili, Alon Aboutboul, Hadas Ben Aroya, Tzachi Grad, Ester Rada, Yuval Scherf, Tinkerbel Rozen

 

Following the story of a neurotic film director, whose fear of failure, death, and losing control all surface on the night his new film is released. The urge to expose his film to the whole world and his obsession with the film’s failing distribution campaign create an unforgettable night of drama - at least for him and his band of eccentric friends. Gur Bentwich stars and directs in his fourth feature film, an existential comedy about the great efforts we all go through to control reality, outwit death, and make some sense of the journey.

 

Winner of Israeli Film Academy
Best Supporting Actor – Dover Koshashvili
Best Supporting Actress – Hadas Ben Aroya

Winner of Jerusalem Film Festival
Best Script – Gur Bentwich

 

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Alon Gur Arye
Cast: Tsahi Halevy, Efrat Dor, Tal Friedman, Adi Himelbloy, Dvir Benedek, Shlomi Koriat

 

Teaming up to counter the “Really Bad Guys” terrorist organization, the Mossad and CIA work to help an American tech-billionaire kidnapped in Israel. As the Mossad rushes to save him, the CIA sends their best agent to assist them. They must work together even if they get into conflict with each other and should they fail at saving the world, the retiring director of the Mossad will lose his chance to light a torch at the Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony. 
 
The Art of Waiting

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Directed by: Erez Tadmor
Cast: Roy Assaf, Nelly Tagar

 

As a couple tries to conceive, they come across obstacles faced with each other as well as with the pressure from their family. Their struggle begins to breakdown their relationship and questions of whether this is worth it in the end. In child-centric Israel, admitting you are having difficulty conceiving “is something you feel you have to keep secret” says director of The Art of Waiting, Erez Tadmor.  Based on the director’s real-life experience, he co-wrote the film with Roy Assaf, who also acts as the husband in the film. The character of Tal, the wife, is play by Nelly Tagar, her previous roles were in Past Life and Zero Motivation.

 

Nominated for 4 awards, including Best Director, Best actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing, Israel Academy Awards, Won Best Editing, Haifa Film Festival

 

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Nissim Dayan
Cast: Daniel Gad, Igal Naor, Uri Gavriel, Ahuva Keren, Yasmin Ayoun, Menashe Noy

 

A box-office smash hit in Israel based on the best-selling book titled Farewell Baghdad, this is a fascinating insight into a seldom-covered part of history. Sixteen year old Kabi is from a Jewish family in Iraq. When his uncle, Hazkael, is arrested, Kabi joins the Zionist movement. The film covers the final years of the ancient Jewish community in Baghdad in the 1950s. The film portrays a family living in a world of contradictions and ambivalent relationships; the complex existence of the Jewish community in Iraq, which had strong ties to the surrounding Muslim world and Arabic culture, yet at the same time feared for its safety. Nissim Dayan’s film recalls a lost and treasured time, using the almost-extinct Judeo-Arabic dialect of the Jewish Iraqis.

 

Israeli Film Academy
Winner of Best Costume Design – Li Alembik
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Ahuva Keren and Best Art Direction, Miguel Markin