Wartime films get Ophir Award nominations 

The Israel Academy of Film and Television announced its nominations for the Ophir Awards, and several movies that relate to the war have been nominated.

Yahav Winner was killed by Hamas terrorists in Kfar Aza on October 7. His short film, The Boy, about a troubled father and son whose relationship reaches a point of crisis as the kibbutz where they live faces rocket attacks, was nominated for Best Short Feature Film. The movie is dedicated to a Kfar Aza resident who was killed in a previous round of rocket attacks.

Three short documentaries about the war received nominations. Screams Before Silence, a documentary about the sexual violence committed by terrorists on October 7, was directed by Anat Stalinsky. In the film, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg interviews the survivors and witnesses, and she has been promoting the movie around the world.

Ben Shani made the movie Abigail (also known as Table for Eight) about four-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists after they murdered her parents, for the investigative television program Uvda.

Dan Pe’er’s #Nova tells the story of the massacre of over 360 at the Nova Music Festival through video and audio clips recorded by the victims and survivors.

Idan Amedi, who plays a murder suspect in Highway 65 and who fought and was badly wounded in Gaza, received his first nomination for Best Actor. Amedi is well-known worldwide for his role in Fauda.

Movies by two first-time directors dominated the feature-film categories. Eid, the first full-length drama by a Bedouin director, Yousef Abo Madegem, received eight nominations, including for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Shadi Mar’i), and Best Supporting Actor (Hisham Suliman). The movie tells the story of a Bedouin construction worker from Rahat with literary aspirations who struggles to fulfill his parents’ expectations. It won the Haggiag Competition for Best Israeli Feature at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Come Closer, by Tom Nesher, received 12 nominations, among them nods for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Lia Elalouf), and Best Supporting Actress (Darya Rosen). It tells the story of an obsessive friendship that develops between a young woman mourning her brother’s sudden death and his girlfriend. The movie, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, won the Viewpoints Award there.

Female-directed movies

Movies directed by women were well-represented among the nominees. In the Best Feature Film Category, five of the six nominated films have female directors. Besides Eid and Come Closer, the nominees are The Milky Way by Maya Kenig, the story of a young mother who sells her breast milk to a wealthy family; Halisa by Sophie Artus, about a childless nurse who bonds with a young mother at her Haifa clinic; Highway 65 by Maya Dreifuss, the story of a tough, tactless police detective investigating a murder in a small town; and Girls Like Us by Lee Gilat, about a teen from a broken home who falls for the female soldier who is counseling her.

In addition to Amedi and Mar’i, a notable nominee in the Best Actor category is Sasson Gabai, who received his 11th Ophir nomination for Bliss. He previously won in this category for The Band’s Visit and Karaoke, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Gett and Time of Cherries. He was already the most nominated actor, but now he even broke his own record.

The other actors nominated for Best Actor are Leib Levin for The Property and Roy Assaf for Total Show.

Beloved veteran comic actress Rivka Michaeli received her first nomination for Best Actress for The Property, playing a grandmother taking her granddaughter to Warsaw to reclaim a family home, based on Rutu Modan’s graphic novel. In addition to Michaeli and Lia Elalouf for Come Closer, the other Best Actress nominees are Assi Levy for Bliss, Tali Sharon for Highway 65, and Noa Kohler for Halisa.

The Ophir Awards will be presented at a ceremony on September 16 in Tel Aviv. The winner of the Best Feature Film Award will be Israel’s official selection for consideration for a Best International Feature Oscar.