There’s a film industry half a world away that’s yearning to be seen, and it will be returning to Los Angeles next weekend: the 35th edition of the Israel Film Fest will hit area theaters throughout the month of May, marking its return to in-person screenings for the first time since 2019.
“People during COVID got used to watching everything on TV,” festival Founder and Executive Director Meir Fenigstein told the Journal. “And now to bring them back to the theater, it becomes an extra effort. What do you do to bring them back to the theater?”
Fenigstein may have asked that question rhetorically, but in the 40 years he has been running the Israel Film Festival (first five in New York, now 35 in Los Angeles), he knew exactly what to do: curate a variety of powerful films.
Fenigstein says there will be stories of love, war, comedy, tragedy — in other words, something for everyone in the festival’s 30 films. The lineup of Israeli films may even come as a welcome respite from the names and franchises that get incessantly marketed to Angelenos at every turn.
During the first weekend of the festival (May 5-8), ticket-buyers will also get to meet filmmakers and actors, many participating in question and answers sessions.
Opening night will coincide with Yom Ha’atzmaut on the evening of Thursday, May 5 with a screening of the war epic “Image of Victory.”
Opening night will coincide with Yom Ha’atzmaut on the evening of Thursday, May 5 with a screening of the war epic “Image of Victory.” Directed by Avi Nesher, the film is about an Egyptian filmmaker tasked with documenting a raid on a kibbutz. “Image of Victory” comes to the festival as one of its most acclaimed films, having already won several Ophir Awards (the Israeli Academy Awards) over the past year. It is also the most expensive feature film in Israel’s history, with a budget of over 50 million NIS (over $15 million).
The festival brings a variety of films, several of which will be making their U.S. debut. Many filmmakers, actors and actresses will also be making their maiden voyage to Hollywood.
The festival brings a variety of films, several of which will be making their U.S. debut. Many filmmakers, actors and actresses will also be making their maiden voyage to Hollywood.
Actress Agam Schuster is one such actress who will be visiting LA for the first time. To Schuster, the Israel Film Festival will be extra special for being an opportunity to bring an Israeli ethos to the epicenter of filmmaking.
“I think that Israel films are very unique, [and] they are not trying to hide,” Schuster said. “They’re not trying to make a very nice atmosphere. What you see is what you get. The Israeli industry makes so much noise in the entertainment world because of its many issues. [It’s] the stuff that touches a nerve.”
Schuster co-stars in the film “Two,” about a lesbian couple whose relationship is put to the test as they attempt to start a family through in vitro fertilization. When it was released in 2021, Schuster and the crew participated in 20 virtual film festivals — until a recent screening in front of a live crowd in Tel Aviv.
“It was so amazing to feel the energy and the reactions of the audience,” Schuster said. “It was huge.”
Many of the filmmakers have been enduring the monotony of virtual film fests due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be unleashing energy that has been building inside their creative souls — and it just might be a joyfully contagious spirit for audiences to be around at the festival.
Fenigstein specifically encourages young filmmakers to come to the festival to be inspired to create the next generation of film. He cited Academy Award-winning director Guy Nattiv as one of the many Israeli filmmakers whose participation in the festival as a student helped propel their career. In 2002, Nattiv, a film student, won his first award at the Israel Film Festival for his short film, “The Flood.”
“I came to LA as a young Israeli filmmaker, and I was blown away because [Fenigstein and the festival] gave exposure to my film in the heart of the industry, in Los Angeles,” Nattiv said. “A lot of amazing people came there. And he gives attention to big names and people who are just starting up, and that gave me a feeling that just boosted me up.”
Over the next 20 years, Nattiv crafted a successful career as a filmmaker. He would go on to receive much acclaim for his 2018 short film “Skin,” which made him only the third Israeli to win an Academy Award. He is currently working on the film “Golda,” starring Helen Mirren as the Israeli prime minister during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. A release date has yet to be announced.
The films at the festival will be screened primarily at Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills and Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino. Audiences who want to meet the filmmakers in person are encouraged to attend during the opening weekend of the festival, May 5-8. Screenings will run through May 26th. Tickets and showtimes for the festival are available on their website, IsraelFilmFestival.com.
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