Film-Forward

Israeli

A Borrowed Identity

Directed by Eran Riklis Produced by Bettina Brokemper, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Michael Eckelt, Chilik Michaeli Written by Sayed Kashua, based on his novels Dancing Arabs, Let It Be Morning and Second Person Singular Released by Strand Releasing Israel. 104 min. Not rated In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles With Tawfeek Barhom, Ali Suliman, Yaël […]

Cupcakes

Directed by Eytan Fox Produced by Marco Cherqui and Lauranne Bourrachot Written by Eli Bijaoui and Fox Released by Strand Releasing Israel/France. 92 min. Not Rated Hebrew with English subtitles With Anat Waxman, Ofer Shechter, Dana Ivgy, Keren Berger, Efrat Dor, Yael Bar-Zohar and Lior Ashkenazi Israeli writer/director Eytan Fox made his international reputation through […]

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Written and Directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz Produced by Marie Masmonteil, Sandrine Brauer, and Shlomi Elkabetz Released by Music Box Films Hebrew, French, Arabic with English subtitles France/Israel/Germany. 115 min. Not Rated With Ronit Elkabetz, Simon Abkarian, Menashe Noy, Sasson Gabay, Eli Gorstein, and Gabi Amrani The struggle of modern women against conservative […]

Zero Motivation

Written and Directed by Talya Lavie Produced by Eilon Ratzkovsky, Yossi Uzrad, Guy Jacoel, and Yochanan Kredo. Released by Zeitgeist Films Hebrew with English subtitles Israel. 101 min. Not rated With Dana Igvy, Nelly Tagar, and Shani Klein From the opening sounds of copy machines, staple guns, ringing telephones, and dial-up modems, Zero Motivation sets […]

Best First Films | Cannes 2014

One of the top films at Cannes this year—and one of the most shocking and brutal—was The Tribe, from the Ukraine. It was also the most ambitious, dangerous, and accomplished by a debut filmmaker. No subtitles were necessary. It has no spoken dialogue and no translation of any kind; it’s all told through sign language. […]

Tribeca Film Festival 2014 Award Winners

Even though “international” doesn’t appear in the Tribeca Film Festival’s name, it has always included a wide variety of nationalities. Since its first year, the festival’s inclusive programming has showcased an array of genres from all over the world. Now in its 13th year, the broad-minded focus remains true, though there are not too many […]

New Directors/New Films 2014

The New Directors/New Films series at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art is a terrific New York City showcase for creative cinema. Not all the best in the 43rd edition of this international feast have yet been picked up for commercial distribution, but nevertheless they deserve to be seen […]

The Best of 2013

By July, it was clear that there were already more than a half-dozen films that could securely claim a spot on a 10 best list. Overall, it was very good year, offering almost something for everyone, and with plenty of notable films hovering below the cut (the austere Paradise trilogy, the awards favorite 12 Years […]

S#x Acts

Directed by Jonathan Gurfinkel Produced by Udi Yerushalmy Written by Rona Segal Released by Tribeca Film Hebrew with English subtitles Israel. 96 min. Not rated With Sivan Levy, Eviatar Mor, Roy Nik, Niv Zilberberg , Tal Grushka, Eran Ivanir & Ronit Yudkevich Some might argue that high school is the worst period in life—the raging […]