Israel Film Festival In LA Announces Programming, Filmmaker & Actor Attendees

THE 33rd ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL in Los Angeles, the largest showcase of Israeli cinema and television in North America, will present from November 12th - 26th over three dozen award-winning Israeli films, documentaries, short films and television series as well as in-person appearances from 25 of Israel's most acclaimed filmmakers and talent. This encompasses two World Premieres, fifteen U.S. Premieres, six West Coast Premieres and five Los Angeles Premieres, announced today Israel Film Festival Founder/Executive Director Meir Fenigstein.

"The Israel Film Festival remains the biggest global event to highlight Israeli movies all in one place and positions itself as one of the most important foreign film festivals in the U.S.," said Fenigstein. "It is recognized for being the leading festival for many Israeli filmmakers to present their films for the very first time. From intimate family portraits, fascinating dramas, comedic parodies to insightful character studies and reflections on past and present times, this year's Festival offers something for both young and older audience members to enjoy."

As previously announced, the Opening Night Gala will present the U.S. Premiere of director Yaron Zilberman's Incitement. Winner of the Ophir Award for Israel's Best Feature Film of 2019 and Israel's Official Selection to the 2019 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. The evening will also honor six-time Academy Award-winning producer Arthur Cohn with the 2019 IFF Lifetime Achievement Award as well as chair of WestEnd Films and Incitement producer Sharon Harel-Cohen with the 2019 IFF Achievement in Film Award

The Opening Night Gala presentation will take place on November 12th at the Steve Tisch Cinema Center at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. VIP Opening Night Gala Tickets $125, Regular Tickets $50. Festival screenings will screen at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills and the Laemmle Town Center 5 Theatre in Encino. For further information or to purchase tickets for all Festival events and Opening Night Gala, contact the IsraFest Foundation: 310.247.1800 or email info@israelfilmfestival.org. Tickets will also be available to purchase on the website as of November 1st, 2019 : www.IsraelFilmFestival.com.

Festival 6-pack: $75 (available only at the theatres' box office as of November 1st) good for 6 Regular Screenings (must be exchanged for tickets at box office). General Admission: $15; Seniors, Students and Children: $13; Matinee Shows (5:00 PM screenings): Monday through Thursday - $10.

Among other highlights for this year's Israel Film Festival are:

Features:

• Forgiveness - Israel's current box-office success is a subtle, upbeat study of acceptance; in attendance directors and actors Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon and producer Adar Shafran (creators of the successful film Maktub)
• God of the Piano - a moral parable; in attendance actress Naama Preis (Winner Best Actress at 2019 Jerusalem International Film Festival)
• Love Trilogy: Chained - an intriguing blend of fact and fiction set amid a sexual abuse case; Winner Best Feature Jerusalem Film Festival; in attendance actor Eran Naim (2019 Ophir Winner and Jerusalem Film Festival Winner for Best Actor)
• Mossad (Sneak Preview) - a parody of the Israeli Mossad; in attendance director Alon Gur Arye, producer Ofer Naim and special guest David Zucker (Airlplane!, The Naked Gun)

Centerpiece Event:

• Picture of His Life - a portrait of wildlife photography Amos Nachoum; in attendance director Dani Menkin and star of the film wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum

Television:

• Nehama - the critically acclaimed and award-winning TV dramady; in attendance actor, director, writer and comedian Reshef Levi, winner of 2019 Canneseries for Best Actor
• Dayan: The First Family - a study of five generations of the Dayan Family, also known as the Israeli Kennedy's; in attendance director Anat Goren

Documentaries:

• Golda - a recording of an intimate talk with the first and only woman to ever rule Israel
• King Bibi - explores Netanyahu's rise to power, relying solely on archival footage of his media performances over the years
• Shai K. - a portrait of the Israel Charlie Chaplin; in attendance director Ari Davidovich

Arthur Cohn, producer of the Festival's The Etruscan Smile, will receive the 2019 Israel Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. He has won six Academy Awards - more than any other independent producer in film history - among them for the classic The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Dangerous Moves, One Day in September, American Dream, Black and White in Color and The Sky Above, The Mud Below. Cohn was born in Basel, Switzerland. After high school he became a journalist and a reporter for Swiss Radio, covering sports and the Middle East. After shifting from journalist writing to script writing, he soon found his passion in producing movies. He divides his time between Basel and Los Angeles and is regarded as a hands-on producer who is strongly involved with the development of the script until the final touches of the editing process. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was also awarded the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 1996, the Humanitarian Award by the National Board of Review in 2001, the Guardian of Zion Award in 2004 as well as the UNESCO Award in 2005. Cohn is the recipient of multiple honorary degrees from Boston University (1998), Yeshiva University (2001) and the University of Basel (2006).

Sharon Harel-Cohen, who will receive the 2019 IFF Achievement in Film Award, began her career in Israel by producing HaLahaka and Dizengoff 99, two mega cult classics. Since then, she has earned more than 50 international credits, including Altman's Oscar-winning Gosford Park, Cronenberg's Spider, Polanski's Death and the Maiden, Frears' Tamara Drewe, Fiennes' The Invisible Woman, Oscar-nominated Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close), and Israel's 2019 Oscar entry, Incitement. She is currently producing two TV drama series, Valley of Tears about the Yom Kippur war and the thriller Traitor. She chairs West End Films, which she co-founded with Maya Amsellem and is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and BAFTA.

Over 25 Israeli filmmakers and actors will attend this year's Festival, accompanying their films and participating in Q & A sessions, including:

• Alon Aboutboul King Bibi, Forgiveness Actor
• Guy Amir Forgiveness Director, Actor
• Arthur Cohn The Etruscan Smile Producer, IFF Lifetime Achievement Award
• Ari Davidovich Shai K. Director
• David Deri You Only Die Twice & Labor, Rebellion, Upheaval Writer, Director
• Nimrod Eldar The Day After I Am Gone Director
• Anat Goren Dayan - The First Family Creator
• Alon Gur Arye Mossad Director
• Jorge Gurvich Back to Maracana Director
• Sharon Harel-Cohen Incitement Producer
• Ramy Katz Cause of Death Director
• Reshef Levi Nehama Creator Actor
• Ram Loevy The Dead of Jaffa Director
• Dani Menkin Picture of His Life Director
• Yariv Mozer Reichman Director
• Amos Nachoum Picture of His Life Actor
• Eran Naim, Love Trilogy: Chained Actor
• Ofer Naim Mossad, Love in Suspenders Producer
• Yehuda Nahari Halevi Incitement Actor
• Naama Preis The God of the Piano Actress
• Marek Rozenbaum Good Morning Son Producer
• Hanan Savyon Forgiveness Director Actor
• Schaul Scherzer Reichman Producer
• Tamar Sela Incitement Producer
• Adar Shafran Douze Points Forgiveness Producer
• Jorge Weller Love in Suspenders Director
• Yaron Zilberman Incitement Director
• David Zucker, Mossad Special Guest and Advisor

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