by Nathaniel R
Alena Yiv and Shira Haas as mother and daughter in ASIA
The Ophir Awards were held today in Israel with Asia emerging as the winner so it will now represent Israel at the Oscars. Based on buzz we've heard on this mother/daughter drama, which caused a stir at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year we've added it to the actual Oscar predictions and our letterboxd list tracking the contenders. Asia is a mother/daughter drama starring Alena Yiv as the mother and the brilliant Shira Haas (Unorthodox) as the daughter (they both won Ophir Awards for this) so we will see it the first chance we get. You can see a full list of the nominees and winners at this freshly updated post.
But let's talk about Israel at the Oscars. They hold the distinction of being (by far) the most nominated country that's never won. They used to be in a tight race for that frustrating honor but in the past seven years Poland won with Ida and then Mexico with Roma so now the title is theirs alone. Their nearest rival is a distant one (Belgium has 7 nominations). More on Israeli classics and Oscar stats after the jump...
ISRAEL'S OSCAR STATS
Submitting since 1964
52 Total Submissions
10 Nominations (and 1 Additional Finalist)
0 Wins
Topol headlined Israeli's first Oscar submission and first nominee SALLAH
KEY SUBMISSIONS
- Sallah (1964) Nominee This Golden Globe winner made Topol internationally famous. He was later Oscar nominated for Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
- The Policeman (1971) Nominee
- I Love You Rosa (1972) Nominee Three time nominee Moshé Mizrahi's first submission. It also played in competition in Cannes
- The House on Chelouche Street (1973) Nominee an immigrant family drama
- Operation Thunderbolt (1977) Nominee an action drama about terrorist hijacking and Jewish hostages
- Lemon Popsicle (1978) This one \about three friends in the 1950s is also sometimes called "Going All the Way" in English territories. It was nominated for the Golden Globe but Oscar passed.
- Moments (1979) A menage a trois drama. This marked the first time Israel sent a female director, Michal Bat-Adam (the wife of Israel's most successful director -- in Oscar statistic terms we mean -- Moishe Mizrahi). It was her debut behind the camera. She had previously co-starred in all three of her husband's Oscar nominated submissions: I Love You Rosa, The House on Chelouche Street, and the French winner Madame Rosa. Israel sent her again as a director the following year for the mother daughter drama The Thin Line
- Beyond the Walls (1984) Nominee a prison drama
- The Summer of Aviya (1988) A mother daughter drama. Winner of a dual Silver Bear at Berlinale for its actresses, but Oscar passed.
- Yana's Friends (1999) an arthouse hit in the US and a prize winner at various festivals but Oscar passed.
Lior Ashkenazi and Ronit Elkabetz in the brilliant "Late Marriage"
- Late Marriage (2001) My personal all-time favourite Israeli movie starring two great actors Lior Ashkenazi and Ronit Elkabetz. Sadly, Oscar passed.
- Beaufort (2007) Nominee - this was a last minute submission when The Band's Visit (the most successful Israeli film of all time in US release) was deemed ineligible because the movie had too much English.
- Waltz With Bashir (2008) Nominee and the only animated film ever nominated for Best International Film
- Ajami (2009) Nominee
- Footnote (2011) Nominee
- Fill the Void (2012) A festival hit and Independent Spirit nominee but Oscar passed.
- Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014) This film written/directed/starring the late great actress Ronit Elkabetz won considerable buzz and a Golden Globe nomination but Oscar passed.
- Foxtrot (2017) Finalist
Most Frequently Submitted Directors for Best International Feature Film
- Joseph Cedar (3 submissions, 2 nominated films)
- Savi Gabison (3 submissions, none of which were nominated)
- Moshe Mizrahi (2 submissions, 2 nominated films... in addition to that stat, though it wasn't for Israel, he also had a winning film submitted by France called Madame Rosa which is being remade this Oscar season as The Life Ahead with Sophia Loren)
- Ephraim Kishon (2 submissions, 2 nominated films)
- Ari Folman (2 submissions, 1 nominated film)
- Michal Bat-Adam (2 submissions, neither of which were nominated)
Most Oscar-Honored Israeli Artists
- Natalie Portman (3 nominations, 1 win in acting)
- Moshe Mizrahi (3 nominations, 1 win in Foreign Film*)
- Ephraim Kishon, Joseph Cedar (2 nominations each in Foreign Film*)
* We know these aren't "official" nominations since it's actually the country and the director nominated but it SHOULD be official nominations since it's people who make movies, not countries.
No other Israeli artists have been nominated multiple times though two more have won competitive Oscars: Guy Nattiv for Best Short (for Skin) and Niv Adiri for Best Sound (for Gravity)