by Nathaniel R
Alena Yiv and Shira Haas as mother and daughter in ASIA
Our current actress obsession Shira Haas may have lost the Emmy she deserved to win a week ago for Unorthodox but she has another shot at an acting trophy this year. The 25 year-old actress is once again up for the highest film honor in her home country, the Ophir Award. She's nominated for Best Supporting Actress for a mother/daughter Israeli drama called Asia. The drama won three prizes early this year as NY's Tribeca Film Festival, including Best Actress for Shira (though she's nominated for Supporting at home). This is Haas' fifth Ophir nod, two of which have been for lead actress and three for supporting. She won this same category just two years ago for a film called Pere Atzil.
Due to the COVID pandemic there's no date for the Ophir ceremony yet (which is usually held right about now). As you may recall, the annual winner for their Feature Film category automatically becomes Israel's Oscar submission (unless there's some reason it can't be the submission). UPDATE: You can see all the nominees and some of the winners (details are hard to come by so far) after the jump. IMDb doesn't even have all of them and most articles only list the "top" categories. But we're always trying to keep you informed...
FEATURE FILM
Asia– A mother/daughter relationship drama (11 nominations) ★
The Dead of Jaffa –A drama about an Arab family haunted by their past (10 nominations)
Aspiration for life - An elderly man who gets involved in marijuana in his nursing home (10 nominations)
Here We Are – A father/son relationship drama. The son is autistic. (9 nominations)
Africa – A father/son relationship drama. The father is sick. (6 nominations)
Almost Theres? That would probably be either April 7, 1980, an action drama which received four nominations or the comedy, Paris Boutique which received four nominations, or the music drama God of the Piano with 3 nominations
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
‘Golda’ by Udi Nir, Sagi Bornstein and Shani Rosens
‘Friend Dov’ by Barak Heiman and Uri Levy
‘Leah Zimmel, Lawyer’ by Rachel Leah Jones and Philip Blaish ★
‘Enlighten Yossi’ by Maurice Ben-Muir and Kobi Farage
‘Meir Ariel, a song of pain’ by Eliav Lilti
DIRECTOR
Oren Gerner– ‘Africa’
Mata Guggenheim & Assaf Aviri -Aspiration for Life'
Nir Bergman - Here We Are (4 noms / 1 win in this category) ★
Ruthy Pribar - 'Asia'
Ram Levy - 'The Dead of Jaffa'
This is a field of mostly new directors! Asia is Ruthy Pribar's debut feature. She was previously worked on various short films. She's the only female director nominated this year. Nir Bergman is the only previously celebrated director on this list having won 2 Ophirs for Writing and Directing his debut Broken Wings (2002). That film was also submitted by Israel for the Oscars though it wasn't nominated.
GOD OF THE PIANO
ACTRESS
Alena Yiv – Asia ★
Joy Rieger – Aspiration for Life
Nelly Tagar – Paris Boutique
Naama Price – The God of the Piano
Roba Balal Asfur – The Dead of Jaffa
Here We Are
ACTOR
Yussuf Abu-Warda -The Dead of Jaffa
Shai Avivi -Here We Are' ★
Shlomo Bar-Aba - Aspiration for Life
Meir Gerner– Africa
Shadi Mar'i - April 7, 1980
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Efrat Ben Tzur – Here We Are
Bat El Musari – Paris Boutique
Laura Rivlin – The God of the Piano
Maya Garner – Africa
Shira Haas – Asia ★
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Gadi Yagil – ‘Aspiration of Life’
Doval'e Glickman - 'Aspiration of Life'
Moris Cohen – ‘Paris Boutiquee’
Noam Imber – 'Here We Are' ★
Salim Dau – ‘The Dead of Jaffa’
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Damien Dupren – ‘Paris Boutique’
Daniela Nowitz – ‘Asia’ ★
Daniela Nowitz – ‘April 7, 1980’
Yoram Milo – ‘The Dead of Jaffa’
Shai Goldman – ‘Here We Are’
EDITING
Eyal Sibi, Yitzhak Tzahik, Roi Rinat – The Mossad
Ayala against – ‘Here we are’
Gil Wesley – ‘Africa’
Dori Tepper – ‘Aspiration for Life’
Esther Elkayam – ‘Two’
Neta Brown – ‘The Dead of Jaffa’
Neta Dvorkis – ‘Asia’
CASTING
Orit Azulai – ‘Here We Are’
Eyal Sussman Jordan Strasberg – ‘Aspiration for Life’
These are charity – ‘Africa’
Esther Kling – ‘Asia’
Gupert Coptic, Guy Shoval – ‘The Dead of Jaffa
Limor Shmila – ‘Paris Boutique’
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Eitan Levy – ‘The Last Cinema Show in Bucharest’
Neria Ben Ari – The Mossad
Ido Dolev – ‘April 7, 1980’
Aharoni Reef – ‘Aspiration for Life’
Tamar Gadish – ‘Asia’
COSTUME DESIGN
Danny Bar Shai – The Mossad
Yifat Kanfei – ‘Paris Boutique’
Little Lilo Goldfine – ‘The Electrifiers’
Inbal Shuki – ‘Asia’
Rachel Ben Dahan – ‘The Dead of Jaffa’
MAKEUP
Orly Ronen – ‘Aspiration for life’
Hila Elkayam – ‘Asia’
Carmit Buzaglo – ‘April 7, 1980'
Meirav Shachar (Bushusha) – ‘The Dead of Jaffa’
Shelly Saar – The Mossad
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Jonathan Riklis – ‘Spider on the Net’
Karni Postel – ‘Asia’
Roi Spiegler, Hillel Teplitzky, Eran Tzuiran – ‘The God of the Piano’
Ran Bagnu – ‘The Dead of Jaffa’
Ran Begnu – ‘Aspiration for Life’
SOUND DESIGN
Amir Buberman, Seagull and Geshel – ‘Asia’
Gil Toren – ‘Spider on the Net’
Gil Toren, Dror Mansura – ‘Forgiveness’
Gil Toren, Oded Ringel, Yossi Applebaum, Avi Mizrahi – ‘The Electrifiers
Ronen Nagel – ‘Here We Are’
SHORT FILM
‘Anna’ by Palm Branson
‘Bracha’ by Mickey Trieste and Aharon Geva ★
‘Long Distance’ by Chinese Light
‘Stam’ by Noa Aharoni
‘White eye’ by Tomer Shoshan
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
‘Underground Ballet’ by Lina Chaplin
‘Rain in the eyes’ by Ron Omar
Hadas Ayalon ‘The Dwakaim’
Karin Keyner ‘The Separate Beach’
‘Victory picture’ of Adi Mishnayot