TIFF '24: Sasson Gabay and Asi Levi in “Bliss”

By Abe Friedtanzer 

Getting older is supposed to come with certain issues, but there’s a notion that a peaceful retirement might be the goal. For some, it just doesn’t work that way, and continuing to hold down a monotonous job for many years while dealing with troublesome family dynamics may be their fate. The Israeli film Bliss spotlights a couple with a big age difference both dealing with unexpected relics of their pasts confronting them later in life… 

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2022 Ophir Nominees include dramedy "Karaoke" and animated "Where is Anne Frank?"

by Nathaniel R

the marital dramedy "Karaoke" might become Israel's Oscar submission

Israel's annual film awards, the Ophirs, are very hard to track. The nominations were announced yesterday but we're still searching for a full list of nominees since their website is in Hebrew (I think this is the list). Online media is historically terrible about providing full lists of nominations for anything outside Hollywood, usually opting for a couple of paragraphs about the top prize only. Such is the case this year. The only online article available at the time I'm writing this is from the Jerusalem Post which, true to form, lists only the Best Picture contenders. IMDb only lists two categories at this writing. But we finally found a list. The translation was computer generated so there may be a few errors and it reads a bit messy. Have patience.

The Best Picture nominees (one of which will become the Oscar submission)...

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Tribeca 2022: Considering Missed Opportunities in 'Karaoke'

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

We've all had an acquaintance whose influence wasn't necessarily welcome but may have ultimately been for the best. Karaoke follows an older couple whose newfound friendship with an eccentric man living nearby causes them to rethink their situation. Have they accompished what they wanted to over the course of their lives? Though Meir (Sasson Gabay) and Tova (Rita Shukrun) are a theoretically happy couple who have had a healthy marriage for years, they've reached a point of complacency and boredom, with neither of them giving the other what they need. Enter Itzik (Lior Ashkenazi)...

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