Religion Archives - Israel Film Center

The Secrets

OIOD_admin — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 16:36:35 +0000

In The Secrets, two brilliant young women discover their own voices in a repressive Orthodox culture where females are forbidden to sing, let alone speak out. Naomi, the studious, devoutly religious daughter of a prominent rabbi, convinces her father to postpone her marriage for a year so that she might study at a Jewish seminary for women in the ancient Kabbalistic seat of Safed. Naomi’s quest for individuality takes a defiant turn when she befriends Michelle, a free-spirited and equally headstrong fellow student. When the pair encounters a mysterious, ailing foreigner with a disturbing past named Anouk (the iconic French actress Fanny Ardant) they begin a risky journey into forbidden realms. In the hopes of easing her suffering, Naomi and Michelle secretly lead Anouk through a series of Kabbalistic cleansing rituals. The process opens up overwhelming new horizons for the girls who find themselves caught between the rigid male establishment they grew up in, and the desire to be true to themselves, no matter the cost.

The post The Secrets appeared first on Israel Film Center.

The Kind Words

OIOD_admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 18:35:26 +0000

In the wake of their mother’s death, Dorona (Rotem Zissman-Cohen) and her brothers Netanel (Roy Assaf) and Shai (Assaf Ben-Shimon) stumble across some unexpected intrigue regarding her past — namely the revelation that her husband, the man who raised them, is not their biological father. The ensuing search for the mysterious Muslim man who sired them takes them from Israel to France. The film truly belongs to Dorona, a young woman longing for a love so idealized, so notional, that she can’t see the full heart of the man in front of her: her own husband. Briskly paced and threaded throughout with wry humor, Zarhin’s film asks us to confront our own ideas around identity and walking the emotional tightrope between lies and truth.

The post The Kind Words appeared first on Israel Film Center.

Shades of Light

editor_ilya — Sun, 14 Jul 2019 22:46:58 +0000

Laila keeps her talent and aspiration a secret from Ziad, her traditional, hard-working husband. But one day, her secret unravels, threatening their relationship.

The post Shades of Light appeared first on Israel Film Center.

4 Kilometers

OIOD_admin — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 19:00:41 +0000

Somewhere between the 1947 traditional Bedouin desert-life of southern Israel and the 2007 modern city life of Beer-Sheba, just 4 Kilometers off the highway, lives a small Bedouin community. 15 year old Hulud has a dream; she is cracking the barrier set on that highway. With her young brother and sister she goes on a journey that will enable her to let go of the life she once wished for.

The post 4 Kilometers appeared first on Israel Film Center.

Driver

OIOD_admin

Nachman, an ultra-Orthodox “Macher,” and his friend Shaie solicit donations for Shaie who is very ill. The rules are clear: all incomes are divided equally. Chavi, Nachman’s girlfriend, who Nachman introduces as his daughter, joins the two on their night trip in the old blue Volvo. The night turns into an existential journey between Orthodox Bnei-Brak and secular Tel Aviv, between life and death, between despair and consolation.

The post Driver appeared first on Israel Film Center.

Why Does the Sun

OIOD_admin

Maayan is a student at a religious girls’ boarding school. She causes a scandal by falling in love with Baruch, a young farm worker.

The post Why Does the Sun appeared first on Israel Film Center.

Goya

OIOD_admin

A religious family from Jerusalem receives a strange guest for the Sabbath: Sveta, a young Russian woman undergoing conversion. A downward spiral of tragedy and violence ensues.

The post Goya appeared first on Israel Film Center.

A Touch Away

OIOD_admin — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 18:56:26 +0000

This drama series reveals a hopeless love story between an orthodox religious young woman and a Russian immigrant. The lives of two families interconnect in an apartment complex in the orthodox neighborhood of Bnei Brak, just outside Tel Aviv. The Bermans are a strictly religious family, whose daughter Rochale is about to enter into an arranged marriage with a wealthy young bridegroom. But sparks fly when a thoroughly secular family from Russia moves into a neighboring apartment. The forbidden love that soon blossoms between the two young neighbors, and the secrets that each family must hide, threaten the families deeply rooted traditions and challenge individual family member’s beliefs.

The post A Touch Away appeared first on Israel Film Center.

What Makes Leibi Run?

OIOD_admin

Director Menachem Leibi Rother, 35, abandoned ultra-Orthodox life as a young man. Leibi wants to start a family with his girlfriend, but before he can settle down, he must come to terms with the sexual abuse he suffered in an ultra-Orthodox boarding school. He plans to present his abuser with the chronicle of his life on film to conront him with the enormous damage he caused.

The post What Makes Leibi Run? appeared first on Israel Film Center.

Purity

OIOD_admin

This documentary film broke taboos and examined how the laws of Taharat Hamishpaha (family purity) shape women’s lives and sexuality within Orthodox Judaism.

The post Purity appeared first on Israel Film Center.