42nd Haifa Film Festival to Open with Avi Nesher's 'Our Loves'

The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival will commence on the evening of Saturday, September 26th, following the conclusion of the first day of Sukkot. The opening film will be "Our Loves," the latest work from acclaimed 74-year-old Israeli director Avi Nesher. At the opening ceremony, Nesher will be honored with the festival's lifetime achievement award for his cinematic mastery and contributions to Israeli culture. The festival is scheduled to run until October 3rd.

"Our Loves," which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers on seven characters who, on October 6, 2023, believe they are experiencing the worst day of their lives. The following day, their personal struggles are overshadowed by the events of October 7th. The 117-minute film, shot in Hebrew, Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic, has received 12 Ophir Award nominations, including for Best Film.

The opening ceremony will take place at Haifa's Auditorium, hosted by Lior Ashkenazi. The program also features performances by Yuval Dayan, who represented Israel at Eurovision, and exiled Iranian singer and actress Gola Ardestani. The Haifa Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eran Reemi, will also participate.

The festival's international program includes new films from renowned directors such as Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, François Ozon, Olivier Assayas, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Danny Boyle, Nanni Moretti, Asghar Farhadi, and Lukas Dhont. The main international competition, "Carmel," will open with Danny Boyle's "The Beach," while Zvyagintsev's "The Minotaur," Kore-eda's "The Box," and Ozon's "The Other One" are also in competition.

The festival will conclude on October 3rd with Nanni Moretti's "This Night Will Happen," based on a story by Israeli author Eshkol Nevo. Nevo is expected to attend the closing screening. The festival lineup also features new films by Assayas, Farhadi, and Hamaguchi.