This summer is shaping up as one of the busiest and most celebratory for Israeli cinema in years, with big commercial hits alongside intimate dramas, broad comedies, and notable first features. The article reviews the Israeli films already in theaters and those set to open over the coming weeks.
The season opened with “Kupa Rashit: The Movie,” which premiered on Israeli Cinema Day and drew more than 250,000 viewers in four days, according to publicity figures. Based on the popular Kan 11 series, the film follows familiar characters after an unexpected event shakes up the Shyaf Yissachar supermarket and sends the group far from the checkout counter. It was directed by Kobi Havia from a script by Yinon Zohar, Nadav Frishman, Matan Blumenblat and Daniel Salgannik.
On June 25 comes “Heaven and Earth,” a family drama with thriller elements starring Hila Saada and Tom Avni. On July 2, “Makolet” arrives after winning the ensemble prize at the Jerusalem Film Festival and earning four Ophir Award nominations. July 9 brings “American Henna,” a family comedy directed by Shalom Assayag, and “Mama,” the first full-length feature by Or Sinai, which premiered at Cannes, screened at Toronto, Warsaw, Tallinn and Sydney, and won best film at the Jerusalem International Women’s Film Festival.
Later in July, “Because You Are Ugly” opens on July 23, a sharp comic drama about a soldier nearing officer training who returns to her mother’s crowded Jerusalem home. The summer closes, at least for now, with “Hill 338” on August 6, an army comedy inspired by “Operation Grandma,” featuring Eli Yatzpan in his first leading film role in nearly four decades and Shahar Hason in his first film role. The roundup says the season shows Israeli cinema is alive, varied and drawing audiences back to theaters.
