Moshe Rosenthal’s 'Independence' Breaks Record with 16 Ophir Award Nominations

Moshe Rosenthal’s film "Independence" has set a new record for the most nominations in the history of the Ophir Awards, receiving 16 nods for the upcoming ceremony. The 2026 Ophir Awards will take place on September 9 at Cinema City Tel Aviv, hosted by Shani Cohen and Adam Gabai. Following "Independence," two films share second place with 12 nominations each: Avi Nesher’s "Our Loves" and Gidi Dar’s "The Clown." Asaf Meknas’s "Where To/لوين" and Or Sinai’s "Mama" each earned 11 nominations.

The nominees for Best Feature Film, whose winner may compete for an Oscar, include "Independence," "Our Loves," "The Clown," "Where To/لوين," "Mama," and "Home!" directed by Reut Ackerman. Despite cultural minister Miki Zohar’s controversial reforms and attempts to undermine the Film and Television Academy, this year’s Ophir Awards saw a record number of submissions: 90 projects, including 22 feature films, 33 full-length documentaries, 8 short documentaries, 17 short narrative films, and 10 animated films.

Several artists received multiple nominations: Shuli Rand was nominated for both screenplay and lead actor for "The Clown," where he stars alongside his wife Tzofit Grant; Avraham Shalom Levy earned two nominations for "Farewell to Dough" for screenplay and lead role; Reut Ackerman was nominated for directing and lead acting in "Home!"; Ido Taco received two supporting actor nominations for roles in "Independence" and "Where To"; Hamutal Zerem Kastel was nominated twice in casting for "Independence" and "Where To"; and Keren Eyal Melamed competed in costume design for "Our Loves" and "High School Achievers."

The late director Nitzan Giladi, who passed away in July from esophageal cancer, received nominations for his short film "Nechama" starring Raymond Amsalem and for supporting actor in "And You Shall Love" featuring Michael Moshonov. Also notable is Orit Fox Rotem, the 2022 Ophir winner for "Cinema Sabaya," who reached the finals with her short film "The Other Body."