After Sundance, the year’s most talked-about Israeli film will open the Jerusalem Film Festival

One of the most talked-about Israeli films of the year will take center stage at the opening night of the Jerusalem Film Festival. Festival organizers announced that “Independence,” Moshe Rosenthal’s new film, has been selected to open the 43rd edition of the festival and will receive its festive Israeli premiere on July 9 at Sultan’s Pool before thousands of viewers.

The film arrives in Jerusalem after already scoring an impressive international achievement, having been chosen for its world premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. This is a relatively rare appearance for Israeli cinema, and the first time in a decade that a full-length Israeli feature has participated in the respected American festival.

At the center of the plot is Boaz, a boy who, shortly before his bar mitzvah, discovers a shattering secret about his beloved father. The revelation changes his relationship with his family and leads him to try to take his father’s place in the home. Nine years later, he sets out to search for his estranged father, a journey that forces him to confront the memories and decisions that shaped his life.

The film was written and directed by Moshe Rosenthal, who won praise for his previous film “Karaoke.” The cast stars Assi Cohen, in his first film role in 15 years, alongside Ido Tako, Keren Zur, Mor Dimri, Neta Orebach and Yair Mazur, who appears here in his first film role.

Rosenthal said after the selection, “It is a great honor to open the festival with ‘Independence’ and to present the film for the first time to Israeli audiences on this impressive stage. At a time when Israeli cinema is facing challenges on the global stage, the support and platform provided by the Jerusalem Film Festival are more significant than ever.”

“Independence” was produced by Green Productions and United King Films and will be distributed in Israel by United King. Now, after its international journey and the warm response at Sundance, it is coming to its first meeting with local audiences at one of the biggest film events in Israel.