Avi Nesher Opens Haifa Film Festival with New Movie and Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival will open on September 26 with the premiere of Avi Nesher's latest film, "Our Loves." On the same evening, Nesher will be honored with the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to Israeli cinema and culture. "Our Loves," nominated for 12 Ophir Awards including Best Film, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival's Centrepiece section before arriving in Haifa.

This 21st film by Nesher is inspired by true events and follows seven intertwined characters, each trapped in complicated and often painful relationships. The story unfolds around October 6, a day the characters believe to be the worst of their lives, followed by October 7, when they face new realizations amid survival struggles linked to real historical events. The cast includes prominent Israeli actors such as Shalom Michaelshvili, Magi Azarzar, Yaniv Biton, Noa Cohen, and Amir Banai, among others.

Nesher's previous film, "The Victory Picture," a historical drama about the battle for Kibbutz Nitzanim during Israel's War of Independence, was also featured at the Haifa Festival in 2021. Nesher has a long-standing relationship with the festival, having received a special recognition award in 2009 and having his 2018 film "Past Life" open the 34th Haifa Festival after its Toronto premiere, a path now repeated with "Our Loves." The festival will run until October 3.