Haifa International Film Festival announces Israeli film lineup

The latest harvest of Israeli films soon to hit the big screen.

By HANNAH BROWN
GUILHAD EMILIO SCHENKER’S Madam Yankelova’sFine Literature Club.’ (photo credit: COURTESY DORIT HORDI)
GUILHAD EMILIO SCHENKER’S Madam Yankelova’sFine Literature Club.’
(photo credit: COURTESY DORIT HORDI)
The 33rd Haifa International Film Festival, which will take place from October 5-14, has just released a list of the Israeli movies that will take part in the feature and documentary competitions.
Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot, his follow-up to his 2009 Lebanon, is among these titles. Foxtrot, which tells a complex story of a family coping with grief after their son is killed while serving in the IDF, will take part in main competition of the Venice International Film Festival in September.
The Cousin, a film directed by actor Tzahi Grad, will also be shown in both Venice and Haifa. It stars Grad in a comedy about a family man and a foreigner who works for him.
Guilhad Emilio Schenker’s Madam Yankelova’s Fine Literature Club stars several of Israel’s most celebrated actors – among them Ania Bukstein, Keren Mor, Yiftach Klein, Alex Ansky, Leah Konig, Tuvia Tzafir and Hana Laslo – in a story about a young woman (Bukstein) who joins a mysterious book club and falls in love, breaking one of the group’s key rules.
Haim Tabakman’s Ewa tells the story of a man who is married to a beautiful and mysterious Holocaust survivor, and discovers a secret from her past.
Ram Nahiri’s Don’t Forget Me is about a young musician who helps a girl hospitalized for an eating disorder run away.
Outdoors, by Asaf Saban, stars Noa Koler (The Wedding Plan), in a story of a couple building a dream house that turns into a nightmare.
Limor Shmila’s Montana is about a young woman who goes back home to Acre after her grandfather’s death and finds both an unlikely love and a chance to settle a score with her uncle, a beloved policeman.
Low Tide, directed by Daniel Mann, looks at a series of crises in the life of a man coping with the death of his father, problems in his marriage, the loss of his teaching job and his own decision not to do reserve duty on the Gaza Strip.
Amichai Greenberg’s The Testament tells the story of a young researcher who combats Holocaust deniers and discovers a secret about his own family.
The closing night movie, which will be shown out of competition, is Eran Riklis’ Shelter. Shelter stars Neta Riskin and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who recently appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson with Adam Driver. It tells the story of a Mossad agent who is sent to Hamburg to guard a Lebanese informer.
There will also be a full slate of documentaries on a variety of topics, from war to weight, both in and out of competition.
Tickets for the festival, which will include dozens of international films, will go on sale on September 20.