In recent years, Israeli television has gone global. Now, the industry is honoring its creators, as the Israel Academy Television Award nominees were announced on Tuesday. Out of 102 television shows from 2021 that were submitted, 76 have received nominations in more than 40 categories.
Two teen crime dramas received multiple nominations, including Best Dramatic Series. Unknowns (Alumim) from KAN 11, created by Guy Sidis (Blue Natalie), Nirit Yaron (The Debt) and Tawfik Abu-Wael (Our Boys), about students at a school for at-risk youth who become suspects in a crime, was nominated for 13 awards. The series, Pushers (Bnei Or), from YES, created by Guy Balila, Elad Biton and Yoav Gross (Manayek), a gritty look at teens involved in the drug trade in Beersheba, is also nominated for Best Dramatic Series. Guy Balila, who is also nominated in the screenwriting category, recently passed away at the age of 39.
The co-production between Hot and Netflix, The Girl from Olso by Ronit Weiss-Berkowitz and Kyrre Holm Johannessen, which tells the story of a Norwegian young woman who is kidnapped along with several Israelis by terrorists in the Sinai Desert, is competing in the Best Dramatic Series category. The legal drama PMTA from KAN 11 by Noa Ben-Artzi and Ester Namdar Tamam, and the music-themed drama Back on Track from YES by Oded Noy are the other two nominees in this category. In the Comic Drama category, the most nominated series was Dismissed (HaMefakedet) from KAN 11 by Atara Frish, with 16 nominations. The nominations included one for Best Actress in a Comedy for Alona Sa’ar, whose father, Gideon Sa’ar, is the Justice Minister. Dismissed will compete with Sad City Girls from Hot, by Rivka Allenby, Shir Reuven and Talya Lavie (Zero Motivation).
The other nominees are Women’s Balcony from Keshet 12, by Shlomit Nehama, and Academy Award-nominated producers Osnat Handelsman-Keren and Talia Kleinhendler (The Lost Daughter); Who Died? from Yes by Eyal Eltawil, Sarel Piterman (Douze Points) and Yogev Yefet; and Shababnikim (a.k.a. The New Black) from HOT, by Eliran Malka (The Unorthodox) and the late Daniel Paran.
Two series set in stores are nominated in the Best Comedy Series (Sitcom) category: Checkout, about a supermarket, and The Store, with Everything, a musical comedy set in a magical emporium.
The Echo of Your Voice from Kan 11, by Tom Shoval (Shake Your Cares Away), and the daily drama The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem from Yes, received multiple nominations, as well.
The awards ceremony will take place on March 24, and be broadcast on Kan 11 and YouTube.