Immigration Films | Israeli Film Database

Alex is Lovesick (1986)

Alex Holeh Ahavah

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This Israeli movie by Boaz Davidson is a touching and funny coming-of-age film about thirteen year old Alex, who falls head over heals in love for the first time. Sounds harmless enough on the but a..

Electric Blanket (1994)

Smicha Hashmalit Ushma Moshe

Directed by: Assi Dayan

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A Comedy about a group of losers, two men and a woman, navigating the confusion and absurdity of life, which they live without much purpose.

He Walked Through The Fields (1967)

Hu Halach Besadot

Directed by: Yossi Milo

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A young man returns to his kibbutz after studying for two years and falls in love with a Polish immigrant. He then find himself torn between staying with his family and the girl, and fighting in the..

James' Journey to Jersualem (2003)

Massa'ot James Be'eretz Hakodesh

Directed by: Ra'anan Alexandrowicz

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In the imaginary village of Entshongweni, very far from western civilization, the young James is chosen to undertake a mission - a pilgrimage to Holy Jerusalem. But Israel is no longer the Holy Land..

Judgment Day (1974)

Yom Hadin

Directed by: George Ovadiah

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A hotel manager, who left his wife and daughter and immigrated to the U.S.A, returns to Israel to participate in the Yom Kippur War. After he gets injured in a battle, he receives a blood donation..

On the Edge (1994)

Achrey Hachagim

Directed by: Amnon Rubinstein

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A family of immigrants from Poland arrives in Israel with a “settle the land’ ideology. The challenges of being outsiders in a new society put heavy stress on their relationship..

Promised Land (2004)

Ha'eretz Hamuvtachat

Directed by: Amos Gitai

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The journey of young Estonian girls that are smuggled through Egypt to be auctioned off as prostitutes in Israel. We then see a border of barbed wire and a group of young women being led to the..

Noodle (2006)

Noodel

Directed by: Ayelet Menahemi

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At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been a..

Noa at 17 (1982)

Noa Bat 17

Directed by: Yitzhak Zepel Yeshurun

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Individual struggle plays itself out against the backdrop of historical tumult in the Israeli drama Noa at 17. It is the early 1950s and Israel, still undergoing its birth pangs as a nation, is..

Kedma (2002)

Kedma

Directed by: Amos Gitai

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Set seven days before the creation of the state of Israel in May 1948, a small rusted ship, carrying a group of concentration camp survivors, is met in Palestine by aggressive British troops. The to..

Schwartz Dynasty (2005)

Shoshelet Schwartz

Directed by: Amir Hasfari, Shmuel Hasfari

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This bittersweet comedy sees two women, both with loved ones to bury, join forces in a struggle against cemetery politics. The story revolves around Miryam (Miryam Zohar), who goes against tradition..

The Children of USSR (2007)

Yaldi CCCP

Directed by: Felix Gerchikov

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The story of a group of young Russian immigrants headed by a man named Slava. Slava and his friends are out of place, frustrated and alone in the harsh setting of a small desert town in Israel...

Turn Left at the End of the World (2004)

Sof Ha'Olam Smola

Directed by: Avi Nesher

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The tale of a group of families who emmigrate from India to Israel in the late sixties, seeking a better life in what they believe to be the first outpost of the West in Asia. Instead they are sent..

The Wooden Gun (1979)

Roveh Huliot

Directed by: Ilan Moshenson

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This film is about the conflict between the native born Israelis and the European refugees. Prejudices, rumors, and unfair treatments were all problems in Tel Aviv during the time period of the to..

Bena (2009)

Bena

Directed by: Niv Klainer

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Amos is a mental health worker, widower, and father to Yurik, a mentally ill teenager. One day, while visiting one of his patients, Amos discovers Bena, an illegal Thai immigrant. Instead of turning..

Comme Ton Pere (2007)

Directed by: Marco Carmel

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1970s. The Maimon family moves to a North African immigrants' neighborhood in Paris and tries to make their way in France.

The Loners (2008)

Ha'Bodedim

Directed by: Renen Schorr

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The story of two "lone soldiers" - immigrants who have come to Israel on their own, one from Russia and the other from the Caucasus. Despite being highly motivated with a deep desire to excel and to..

9 Years Later (2009)

Ka'avor 9 Shanim

Directed by: Yifat Keidar, Sari Ezouz

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The Story of Danielle, a Jew who grew up in Morocco as a Muslim and moved to Israel, and her struggle to regain custody of her son who was left behind.

Breaking the Ice (2009)

Directed by: David Noy

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July '09 - in production Israel's hot climate and mid-eastern mentality is an unusual setting for this story, following the Israeli National Ice Hockey team... It comes as no surprise that they are..

Christmas in Arad

Directed by: Liviu Babitz

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Liviu Babitz, a young Romanian immigrant to Israel, deals with questions of immigration, integration, loss of identity, and worldview.

Clementine (2009)

Clementine

Directed by: Tal Haim Yoffe

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A Czar Army officer, protecting an entire town against a pogrom, A Gold treasure rescuing Jewish refugees, A steel-smith learning his craft from a Nazi leader, Underground wars and..

Diplomat (2009)

Directed by: Dana Goren

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The story of the Diplomat, a luxurious hotel turned absorption center, a place where time has come to a standstill. This is the story of veteran immigrants of the former Soviet Union, residing at in..

Fragments (2009)

Resisim

Directed by: Yonathan Haimovich

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A filmed journey through a single street on the outskirts of Jerusalem... an attempt to explore fragments of the filmmaker's childhood and recapture memories of the mother he lost. He returns to the..

Long Distance (2009)

Sihat Hutz

Directed by: Amikam Goldberg

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Kadir, Cynthia, Rosemarie and Gener are migrant workers living in Israel, fighting to maintain the relationships with their loved ones back home in the only medium available- the telephone. The film..

Married to a Palestinian (2008)

Directed by: Michael Kovalsky, Elena Mescheryakova

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Russian-born Tanya and Nona married Palestinian students and came with their husbands to the Territories. Just kilometers from their home live hundreds of thousands of their compatriots.

General Barsky

Directed by: Amir Yatziv

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In production as of August 2009. The story takes place inside the split word of Yevgeniy, a Russian Israeli, who participates in international war games. It is a journey that combines simulation a..

Green Yellow Red (2010)

Yarok Tzahov Adom

Directed by: David Gavro

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Mogus Birseau lives in Southern Israel and wants to creat music for the Israeli mainstream. He surrounds himself with a group of young men who write songs that express the feelings of the typical to..

Perpetual Rehearsal (2008)

Hazara Nitzhit

Directed by: Herz Frank

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This film presents ten years of documentation of the renowned Gesher Theater and its founder and director Yevgeny Arye.

The Valderama Sisters (2009)

Directed by: Mordi Kershner, Noam Demsky

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Lucy, Rosa, and Flor, the three daughters of the Valderama family in Trujillo, Peru, are part of the Bnei Moshe community - former Catholics seeking a path to Judaism. They want to convert and to is..

Igor and the Crane's Journey (2011)

Igor ve'Masa Ha'Agorim

Directed by: Yevgeni Roman

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Fourteen-year-old Igor moves from Moscow, Russia, to Israel with his mother. They leave behind his father, a bird researcher whom Igor hardly knows. Over the Internet, Igor and his father follow the..

Warning (2008)

Azhara

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The script deals with growing up in a real world. The hero- Misha, an 18-year-old immigrant, who arrived from Russia to Israel without his parents, is forced to become responsible for his deeds in a..

Twilight (2008)

Bein Ha'shmashot

Directed by: Alon Zingma

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Four different stories are interlinked during the course of one day in which all characters find themselves dealing with certain aspects of the relationships between parents and their children. a of..

Father's Footsteps (2007)

Comme Ton Pere

Directed by: Marko Carmel, Marco Carmel

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Belleville, the 70's. Just arrived on shore from Israel with his wife Mireille and both his kids,Felix dreams of success. By selling the past to build some future, this secondhand goodsdealer with a..

Salsa Tel Aviv (2011)

Directed by: Jorge Weller

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Salsa in Tel Aviv is a romantic comedy. Vicky is a talented salsa dancer who arrives in Israel in order to work and send money to her mother and son overseas. Her son's father, Beto, is living in as..

Five Hours from Paris (2008)

Hamesh Shaot Me'Pariz

Directed by: Leonid Prudovsky

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On a 5-hours flight from Paris, in a working-class suburb of Tel Aviv, two people meet. He is a bred-and-born Israeli and she is a Russian immigrant. He is a taxi driver and she is a music teacher. ..

Vasermil (2007)

Directed by: Moshon Salmona

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Vasermil tells the story of a group of 16 year olds who live in the same tough neighbourhood of Beer-Sheba, growing up in an unforgiving environment, pinning their hopes on football as a way out. up..

Live and Become (2005)

lech Tichye Ve'Tire

Directed by: Rado Michelenko

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1984. Thousands of Africans from 26 different countries are struck by famine and flee to the camps in Sudan. Israel and the United States take the initiative of a vast action (The Moses Operation),..

Love & Dance (2005)

Sipur Chatzi-Russi

Directed by: Eitan Anner

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Chen, a young boy, is battling a cultural conflict between his Russian born mother and Israeli father. One day, Chen stumbles upon a ballroom dance class for young people and sees Natalie, a Russian..

Pinhas (2008)

Directed by: Pini Tavger

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Pinhas & his mother are new immigrants from Russia. His mother barely makes a living working night shifts and devotes her spare time to the affair she has with a married man. On the third floor..

The Volunteers (2009)

Ha'mitnadvim

Directed by: Mooly Landesman

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The story of youthful exuberance and the search for personal identity come together in the idealism of a new country and the romanticism of the kibbutz. The setting is the collective communes of -..

Refugees (2008)

Haplitim

Directed by: Shai Carmeli-Polak

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Crossing the desert on foot, desperate African refugees attempt to reach safety in Israel. But Israel is not just any country - and its own past as a haven for refugees from war torn Europe is no as..

The Name My Mother Gave Me (2008)

Monit Le'gunder

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This is a film about growth and self discovery. We follow Ethiopian and Russian Israelis who meet at a leadership training program in Israel. Their year of learning culminates in a to to..

Foreign Sister (2000)

Ahot Zara

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The Story of Naomi, a woman who is a prisoner in her own life. Trapped by bordom, she risks losing herself to housework. This is of course, until she meets Nigist, a Christian Ethiopian woman. A is..

Yana's Friends (1999)

Ha-Chaverim Shel Yana

Directed by: Arik Kaplun

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This charming, entertaining film full of warm humor, swept the recent israeli Awards in almost every category. A romantic comedy that takes place during the time of the Gulf War with Iraq as scuds a..

Jewish Vendetta (1999)

Nekama Yehudit

Directed by: Aleksandr Shabatayev

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Russian immigrant Natan finds out that his wife had an affair with his best friend. He travels to Russia intending to kill his friend and regain his honor, but his son and the local "mafia" bring it..

Saint Clara (1996)

Clara Ha'kdosha

Directed by: Ari Folman, Ori Sivan

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Based on a novel by Czech writers Pavel and Yelena Kohout. Clara is a 7th grade Russian emigre to this Negev town, and lives in a trailer on the edge of town. She is surrounded by some nutty Russian..

The Distance (1994)

Ha-Merhak

Directed by: Dan Wolman

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Oded is a young Israeli architect who now lives in Chicago with his wife and children and whose career is in full bloom. His sick parents in Tel Aviv want him to move back home. On a week-long visit..

Circus Palestina (1998)

Zirkus Palestina

Directed by: Eyal Halfon

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A dark comedy chronicling the trials and tribulations of a small circus troupe who visit the West Bank. When a lion escapes the camp, an unlikely alliance is forged between Russian lion tamer (Yoram..

New Land (1993)

Aretz Hadasha

Directed by: Orna Ben-Dor Niv

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Anna, 8 years old, and her older brother Jan, travel from war ravaged Europe to Israel after WW II. Their only possessions are Anna's soiled teddy bear and a tattered photo of their lost mother. As..

Coffee with Lemon (1993)

Kafe V'Limon

Directed by: Leond Gorevets

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Valerie,a famous actor from Moscow immigrates to Israel with his family, hoping to succeed in Israel. When he can not bridge the cultural gap, and finds himself secluded.When he returns to Moscow,..

The Quarry

Ha-Mahtzeva

Directed by: Ron Ninio

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A story of love, passion, and betrayl which begins in Morocco and moves on to an immigrant camp in Israel,and the quarry where all of the characters work.

Hanna K. (1983)

Hanna K.

Directed by: Costa-Gavras, Costa-Gavras

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Hanna K. is the story of Hannah Kaufman, a child of Holocaust survivors and an American-Jewish immigrant to Israel, who was a court-appointed lawyer assigned to defend a Palestinian, Salim Bakri, of..

Life According to Agfa (1992)

Ha-Chayim Al-Pi Agfa

Directed by: Assi Dayan

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The complex Israeli social and political fabric is captured via a Tel Aviv pub owned by a middle aged woman who, along with her patrons, is looking for love. Life According to Agfa follows the on in..

Lena (1980)

Lena

Directed by: Eitan Green

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Lena (Fira Kanter) is one of the many Russian Jews who were allowed to emigrate and begin a new life in Israel. Her husband was not so fortunate; for the past several years, Lena has been one of the..

The House on Chelouche Street (1973)

Ha-Bayit Berechov Chelouche

Directed by: Moshe Mizrahi

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The film tells the story of a family of Egyptian immigrants that settle in 1947 Tel Aviv. The family consists of a widowed wife (played by Gila Almagor) and her four children. The plot centers on a..

Hello Goodbye (2008)

Directed by: Graham Guit

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The Illegals (1947)

Lo Tafhidenu

Directed by: Meyer Levin

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During the British rule of Palestine, Holocaust survivors arrived from Europe by the boatful--only to find themselves refused entry. The "Aliyah Bet" movement was recorded by author and Meyer Levin,..

The Tale of Nicolai & the Law of Return (2008)

Ha'agada Al Nicolai Ve'chok Ha'shvut

Directed by: David Ofek

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With humor and irony, in a style of a tale, using an original mix genre language, the film tells the story of a Romanian worker who realizes his Jewish roots can spin his fortune wheel around as his..

Exodus - The True Story (2009)

Exodus - Hasipur Haamiti

Directed by: Uri Borreda, Itzik Lerner

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No one of the 4500 holocaust survivors who embarked the ship Exodus in Sete south of France could in his wildest dream imagine the unforgettable journey in high seas will end up back in the land of..

The Roman Empire (2010)

Ha-Imperia Shel Roma

Directed by: David Moran

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Roman is a 53 year old unemployed Russian Jewish immigrant to Israel, who has no money in the bank but a lot of money at heart.

Choco Banana in North Carolina (2004)

Shoco Banana be Tzfon Carolina

Directed by: Nisan Katz

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A film about a group of young Israelis that came to America to make some easy money and found themselves working as ice cream car drivers in north Carolina, and without even knowing the language, of..

Garden (2004)

Gan

Directed by: Ruthie Shatz Adi Barash

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Garden takes us through a journey of survival and close friendship between Nino and Dudu on the streets of Tel-Aviv. As they try to keep sane, we watch them develop insight into their situation. try..

Diamonds and Rust (2001)

Yahalomim Ve Haluda

Directed by: Ruthie Shatz, Adi Barash

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On the trawler The Spirit of Namibia, moored off the coast of Namibia, diamond mining goes on around the clock. On the ocean floor the supply of the coveted little diamonds seems endless, but their..

Paper Dolls (2006)

Bubot Shel Niyar

Directed by: Tomer Heymann

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"Paper Dolls" is a documentary film which explores changing patterns of global immigration and expanding notions of family through the prism of a community of Filipino transvestites who live in Cast..

66' Was a Good Year for Tourism (1992)

Shnat Shishim Ve'Shesh Hayetah Tovah LeTayarut

Directed by: Amit Goren

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"Do you know why it wasn't worth it? Because my children are torn between two worlds. I am angry, really angry, because we've created this situation!" "Thus my mother summarizes 25 years in When I..

Georgia My Love (2007)

Georgia Ahuvati

Directed by: Noga Gamlieli

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This is a story of two Georgians sisters Maya and Manana, poor young women working in a bridal salon from dawn until darkness. Like many of their fellow Georgians, they have been rejected and by of..

Next Year in ... Argentina (2005)

El Año que Viene en ... Argentina

Directed by: Jorge Gurvich, Shlomo Slutzky

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Argentinean-born Israeli filmmakers Jorge Gurvich and Shlomo Slutzky met in Buenos Aires in the 1970's before both men immigrated to Israel. Thirty years later, they take up the question of history,..

Ben Dov: Images of a Dreamer (1999)

Directed by: Alex Szalat

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Yakov Ben Dov came to Jerusalem from the Ukraine in 1907 with little more than a still camera to his name. He became one of the most accomplished filmmakers of his time, capturing the momentous of..

Farewell (1992)

Directed by: Arkadiy Yakhnis

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This short documentary chronicles a 90 year old man's emigration to Israel from his native shtetl in Bessabaria. Yakhnis' beautifully photographed film poetically captures the end of a rich Jewish..

Hatikvah: The Hope (1936)

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Created in 1936 in an effort to inspire German Jews under Nazi rule to make Aliyah, Hatikvah: The Hope is a documentary about the earliest period of Zionist history and a singular celluloid The film..

The Struma (2001)

Directed by: Simcha Jacobovici

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In 1941 nearly 800 Romanian Jews board a 46 meter boat called the Struma, a refugee ship bound for Palestine. The vessel is horribly overcrowded, the people are packed together like sardines, and to..

The Tzanani Family (1976)

Mishpahat Tzan'ani

Directed by: Boaz Davidson

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This movie is about the 25 years of marriage of the couple Zion and Ziona who came from Yeman. All their children live with them in the same neighborhood building. The Ben-Naim family that came from..

Zion, Auto-Emancipation (1998)

Directed by: Amos Gitai

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Noted Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai directs this documentary about the history of Zionism, focusing particularly on the life and work of Theodor Herzl, who founded the movement in 1897. Gitai not a a..

The Golden Pomegranate (2010)

Rimon Hazahav

Directed by: Dan Turgeman

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Mazal, a Jewish child-bride from Yemen, preserves her religion, culture, family, and unique art, amid the harsh, violent conditions of Jerusalem and the Holy Land during the late 19th and mid 20th A..

180 Degrees to Jerusalem (2005)

180 Degrees to Jerusalem

Directed by: Robert Raphael Goodman

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Everything is going great for the director: he inherited the benefits of a generation of New York Jews who turned their backs on their religious pasts and re-defined themselves in America. But when..

A Working Mom (2006)

Directed by: Yaron Kaftori, Limor Pinhasov

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A story which demonstrates the extremes Mothers would go to, in order to save their families – sometimes saving and losing them in the same act. In 1990, 22-year-old Marisa Villozial, left her..

What Hitler Has Done to Tel-Aviv (2009)

Lehatir et Hakesher- Tel Aviv-Berlin

Directed by: Yael Katzir

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Through the German Jews who flew from Hitler, Tel-Aviv was transformed from a Kleinstadt to a Metropolitan City. A personal moving observation.

Grandpa Leon Has Gone, And No One Knows Where (2010)

Saba Leon Shehalach Veshelo Yodim Lean Halach

Directed by: Avi Kanner

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Reuven Levav is an Israeli painter who lives in Holland. In his imagination he creates a magnificent world in which he lives, parallel to the real world we all know. Alongside yearnings for the days..

Dada do Jaja - Absurd Under War in Yugoslavia & Israel (2002)

Directed by: Tali Ohaion

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The movie is a personal journey to Serbia, due to the death of my Yugoslavian boyfriend who immigrated to Israel. The movie focuses on wartime absurdness of reality and in two and theatre, in and in..

Third Person (2010)

B'Guf Shlishi

Directed by: Arthur Yakobov, Sharon Atias

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Arthur Yacobov, an Israeli painter & artist investigate his Bukharin family, who came to Israel from Uzbekistan. The Family characteristic with violence, machoism and cruelty between male and is..

Aisha (2010)

Aisha

Directed by: Oshri Hayun, Hila Cohen

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Aisha, 96, drags a pail around to help her walk. In her ripe old age, she virtually walks to the old chicken coop in her yard "on all fours". Booba the "adolescent" goat, is a substitute for Aisha's..

Thantor (2010)

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Few days before immigrating, Iyad and Nur, a bourgeois couple from east Jerusalem, delve into the pain of their relationship in order to realize their love, reconcile, and replenish their vitality..

The Journey of Vaan Nguyen (2005)

Directed by: Duki Dror

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In her painful blog, Vaan Nguyen unfolds the absurdities of her life as an Israeli-born Vietnamese. Her father was one of the many "boat-people" who fled Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975 and..

Stern's Stars

Ha'cochavim Shel Stern

Directed by: Gad Abittan

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The daily routine of Kiryat Yovel, a working class district in the south-western part of Jerusalem, founded in the early 50's as a response to the needs of the massive arrival of Olim- new Back to I..

100 Days in Green (2004)

100 Days in Green

Directed by: Mooly Landesman

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Israel is a nation of immigrants. Since its establishment in 1948, millions of Jews have made Israel their home. To this day, they come to start new lives and to defend their state. The are..

52/50 (2006)

Directed by: Uri Bar-On

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A documentary film which deals with the violence of Immigration Police and the situation of foreign workers in Israel.

A Hebrew Lesson (2006)

Ha'ulpan

Directed by: David Ofek, Ron Rotem

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"Learning Hebrew has been central to establishing one‘s personal identity and sense of collective belonging. Language transcends political, religious and ideological divisions; it is what and..

Baghdad Bandstand (2002)

Directed by: Eyal Halfon

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In the early fifties, during the big wave of immigration from Iraq, several musicians arrived in Israel who were considered real stars in the Arabic world of music. In this new land, no one had ever..

Sallah Shabati (1964)

Sallah Shabati

Directed by: Ephraim Kishon

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This film concerns a Yemenite Jewish family that was flown to Israel during "Operation Magic Carpet" - a clandestine operation that flew 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel the year after the state was -..

Yolki Palki (2007)

Directed by: Alexander Gentelev

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A documentary about the Russian community in Israel today - their successes and personal stories. The film is filled with interesting people who talk about their memories of Russia, the anti-Israel..

Back and Forth (2010)

Arba'a Sipurim Mehanegev

Directed by: Uri Rosenwaks, Morad Al-Farwne, Yusra Abu Kaff, Kamla Abu Zeila, Mai Al –Farouna

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Four promising Bedouin directors from the Negev desert turn the camera on themselves and their society to record a self-portrait of their community and its hardships. This unprecedented and account..

Dalia and the Sailors (1964)

Dalia Vehamalahim

Directed by: Menahem Golan

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Musical comedy of an Israeli girl, taken to Canada by her parents, who stows away to Israel on a cargo boat and is hidden by the cooperative crew.

By the Law (1998)

Im Hukim

Directed by: Dover Koshashvili

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Zaza, a child from a family recently immigrated to Israel, takes money from his parents' closet . He wants to buy a card for his album collection, like all the other children in the area. His father..

The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground (2010)

Directed by: Erik Greenberg Anjou

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Director Erik Greenberg Anjou (A Cantor's Tale, NYJFF 2006) returns with this high- energy documentary about the Grammy Award-winning, New York-based superstar klezmer band, The Klezmatics. are with..

The Bunker (2002)

Directed by: Nitza Gonen

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The film chronicles a few months in the life of Pinchas Cohen-Gan - one of Israel's greatest artists. In recent years, Cohen-Gan's art has expressed his obsession with Nazi Germany. This has drawn..

I Had a Dream (2009)

Directed by: Tezeta Germay

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The extraordinary life story of Yona Bugale who worked ceaselessly as a teacher and community leader, promoting connections with the State of Israel and with Jewish organizations, in order to the of..

Weitzman Street Number 10 (2006)

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Russian Jewish family immigrates to Israel; even stranger than the air raid is the behavior of their new fellow countrymen.

Salvador: The Ship of Shattered Hopes (2006)

Directed by: Nissim Mossek

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On the night of December 3, 1940, at the Black Sea port of Varna, Bulgaria, the Salvador - a rickety, old, sail-powered coal freighter - is finally towed out to sea. 352 Bulgarian Jews begin their a..

Gypsy Davy (2011)

Directed by: Rachel Leah Jones

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How does a white boy with Alabama roots become a Flamenco guitarist in Andalucian boots, and what happens along the way? The film tells the story of David Serva, a celebrated flamenco dancer, ..

My Australia (2011)

Ostralia Sheli

Directed by: Ami Drozd

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Poland, the mid 1960s. A struggling family in an impoverished neighborhood. The mother, separated from her Polish husband, spends most of her time at work in order to provide the basic needs for her..

The House that wasn't There

ha'Bayit she'lo Hayah Sham

Directed by: Nitzan Carmeli

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Follow Tzila Carmeli, one of the founders of Moshav Nordiya, on a journey to reconstruct her family's journey from Romania to Israel during World War II.

These Are My Names (2010)

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Ethiopian Jews' multiple names reflect the richness, wisdom and beauty of their culture -- and every name tells a story. In the film, young Ethiopian Israelis share their journeys toward their of -..

Tolya

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On International Women's Day, when all his fellow alien workers call their distant wives to greet them, Tolya remains speechless as he calls Natasha, his wife. His toothless mouth can't pronounce a..

December 25th (2009)

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December 25th is a working day in Jerusalem. As Christmas day passes, Carmen, a foreign worker from South America, misses her son and family abroad, and keeps trying to reach them over the phone. of..

The Uzbek Trilogy (2011)

Ha-Trilogiya ha-Uzbekit

Directed by: Avishay Sivan

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Three generations of men of Uzbek origin, a grandfather, father, and grandson, a their respective efforts to integrate into Israeli society.

When Israel Went Out (2010)

Betzet Yisrael

Directed by: Meni Elias

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Over two decades after the operatiosn bringing Ethiopian Jewry to Israel, the Ethiopian-Israeli community remains apart, misunderstood, and not an integral part of ISraeli society. Despite in..

Running Movie (2011)

Seret Ratz

Directed by: Omer Peled, Gidi Avivi

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A documentary, focusing on Israeli long-distance runner Haile Satayin, the oldest marathon runner to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and his efforts to participate in the 2012 has been a runner..

Going Dutch (2002)

Yoman Ha'Chasida

Directed by: Ohad Ufaz

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Director Ohad Ufaz explains that, "[he] filmed the movie as Daphna's partner, escorting her on a quest through lands and cultures, memories and hopes, anger and forgiveness, a jourey towards a has a..

The Stone Flower (2007)

Gola Sangam

Directed by: Sarit Haymian

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This documentary follows two elderly Jewish women, who immigrated from Iran to Israel 50 years ago and currently live in a deprived area. Married in their teens, they moved from the domineering of a..

Mother Stayed There (1997)

Ima Nishara Sham

Directed by: Dalia Meyerovich

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This documentary relates the stories of two Ethiopian Jews whose mothers were left behind during the 1991 Israeli airlift of 14,000 Ethiopians. Paulus (19) and Rachel (20) tell their stories, these..

My Own Telenova (2004)

Ha'Telenova Hapratit Sheli

Directed by: Jorge Weller

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A journey of self-discovery and redemption, filmmaker Jorge Weller travels back to his native Argentina, which he left twenty-two years earlier in order to immigrate to Israel. With film crew in he..

The Boys From Lebanon (2008)

Ha'Nearim M'Lebanon

Directed by: Ohad Ofaz

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In May 2000, the South Lebanese Army (SLA) collapsed and its members fled in fear of Hezbollah fighters into Israel, their ally who had abandoned them. 700 families of SLA refugees remain in Israel..

10 Weitzman Street (2006)

10 Weitzman

Directed by: Pini Tavger

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A short film that portrays a Russian family arriving in Israel, looking for their new house as the sirens signaling a missile attack go off. Since they do not speak the language, and do not know the..

Yiddish Aroma (2004)

Directed by: Leonid Horovitz

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To some, Yiddish is a dead culture, but an increasing number of people feel strongly that the richness of its heritage is something to be preserved and passed down to future generations. The film on..

Violetta Mi Vida (2012)

Directed by: Or Sinai

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Deborah will do anything in her power to turn her daughter Violetta's Bat-Mitzvah into the happiest and most glamorous day --a day that promises to serve as an escape from the harsh reality of their..

In Europe's Backyard (2012)

Ha'Hatzer Ha'Ahorit Shel Europa

Directed by: David Deri

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Europe's Moslems are in the midst of a social, political, and religious storm. The encounter between cultures is fraught with heavy historical baggage and religious and nationalist fervor. Tzvi on a..

Manpower (2012)

manpower

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Israeli men against a single dramatic background-a brutal wave of deportations of migrant workers.

White Panther (2013)

Pantar Lavan

Directed by: Danni Reisfeld

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In the 1990's a million former USSR Jews arrived in Israel. The immigrants were despised by the local population who feared their 'invasion'. While many embraced the Israeli lifestyle, others chose..

H I Jew Positive

Yehudi Chiuvi

Directed by: Ronit Kertsner

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The film follows the 15-year journey from 1998-2012 of Polish-Catholic citizens who learn they are Jewish.

Ha-Shiva Ha-Bayta

Directed by: Orna Ben Dor

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The film follows three children of foreign workers who were born in Israel and who travel for the first time totheir parents' countries of origin.

Into Europe's Backyard (2012)

Ha'Hatzer Ha'Ahorit Shel Eropa

Directed by: Tzvika Yehezkeli

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Europe's Muslims are in the midst of a social, political and religious storm. The encounter between cultures is fraught with heavy historical baggage and religious and nationalist fervor. This film..

Let's Go (2012)

Bo Nelech

Directed by: Leonid Blehman

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The film describes the dramatic days of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the organization of Soviet Jewry for a hasty large-scale immigration to Israel.

The Man with the Nagra (2012)

Lio Levy - A-ish Im Ha-Nagra

Directed by: Yaela Levi Zimmerman

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The filmmaker examines her family's history and that of the Italian-Jewish community through the story of her father, Leo Levi (1912-1982), an Itailan Jew, an active Zionist, and a pioneering..

My Father, Semyon Chertok (2011)

Avi, Semyon Chertok

Directed by: Olga Chertok

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A film about the filmmaker's late father- a journalist, film critic, and Voice of Israel in Russian correspondent- and on the cultural load the Russian and Soviet immigrants brought with them in..

Home Is You (2012)

Directed by: Yaelle Shwed, Aya Shwed

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A SCREAM FOR LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE Yaelle, a new immigrant in Israel from France follows the sun and finds the love of her life. Her family finds it hard to accept. The movie is a moving, musical and..

Rita Jahan Foruz (2012)

Rita Yahan Foruz

Directed by: Ayal Goldberg

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Rita Jahan Farouz immigrated to Israel from Iran with her family, when she was eight years old. Now on the eve of her forty-ninth birthday, with enormous tension between Tehran and Jerusalem looming..

Secrets of the Lost Treasures (2011)

Sodot ha-ksafim ha-avudim

Directed by: Inbal Petel, Emmanuel Rosen

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Lucy and Samir, Jews who escaped violent persecution in Arab countries, go on a campaign to reclaim their family assets.

Shalom Belfast

Directed by: Itamar Handelman-Smith, Eamon Devlin, Itai Lev

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The film follows the filmmaker, a journalist and writer who moved to Belfast, Ireland to escape the political reality in Israel.

Step By Step (2011)

le'at le'at

Directed by: Vitali Alex Krivich

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The film accompanies young new immigrants from the FSU as they go through a 9 month assimiliation process at an immigrant absorption in the north of Israel.

Young Zionist of Dror in Morocco (2012)

Tzeirey tzion dror be-maroko

Directed by: Albert Ben Haim

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Albert Ben Haim from Meknes documented Jewish life in Morocco between 1950 and 1960 when several youth movements joined with underground groups and in illegal Aliya.

House of Fun (2013)

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Deferred adolescence, instant "Israelis," love, disillusion, alcohol, drugs, and xenophobia. This film spends a year with a group of immigrants aged 17 to 21 at the Carmiel absorption center

Wild West Hebron! (2013)

Maarvon Be'har Hevron

Directed by: Nissim Mossek

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Like all good Westerns, "Wild West Hebron!" challenges the ideas of hero and villain. In the often-violent area of Mt. Hebron, a conflict between Palestinians, Israeli settlers, and anti-occupation..

Sashen'ka (2010)

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Once a week Alexander, an elderly Russian violinist, walks along the Tel Aviv boardwalk and calls his teenage daughter Sashen'ka who lives abroad with her mother. Like this week, this time he is to..

Damaged Goods (2013)

Schora Pguma

Directed by: Aya Somech

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Rafael Krupick runs away from his debts in Marseille to his ultra Orthodox family in Jerusalem. But no one in the family wants the black sheep back.

The Dove Flyer

Mafriach ha-yonim

Directed by: Nissim Dayan

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The film tells the tale of 16 year old Kabi in Bagdad. From a studious lad, he transforms into a central activist in the Zionist underground, facilitating the immigration of Jews in Iraq to..

Les Mouvements De Jeunesse Sioniste au Maroc (2013)

Tnu’ot ha-no’ar ha-tziyoni ve-hachalutzi be-Maroko

Directed by: Albert Benhaim

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An authentic document of the period in which the Zionist youth movements were active in underground activity in Morocco and the organization of Jewish illegal immigration to Israel.

Super Women (2013)

Super Zhenshchiny / Super Women

Directed by: Yael Kipper, Ronen Zaretzky

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The story of five cashiers who work the same shift in a supermarket. Most are immigrants from Russia, others are native Israelis. The film follows their relationships, the mutual support and dealing..

Words Calling For Mother (2013)

Kol Mila Ima

Directed by: Omri Lior

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Yitzhak Averbuch Orpaz, winner of the Israel Prize for Literature, "tore the umbilical cord of his soul with his teeth" and immigrated to Israel. His personal life was full of turmoil and he to his..

Transit (2013)

Directed by: Hannah Espia

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TRANSIT begins and ends in an airport during a father and son's transit flight from Tel Aviv to Manila. It tells the story of Moises, a Filipino single-dad working as a caregiver in Herzliya, who to..

The Escape (2013)

HaBricha

Directed by: Meni Elias

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In this road movie a group of Israeli teenagers from different backgrounds set out on a personal and fascinating adventure following the original "Bricha Movement", which was set up to help Jews and..

The Women Pioneers (2013)

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The women pioneers who came here a century ago wanted to build a new world and create a new woman, just as independent as men. A few dozen of these women established Ein Harod. Writing about and for..

Take Us Home (2012)

Directed by: Aileen LeBlanc

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Shows the process of Ethiopian Jews relocating to Israel

Happiness Wrapped in a Blanket (2013)

Osher Atuf Besmicha

Directed by: Yosi Artzi

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A story of a couple: Bashir (Kais Nashif) and Karin (Hilla Vidor) , who find themselves on an escape journey after the woman kidnaps a baby of a foreign worker.

Welcome and...Our Condolences (2013)

Directed by: Leon Prudovsky

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The year is 1991. The beginning of the massive Jewish immigration wave from the USSR to Israel. 12 years old Misha is documenting his family's journey on a home-video camera. The already traumatic..

Hanna's Journey (2013)

Hanna Reise

Directed by: Julia von Heinz

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When Hanna moves from Germany to Israel to beef up her resume with community service work, she is confronted with a past she has spent a lifetime denying. Through her job working with individuals a..

Unexpected Love (2014)

Directed by: Paz Schwartz

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This is the story of a rare, almost impossible romance. Anastasia was 10 when she first met Doron. She was a tall and pretty new immigrant; he was 19 years older than her, but suffering from a birth..

Sound of Torture (2013)

Kofer Nefesh

Directed by: Keren Shayo

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Ever since Europe closed its gates to African refugees, thousands of Eritreans have fled the brutal dictatorship in their homeland and traveled north, to Israel. Many were seized by Bedouin as they..

Last Stop (2014)

Directed by: Julie Shles

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A vast and violent labyrinth lies right in the heart of Tel Aviv. It is the Central Bus Station, Israel's main transportation artery. Living in and around it are thousands of new refugees, a second..

Anywhere Else (2014)

Altnoylend / Anderswo

Directed by: Ester Amrami, Johannes Praus

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Noa has been living in Berlin for 8 years now. She is about to graduate from universtiy and recently moved in with her German boyfriend Jörg. Although everything should be running smoothly, she..

The Spy Who Returned To The... (2014)

HaMeragel SheHazar...

Directed by: Ofir Trainin

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A portrait of the journalist Victor Grayevsky, who obtained a copy of Nikita Khruschev's 1956 speech, before immigrating to Israel. After his death it was discovered that he was a double-agent.

Photo Farag (2014)

Michpachat Farag

Directed by: Levi Zini, Kobi Farag

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Kobi Farag - third generation of an immigrant family from Iraq, who seeks the origin of his family's story that spreads over 7 decades, three continents and involves the tremendous success of "The..

Haven (2013)

Ir Miklat

Directed by: Amikam Kovner, Itay Marom

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During the Second Lebanon War, Motti and Keren, a young religious couple from the north of Israel, look for a place to stay to escape the tense situation in their hometown. They find themselves at a..

Waves of Memory (2014)

Shem Kod Rafiach

Directed by: Gadi Aisen

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On December 7, 1946 the immigrant ship Rafiach, making its way from Yugoslavia, sank near the barren island of Syrina, one of the Greek islands. Most of the Ma'apilim survived and were rescued a few..

Voices From The Booth

Kolot Mi-habudke

Directed by: Lina Chaplin

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We meet them at school gates, in underground parking lots, at the entrances of shopping malls, and many other places. There are tens of thousands of security guards in Israel, most of them of they a..

Voices From The Booth (2014)

Kolot Mi-habudke

Directed by: Lina Chaplin

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We meet them at school gates, in underground parking lots, at the entrances of shopping malls, and many other places. There are tens of thousands of security guards in Israel, most of them of they a..

Ukraine Brides, 13 Years Later (2013)

Kalot Meukraina sof Haderech

Directed by: Nili Tal

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For 13 years, documentarian Nili Tal (Sixty and the City, NYJFF 2011) has followed the ups and downs of women from Ukraine who married Israeli men, by virtue of fixed marriages. At times at times to..

The Unwelcoming (2014)

Zait Al Ma / Shemen Al Mayim

Directed by: Robby Elmaliah

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In 2006 the Uzan family immigrates to Israel from Tunisia: The family arrives at a remote village in Southern Israel, a settlement founded during the ‘50s by fellow Tunisians. Against all the..

Is That You? (2014)

Haeem Ze Ata?

Directed by: Dani Menkin

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Is That You? is the story of Ronnie, 60 year old Israeli film projectionist, who has been fired from his job and is going now to the U.S. in a search for Rachel, the love of his youth Is That You? a..

The Birdman (2013)

Ish Ha-tziporim

Directed by: Daniel Mann

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Daniel (29), a young Israeli filmmaker, takes off to Los Angeles, trying to find a better future. Recently, he found a short strip of film made 50 years earlier by his grandfather in Hollywood. Tel..

The Dove Flyer (2013)

Mahfriyac Hayonim

Directed by: Nissim Dayan

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As a child, Eli Amir was torn from his community in Baghdad and educated in Mishmar HaEmek, where erasing his past was just part of the process of turning him into an Israeli. This film, based on a..

Spirals (2014)

Spiralot

Directed by: Yael Gur

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Four Russian-Israeli girls meet in theater workshop. Through theatrical skills and a spiral narrative, they free themselves from the burdens of their pasts.

Saga of a Photo (2013)

Sipur Hamathil Betmuna

Directed by: Mooly Landesman

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This story begins in a photo that was hidden away for some eighty years. For a frozen moment the photo exposed the joy of my grandparents' wedding in 1926 in Berlin. A moment later, everything will..

Honor thy Father and thy Mother, Damn It! (2014)

Kabed Et Avicha VeEt Imecha, Blat!

Directed by: Alexandra Rahmilevich

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Ever since they can remember, Dasha (22) and Natasha (21), have felt unrelated, not belonging to anyone or any place. The difficult relationship between their parents in the Ukraine tore up to..

Neighborhood (2013)

Shkhuna

Directed by: Ilan Yagoda

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On a small bench on the sidewalk just outside their homes, four elderly Yemenite women meet daily. Their modest immigrant neighborhood, a bit outdated, is like a time capsule. They still share pains..

Night Shift (2013)

Mishmeret Laila

Directed by: Itamar Chen

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Kiryat Moshe neighborhood is undoubtedly the most homogeneous in Israel. Every decade there has been a population turnover: Holocaust survivors, followed immigrants from Arab countries, followed by..

Not Your Life (2013)

Lo Hahayim Shelakh

Directed by: Tal Shefi

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Born to a Nepalese father and an Israeli mother, Kaya is a foreigner wherever she goes. In Tel Aviv, she is taken for Asian, while in Goa she is perceived as a white person. A few years ago, as a to..

Rita Jahan Faruz (2013)

Rita Jahan Faruz

Directed by: Ayal Goldberg

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Rita Jahan Foruz immigrated to Israel from Iran with her family when she was eight years old. On the eve of her forty-ninth birthday, with enormous tension between Tehran and Jerusalem looming in in..

Red Leaves (2014)

Alim Adumim

Directed by: Bezzi Getta

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An Ethiopian immigrant, sets out on a journey through his children's homes after losing his wife. Coming to know some of life's harsh new realities, he tries to survive in his own way.

The Current Love of My Life (2015)

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In director Talya Lavie's contemporary re-telling, penniless Israeli musician Bini, who is living in New York illegally, is hired by a wealthy ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn to teach son..

Farewell Baghdad (2014)

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Israeli film "Farewell Baghdad," which is based on an Eli Amir novel and documents the activity of the Jewish underground in Baghdad, is about to come full circle and be screened in Iraq.