Celebrating The Best in Israeli Cinema: Showcase Returns for 10th Year

The 10th Annual Israeli Film Festival is presented by the Canadian Film Institute, in collaboration with the Embassy of Israel and the Israeli Cultural Forum. The festival runs on select dates from June 6 to June 16 and celebrates the best in contemporary Israeli film. All films will be Ottawa premieres and will be presented in Hebrew with English subtitles.

“The CFI is pleased to present the best of Israeli Cinema to Ottawa audiences for a 10th year,” says CFI executive director Tom McSorley. “We’re looking forward to sharing this terrific collection of films.”

The festival opens on June 6 with Israeli box office sensation Haolam Mats’hik (The World is Funny) – described as a charming dramedy with a multilayered plot featuring many storylines. The screening will be preceded by a lecture on Israeli cinema by special guest Professor Aner Preminger.

Preminger will also introduce and discuss his film Ha-haim bentaim (Present Continuous) at its screening on June 9. In 2002, during the height of the Second Intifada, an Israeli mother barricades her home. She decides to protect her family by isolating them from the violence of the outside world.

All screenings will begin at 7pm and take place at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $8 for members, seniors and students. Tickets can be purchased on-site each night of the Festival. The box office opens half an hour before each film begins. Visit www.cfi-icf.ca for complete listings.

“Reaching 10 years is a major milestone and is a testament to the successful partnership we’ve enjoyed with the Israeli Cultural Forum, the Embassy of Israel and, of course, the great support of Ottawa film enthusiasts,” said McSorley.

For details, contact CFI executive director Tom McSorley (mcsorley@cfi-icf.ca) or programmer Jerrett Zaroski (zaroski@cfi-icf.ca) at 613.232.8769.