For the 25th year running, the Embassy of Israel will be bringing to you a celebration of Israeli culture in the form of Israeli films.
The carefully selected feature films at Israel Film Festival – Singapore not only provides the viewers with a diverse reflection of Israel, but also enriches the audience with a more authentic and real view of Israeli culture and society.
The films tell stories of a vibrant, conflicted, modern society grappling with issues that audiences throughout the world can relate to.
The programmes run from August 24-September 3 at the Projector, and from September 8-10 at the Arts House. Due to limited seating, seats are on a strictly first-come-first-served basis.
Here are our picks for this year's festival:
The movie is set on the fault line between religious conservatives and secular liberals in contemporary Israel.
The film focuses on Naomi, a young classically trained pianist who embodies victims of religious extremism and intolerance. Faced with escalating isolation and violence, Naomi must learn to use music as a bridge to overcome towering religious barriers.
When: Aug 24, Sept 1
Where: The Projector
It’s a story about the members of a small Mizrahi synagogue in Jerusalem, and how the women are – gradually – empowered.
Beginning with a bar mitzvah and culminating with a wedding, the film focuses on a community of lively and relaxed Sephardic Jews who enjoy coming together as a community and revere their elderly spiritual leader, Rabbi. But during the bar mitzvah of the grandson of congregational stalwarts,the balcony where the women sit suddenly collapses, and the rabbi’s wife is severely injured. The ensemble acting features some of Israel’s best performers.
When: Sept 3
Where: The Projector
Three main characters – a hard working Muslim woman, an ever-smiling Jew and a young Christian Arab – who despite their historical and cultural differences, have one thing in common… a passionate love of Hummus.
Hummus! The Movie also spotlights “The World’s Largest Serving of Hummus” – the fiercely fought Guinness World Record title currently held by a Lebanese Hummus maker at a huge 23,042lb (10,451kg)!
When: Aug 27
Where: The Projector
Undressing Israel: Gay men in the promised land
In his debut as a documentary filmmaker, adult-film entrepreneur and political columnist Michael Lucas examines a side of Israel that is too often overlooked: its thriving gay community.
Undressing Israel features interviews with a diverse range of local men, including a gay member of Israel’s parliament, a trainer who served openly in the army, a young Arab-Israeli journalist, and a pair of dads raising their kids. Lucas also visits Tel Aviv’s vibrant nightlife scene – and even attends a same-sex wedding – in this guided tour.
When: Sept 1
Where: The Projector
