The 43rd Jerusalem Film Festival will open on July 9 with Tell Me Everything (Atzma’ut), the new film by Moshe Rosenthal, the festival announced on Wednesday.
The film, which stars Assi Cohen, Keren Tzur, Yair Mazor, Ido Tako, Mor Dimri, and Neta Orbach, will have its Israeli premiere at the festival’s festive opening-night event at Sultan’s Pool under the stars, in front of an audience of 6,000 viewers and guests. The screening will take place in the presence of the filmmakers and actors.
The Jerusalem Film Festival will run from July 9-19.
Tell Me Everything, which was produced by Green Productions and United King Films, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, marking the first time in a decade that a full-length Israeli feature film was included in that festival.
Rosenthal’s first feature, Karaoke, won several Ophir Awards and a great deal of critical and popular acclaim. Tell Me Everything stars Cohen, one of Israel’s most beloved actors, in his first film role in 15 years, alongside Tako, a rising star of Israeli cinema.
Roni Mahadav-Levin, CEO of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and director of the festival, and Orr Sigoli, artistic director of the festival, said in a statement: “We are excited to open the 43rd edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival with Tell Me Everything, Moshe Rosenthal’s new and much-anticipated film, which will be screened on the festive opening night at Sultan’s Pool in its Israeli premiere.
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The choice of an original and sweeping Israeli work as the opening film emphasizes the festival’s commitment to placing local cinema at the forefront, alongside the rich international program and the Israeli competitions, the full details of which will be published soon. We invite the public to an exceptional cinematic celebration that will bring to Jerusalem the best of cinema from Israel and around the world.”
Rosenthal said, “It is a great honor to open the festival with Tell Me Everything and to reveal the film for the first time to the Israeli audience on this impressive stage. At a time when Israeli cinema is facing challenges in the global arena, the support and the platform that the Jerusalem Film Festival gives us are more significant than ever.
Tell Me Everything is a film that takes the personal, the small, and the local, and translates it into a cinematic experience intended for the biggest screen. I am excited for the opportunity to celebrate the film and Israeli cinema together with the audience, and to feel the passion and excitement in the air.”
Alona Refua, the film’s producer at Green Productions, said: “We welcome the choice of our film, Tell Me Everything, as the opening film of the festival. This choice is not self-evident, and we see it as a great honor and an expression of confidence in local creation.”
Set in 1987, the film tells the story of Boaz, who discovers a shocking secret just before his bar mitzvah, about his admired father, Meir. Nine years later, Boaz sets out in search of his estranged father, during which he is forced to confront the memories and choices that have haunted him ever since.
The festival, which was conceived and founded by Jerusalem Cinematheque founder and Israel Prize laureate Lia Van Leer, is the largest, leading, and oldest film event in Israel. Its 43rd edition will feature dozens of world premieres, as well as the first screenings of leading Israeli films and high-profile titles that won prizes or premiered at major international festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Tribeca, and others.
The festival will award prizes totaling about NIS 1 million in its various competitions, most of them to Israeli filmmakers and film professionals.
Tickets to the opening are now on sale at https://jff.org.il/en