“I genuinely believe it has Academy Award potential,” said Danny Cohen, the CEO of Access Entertainment and a producer on such high-profile films as The Zone of Interest and Conclave, when asked about how he came to join in producing Avi Nesher’s upcoming movie, Our Loves, at a panel on how Israeli films can break through to international audiences at the Jerusalem Film Festival on Monday.
Cohen, who spoke from the UK via video, went on to say, “I’ve worked on a number of Oscar campaigns. I think Avi’s work deserves that platform. And I hope the Israeli Academy selects this film as Israel’s submission for Best International Feature.”
The event was billed as a case study of how one Israeli movie, Our Loves, is making the journey to screens around the world. Nesher describes the moving film, which is generating great buzz at preview screenings, as the story of several people in southern Israel who thought they were having the worst day of their lives on October 6, 2023.
Only after we have gotten to know the characters does the film follow them through the horrors of October 7, and its impact is far stronger because we have become invested in them beforehand.
The movie was produced by SIPUR, an Israel-based, global film and television company, which brought international companies Fox Entertainment and Cohen’s Access Entertainment on board during post-production.
Nesher is an Israeli director whose career has spanned more than four decades, starting with the classic The Troupe, and including such movies as Turn Left at the End of the World and Image of Victory.
The panel about how Our Loves succeeded in attracting these international companies and how other Israeli films can follow suit was moderated by Alissa Simon, a critic for Variety and the chief programmer of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Panelists speak of Israeli film industry resilience
In addition to Cohen and Nesher, the panel featured Emilio Schenker, an Emmy Award-winning producer and the co-founder and CEO of SIPUR, and Yoav Abramovich, executive director of the Israeli Cinema Project – the Rabinovich Foundation, which supported Our Loves and which invests in about half of all Israeli movies.
The panelists spoke enthusiastically of the resilience of the Israeli movie industry in the face of boycotts, both official and informal, against Israeli creators and a worldwide resurgence of antisemitism, but they did not downplay the challenges.
Nesher said, “Israel has an extraordinary generation of filmmakers – directors, writers, and actors – many much younger than I am. In many ways, Israel reminds me of Australia before its film industry exploded, or Iran before it became internationally recognized.
“This country is full of remarkable talent… Israel has everything a major film industry needs: great film schools, a strong tradition, outstanding artists. Then came the boycott.”
Abramovich said, “Before October 7, success at festivals depended largely on making a good film. Today that’s no longer enough. Many festivals simply won’t screen Israeli films. Our strategy now is to work with those festivals, distributors, and partners who are willing to stand up to pressure.
“Public opinion changes quickly. Many people aren’t acting out of ideology – they’re simply afraid of being bullied. We have to work with the brave ones until the climate changes.”
Schenker expressed similar sentiments when he said, “First of all, producers need one thing above all else: a great movie. Without that, there’s no magic. With Our Loves, we had a great director and a great film. Then we needed courageous partners.
“Danny Cohen and Fernando [Szew, the head and president] of Fox Entertainment weren’t afraid to become co-producers despite the boycott. That’s incredibly important.”
'The entire country was in shock' after Oct. 7
He recalled the aftermath of October 7: “During those terrible days, the entire country was in shock. What has shocked me even more over the last three years is how Israel has gone, in the eyes of much of the international industry, from being seen as the victim to being portrayed as the villain. That shift has fueled an outrageous boycott.”
“Some people genuinely harbor anti-Israel attitudes. Others are simply afraid. They worry about protests, controversy, or damage to their careers,” Cohen noted. “I also think many younger employees within cultural organizations have become highly radicalized on this issue, and too many leaders aren’t prepared to stand up to them.
“Ultimately, it comes down to courage. Leadership means making difficult decisions. If we believe in great filmmaking and important stories, we have to support them.”
Nesher offered more than a glimmer of hope for breaking through those anti-Israel attitudes when he described a screening of Our Loves at the Writers Guild of America in Los Angeles earlier this year.
“The atmosphere before the screening was tense. People clearly weren’t comfortable. Then the movie started. People laughed. They cried. They became emotionally invested. Afterward they applauded,” he said.
However, during the Q&A following the screening, “The talk eventually shifted from cinema to politics. I reminded them that during the Vietnam War people protested the US government, but nobody boycotted American cinema. Artists are often the strongest critics of their own governments. Boycotting them makes no sense.
“By the end of the discussion, minds hadn’t necessarily changed completely. But something had shifted. Cinema creates empathy. Once you empathize with people, it’s much harder to hate them. That’s why I believe quality will ultimately prevail. And that’s why courageous partners like Danny and Fernando matter so much.”
He went on to say, “Many of us disagree strongly with the current government. We protest. We make films that criticize it. There is an election coming. That’s democracy. The important thing is not to treat every Israeli artist as though they’re responsible for every government decision. People understand that distinction elsewhere in the world. They should understand it here too.”
The ability to focus on quality cinema was illustrated by a delegation visiting the Jerusalem Film Festival, composed of movie-industry professionals from around the world, including France, Germany, India, China, Nepal, Ghana, and Rwanda, who attended the panel discussion and a screening of Our Loves.
Many, including several executives from India, were so impressed by the movie that they used the Q&A at the panel discussion to ask how to acquire the rights to distribute the film in their countries. After the discussion ended, informal meetings took place between Schenker and Nesher and these executives.
But despite the enthusiasm for Israeli movies on display at the event, Cohen cautioned against complacency.
“We shouldn’t fool ourselves,” he said. “It’s become incredibly difficult. Israeli, and to some extent Jewish, culture has found itself in a distorted position internationally. But the only way to respond is to keep fighting. We have to celebrate Israeli creativity and keep making outstanding work.”