Just like the US has the Academy Awards (the Oscars), Israel has the Ophir Awards, the highest recognition a filmmaker can get.
Named after the iconic Israeli actor Shaike Ophir, the awards have celebrated the best in Israeli cinema and deepened the connection between creators and audiences since 1990.
Below is a humorous TV interview with Shaike Ophir, starting at minute 1, where he explains the various ways to drink coffee.
Each September, the Israeli Academy of Film and Television hosts the event, where films and creators compete in 18 categories for narrative and documentary film, as well as for television. Usually, the Best Film winner becomes Israel’s submission for the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film. So far, 10 Israeli films have been selected to compete.
You can watch a clip from the 2023 ceremony at this link.
One of the most celebrated figures of the Ophir Awards is Assi Dayan, the only filmmaker to date who has won in directing, screenwriting, and acting categories, racking up an impressive amount of 8 awards to his name.
Some famous films that have won over the years:
Life According to Agfa, 1992, Assi Dayan (extract below)
Late Marriage, 2001, Dover Kosashvili
Broken Wings, 2002, Nir Bergman
The Band’s Visit, 2007, Eran Kolirin
Walz with Bashir, 2008, Ari Folman
Ajami, 2009, Yaron Shani
Foxtrot, 2017, Samuel Maoz
Close to Me, 2024, Tom Nesher
Article Written with the help of Naomi Marchese, video editor and cinema specialist.
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