Shortly before they try making it to the Oscars, siblings Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz will be making a no-less-prestigious stop: their film "Gett -- the Trial of Viviane Ansallem" is one of the top five nominees for best foreign film at the Golden Globes Awards. "Gett" will be competing with "Leviathan" from Russia, "Force Majeure" from Sweden, "Ida" from Poland, and "Tangerines" from Estonia. "Gett" tells the story of Viviane Ansallem, a woman whose husband refuses her a divorce. Ansallem faces the Israeli divorce process, which is controlled by Jewish law, and encounters the absurdities of the rabbinical court. The film is one of the biggest Israeli co-productions to date, produced in conjunction with partners in Germany and France. Israeli backing came from the Israel Film Fund, Keshet Broadcasting, and the Gesher Fund. It won the Hajaj Prize for best narrative film; the audience favorite and best actor (for Menashe Noy) at the Jerusalem Film Festival; and has been screened at festivals worldwide. The Elkabetzes are currently in the U.S., hoping their film will be named among the top five candidates for best foreign film at the Academy Awards. Entertainment industry trade paper Variety included the siblings on a list of 10 directors to watch. "The excitement is huge. It's a great joy," Ronit Elkabetz said upon hearing she had made it to the final five for a Golden Globe. "It's a great honor to keep giving Viviane Ansallem a voice, in the name of women in Israel and all over the world, who win their freedom and independence as women. I still haven't internalized it. It's just amazing," she said. The Golden Globe Awards are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on January 11, 2015.
Credit: Reuters
In "Gett," Ronit Elkabetz stars in the title role alongside a veteran cast that includes actors Menashe Noy, Sasson Gabai, Ze'ev Revach, and Eli Gornstein. It debuted at this year's Cannes Film Festival to sweeping praise. One critic called it "an outstanding work and instant classic of Israeli filmmaking at its best."
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Israeli film 'Gett' nominated for Golden Globe Award
Story of woman refused a divorce debuted at Cannes, was dubbed an "instant classic of Israeli filmmaking at its best" • Variety names Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz "directors to watch" • Elkabetz siblings hope "Gett" will win Oscar nod for best foreign film.