Alongside the biggest names in Hollywood, Israeli filmmakers have been making a name for themselves, garnering critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival, which opened on Sept. 8 and will last until Sept. 18. TIFF 2016 hosted top Israeli directors such as Joseph Cedar, Avi Nesher and Elite Zexer, who featured their latest films. Cedar's highly awaited feature, "Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer" stars Richard Gere, as well as Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi and Hollywood's Michael Sheen, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Steve Buscemi and Hank Azaria. The film tells the story of an experienced hustler in New York City's Jewish community whose life takes an unexpected turn after a low-ranking Israeli politician (portrayed by Lior Ashkenazi) he befriended three years earlier becomes an influential world leader. Cedar's film was also screened at Telluride Film Festival and earned a positive review in Variety magazine that compared it to the acclaimed political drama "House of Cards." The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Cedar successfully created a "complex and intricately detailed portrait of the web of political, financial, social and religious affiliations that has everything to do with how the world works." "Sand Storm," Elite Zexer's inspiring feature debut, also premiered at TIFF and has been widely praised. The film, winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, was recently nominated for 12 Ophir Awards -- Israel's Oscars -- and was purchased by streaming giant Netflix. "Sand Storm" is a drama that takes place in a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in Israel, and tells the story of a mother and daughter who struggle to find balance between the traditional, patriarchal society in which they come from and the modern world. Another Israeli filmmaker who premiered at TIFF is the renowned director Avi Nesher. This is Nesher's fourth film in a row to be featured in the influential festival. Based on a true story, Nesher's new film "Past Life," starring Nelly Tagar and Joy Rieger, is set in Jerusalem in 1977 and tells the story of two sisters, daughters of Holocaust survivors, who decide to delve into the mystery of their father's experiences in Poland during World War II. Variety magazine hailed the film as Nesher's "best film yet," saying he succeeded to "confront a trauma -- the burden of history -- that is still very much part of the Israeli present and deeply rooted in the collective subconscious."
Israeli filmmakers shine at Toronto Film Festival
Israeli directors Joseph Cedar, Avi Nesher, Elite Zexer, feature their latest films, garner wide critical acclaim • "Sand Storm," Elite Zexer's film debut was purchased by Netflix • Variety magazine hails Avi Nesher's "Past Life" his "best film yet."
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