June 2
Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre
52 mins
Opening remarks by: H.E. Ambassador of Israel to Canada Iddo Moed
Short introduction to Israeli culture scene post October 7 by Head of Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Israel to Canada: Yifah Mivtach Greenvald
Filmmakers Duki Dror and Yossi Bloch offer a chronological account of the massacre at the Supernova Music Festival through the eyes of the individuals who endured it. Mixing materials meticulously collected from dozens of sources—terrorists’ GoPros, victims’ phones, CCTV cameras, dashcams, and first responders’ recordings—with testimonies by survivors, first responders and parents who recount their stories just a few days after the events.
Just three days after the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught on Israel, longtime Israeli filmmaker Duki Dror visited the location of an infamous massacre from that Saturday morning — the site of the Supernova music festival.
Dror is a veteran documentarian, and his films have tended toward geopolitical subjects in recent years. Now he took on a more visceral subject. Four months after that first visit to the Supernova site, he brought the finished film to the United States: Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre.
“It was really tough,” Dror told The Times of Israel. “I think it’s the hardest film I ever made. I did a few in my career. This one was really tough, really hard emotionally.”
June 6
Children of Nobody*
108 mins
In the heart of Tel-Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood stands an old house that operates as a shelter for youth from broken homes. Jackie, a young man who finds himself running the shelter after the sudden death of its legendary founder, discovers that the old house actually belongs to the municipality of Tel-Aviv, and has been bought by a businessman who’s planning to demolish the house and build a boutique hotel on its ruins. Together with the house’s at-risk youth, and with the help of a social worker who comes on board, Jackie launches a relentless struggle against the municipality’s representatives, to save the house, which, for the youth it shelters– is their last refuge, their last lifeline. A must watch by the director Erez Tadmor.
June 9
Seven Blessings*
108 mins
In Israel’s official entry for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, Ayelet Menahemi’s 7 Blessings revolves around an eventful Jewish Moroccan family wedding and the traditional blessings that are pronounced during the ceremony, again at the reception, and then again for the next seven nights with loved ones hosting special dinners in the couple’s honor. Behind the facade of joie de vivre and togetherness, there are secrets, lies, and a painful old wound that forces them to confront the past while wrecking the present, all entwined in this acclaimed story about fury, forgiveness, and food. Added to the mix is a joyous comedy of errors and misinterpretation by numerous members of the family speaking multiple languages, spanning Hebrew, Arabic, French, and the French Moroccan dialect.
7 Blessings won big at this year’s Israel Academy Awards (Ophirs), sweeping the awards ceremony by taking home the Best Picture Award and triumphing in nine additional categories, including Best Director, Best Script, and Best Actress for Reymonde Amsallem, who co-wrote the screenplay.
June 20
Running on Sand*
104 mins
Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee who lives in Israel washing dishes for a living, is caught by the immigration police, and deported to his country. At the last moment he manages to escape at the airport and runs straight into the hands of Maccabi Netanya’s soccer fans that mistake him for the new, Nigerian striker who was supposed to land that day.
The movie hits the sweet spot between a truly light-hearted comedy and a real drama, with engaging characters you care about and funny situations, but with a strong narrative and a heartfelt message about treating people with respect, no matter where they are from. It also features a wonderful lead performance by Mongoza, who came to Israel about 16 years ago from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
