The 15th Israeli Film Festival, hosted by the Embassy of Israel in the Philippines, will have screenings on March 13-14, 2020 at the Bonifacio High Street Cinemas (Cinema 3), Taguig City.

This annual event will featured four contemporary films about family and relationships.

Abulele
2015 | Adventure | 90 min | Rated PG

Ancient legends warn children about the Abulele: enormous, furry and sometimes dangerous monsters who are able to hide among the human race by making themselves invisible except to special children who are in need of a friend. Adam, a young boy grieving from the loss of his brother, discovers an Abulele living in his building. But when Adam realises that it is not the Abulele but the humans who are the real monsters, he risks everything to save his friendly giant. A resounding hit at the Israeli box office, and hailed as the Israeli answer to Steven Spielberg’s iconic E.T., this heartfelt family film celebrates the power of love and friendship.

Laces / Shoelaces
2018 | Drama | 98 min | Rated G

Laces tells the story of a complicated relationship between an aging father and his special-needs son, whom he abandoned while he was still a young boy. Reuben’s kidneys are failing and his son Gadi wants to donate one of his own kidneys to help save his father’s life. However, the transplant committee objects to the procedure claiming that Reuben, acting as Gadi’s sole legal guardian, does not have the right to authorize such an invasive procedure. Gadi, who recently lost his mother, is afraid of losing his father as well. He feels he finally has the chance to do something meaningful; to become a man and stand on his own.

AWARDS: 2019 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival – Winner, Audience Award: Best Narrative Jacob Goldwasser (director); 2018 Awards of the Israeli Film Academy Winner – Best Supporting Actor: Doval’e Glickman, Best Film, Best Director: Jacob Goldwasser, Best Actor: Nevo Kimchi

Manpower
2014 | Fiction | 88 min | Rated PG

Immigration officer Meir Cohen must examine his own values when he is tasked with deporting African labor immigrants. A hard-working man struggling to make ends meet, he finds himself at odds with his country’s new brutal policies. The real lives of foreign workers in Israel is revealed in this ironic yet compassionate film about belonging and upheaval, home and family.

NOMINATION: Israeli Ophir Award for Best Actor

Saving Neta
2016 | 90 min | Rated G

The lives of four women in three, seemingly unrelated, stories are all affected to varying degrees by the presence of a mysterious Israeli young man named Neta. His life, too, changes through his encounters with these women over the course of a year. This new film from celebrated Israeli director Nir Bergman (Yona, Broken Wings) is a wonderful mosaic of modern Israeli culture, rich in nuances and exposing the sweeping drama of our everyday life.

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS: Jerusalem Film Festival Winner 2016; Nominated Israeli Academy Awards 2016

Admission & Screening Schedule

Tickets are priced at P150 per film and available for purchase online (starting March 9, 6:00 pm) or at the BHS Cinemas ticket booth.

Note: all films are in Hebrew, with English subtitles.

Related links: Israel in the Philippines official Facebook page, 15th Israeli Film Festival event page