The message "It's Our 20th Year! MAKE SOME NOISE!" is printed on Purim graggers distributed this year to participating synagogues and organizations by the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema.
And celebration is definitely in order: Despite two decades punctuated by turmoil in Israel, the Chicago metropolitan area's only all-Israeli-all-the-time film festival has not only survived, but has thrived. This success is thanks to talented, resilient Israeli filmmakers, as well as a wonderful, ever-growing audience of supporters who appreciate cultural content--and context--they cannot get anywhere else.
Festival participants--both in-person and virtual--know all films are curated for local tastes. It takes a year of planning to find the most popular and critically acclaimed features and documentaries, and to tell the most representative stories, of Israel in the past 12 months.
Highlights include Opening Night, with the return of the Israel Repair Fair--in which guests roam table-to-table discovering how national organizations are helping the country rebuild after October 7 while sampling delicious Israeli fare--followed by the Chicago Premiere of Dana Modan's
The Property
. Introduced by the director on the big screen, the dramedy is based on her sister's graphic novel about their grandmother's efforts to reclaim the Warsaw apartment the family fled during the
Shoah
.
After Shabbat on March 22, the Festival welcomes long-time favorite director Erez Tadmor (
A Matter of Size
,
Magic Men
,
Matchmaking…
) direct from Israel, for a Q&A after his two latest hits,
Matchmaking
2, a comedy, and Soda, a 1950s period drama starring Fauda's Lior Raz and
The Baker and the Beauty's
Rotem Sela.
Sunday, March 23 marks the Festival's themed day, "Of Wonder Women (and Bras)." All four films--two features and two documentaries--weave remarkable tales about women from the past, present, and imagined future. After the 3 p.m. screening of Michal Cohen's
Full Support
, about customer interactions in a Yafo (Jaffa) bra shop, the audience will be treated to a delightfully "fitting" presentation by Larisa Olson, owner of Chantilly Lace in Wilmette.
On Wednesday, March 26, Young people in the city will experience Tom Nesher's debut feature,
Come Close
r, a semi-autobiographical story of love, loss, and moving on by the daughter of the esteemed director Avi Nesher. The film won the 2024 Ophir Award for Best Picture and was Israel's entry to the 2025 Academy Awards. Nesher will join us remotely for an exclusive introduction and Q&A.
Nesher's film and interview can also be seen on Saturday night, March 29, along with Lior Chefetz's thriller The Stronghold, starring Shtisel heartthrob Michael Aloni as an IDF doctor who faces a life-and-death dilemma as his outnumbered troops battle Egyptians in the Sinai during the Yom Kippur War.
The Festival concludes on Sunday, March 30 with a lineup themed, "A Crash Course in Contemporary Israel," starting with a film by Shemi Zarhin (
The World is Funny, The Kind Words…
) titled
Bliss (Hemda)
, starring iconic actors Sasson Gabay (
The Band's Visit, Shtisel…
) and Asi Levy (
Aviva, My Love; Wedding Doll
) and ending with Nim Shapira's
Torn
, about the hostage posters being ripped down by antisemites in New York City after October 7. Shapira will join in person for a Q&A following the screening.
All live screenings will take place at Landmark at The Glen in Glenview--except for the first showing of Come Closer, which will be screened at Facets in Chicago. Streaming begins March 21. For a complete schedule, film synopses, passes, and tickets, go to cfic.eventive.org. For all sponsors, donors, screening hosts, and more about the Festival, visit israelifilmchi.org.
Cindy Stern is the Executive Director of the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema.
