Unlike last year, when odds-on favourite Intimate Grammar failed to pick up a single award, 2011 provided few surprises as the Israeli Academy of Film presented its annual Ophir awards.
The ever-popular director Joseph Cedar collected his second best director award and saw his film Footnote take home a total of nine Ophirs, including best film and screenplay, from its 13 nominations.
An Oscar nominee in the foreign language film category for his last film, Beaufort, Cedar’s earlier films Campfire and Time of Favour both won best film Ophirs, with Campfire providing the helmer with his first best director award.
The story of a bitter rivalry between a father and son who are both Talmud scholars, Footnote collected a major prize earlier this year when Cedar, as both writer and director, picked up the prestigious Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Acting categories
In his first film for more than 20 years, popular stage and television comedian Shlomo Bar Aba collected the best actor gong as the elder of the two rivals, whilst his screen son Lior Ashkenazi picked up the best supporting actor award.
In the actress categories, it was Marco Carmel’s My Lovely Sister that, as expected, dominated, with both awards going to Evelyn Hagoel (actress) and Reymond Ansalem (supporting actress) and the story of two tormented sisters of Moroccan descent.
Competition shut out
With Footnote effectively sweeping the boards, there was little room for other acclaimed films such as The Policeman, recipient of the Grand Prix at Locarno and Restoration, winner of best film awards at Jerusalem and Karlovy Vary and the World Cinema Dramatic Screening Award at Sundance.
Restoration, in spite of receiving 11 nominations, had to be satisfied with just one award – best original music. Presented to Avi Belleli, it was the composer’s second successive Ophir, having collected the same award last year for his work on Revolution 101.
The Policeman was completely locked out and picked up nothing out of its seven nominations, a feat mirrored by the indie-favourite Off-White Lies.
Ophir Awards
First presented in 1982, the Ophirs are named after Israeli actor and comedian Yishayahu ‘Shaike’ Ophir. A star of more than 30 films produced in Israel and overseas, Ophir is best known for his role in HaShoter Azoulai (The Policeman), winner of the 1972 Golden Globe for best foreign language film and Israel’s first Oscar nomination that same year.
The first Ophir was presented to director Shimon Dotan for Repeat Dive. The legendary Asi Dayan holds the individual record with eight awards and is the only person to collect an Ophir for acting, directing and writing. The film Nina’s Tragedies is the most successful feature at the Academy's awards night when it collected 11 Ophirs in 2003.
The winner of the best film award automatically qualifies as Israel’s entry for consideration for the best foreign language film Oscar. Footnote will be hoping to be the tenth Israeli film to make the final five shortlist and to become the first Israeli to win the coveted golden statue.
Keith Lawrence - Published writer of articles in magazines, newspapers and websites, predominantly on culture, alongside ghostwriter/editor/copywriter.
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