Opening Night: Seven Blessings

Overview

JxJ 2024 will open with a screening of Seven Blessings –  the winner of 10 Ophir Awards out of 12 nominations in 2023. Seven Blessings is female director Ayelet Menahemi’s first film in 16 years. Director Shaylee Atary will also be in attendance to receive the JxJ Emerging Filmmaker Award and present a pre-show screening of her award-winning short film Single Light. Join us after the program for an Opening Night celebration.

Lead support provided by the Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation.

This program is proudly supported by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC Association of North America Program Accelerator and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.

In partnership with the Embassy of Israel in Washington DC.

About the Films

Single Light 
Dir. Shaylee Atary | 29 min
Narrative | Israel | 2023 | Hebrew with English subtitles
“Lali is sexually assaulted on a dark road in a Tel Aviv parking lot. Awake, yet unable to move, she stares at a streetlight. The next morning, Lali wakes up to a reality which she refuses to accept. Director Shaylee Atary masterfully juggles her mise-en-scène, her actors, the sound, and unusual cinematography.” – Jerusalem Film Festival 

Seven Blessings
Dir. Ayelet Menahemi | 111 min
Narrative | Israel | 2023 | Hebrew, Moroccan, and French with English subtitles
Seven Blessings swept the Israeli Academy Awards® (The Ophir Awards), taking home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script, and Best Actress. The film revolves around an eventful Jewish Moroccan family wedding and the traditional blessings that are said for the next seven nights of ceremonies and meals with loved ones. Behind the comedy of errors that ensues, 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. 

Additional screening of Seven Blessings are available here.