Shorts Block 2 – Chance Encounters

As characters move through the world, we see how chance encounters can change our understanding of the world – whether with a neighbor, stranger, or military official.

Dalia’s Tea Casts a Shadow on Mount Fuji

Dalia, a retired widow lost in the routine of her village life, receives a long-awaited electric peeler. Prompted by a call from her daughter, she decides to bake a simple vegetable pie. This unexpected return to the kitchen transforms a mundane task into a profound discovery. Through the act of cooking, Dalia rediscovers the vitality and passion that had been missing from her life for years. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Oren Gerner (Africa), whose previous award-winning works have screened at Cannes, Sundance, and San Sebastian.

Elijah

When a homeless man crashes a Passover seder, the tension between dark comedy and serious social issues erupts. Elijah explores the unexpected clash of humor and discomfort as the guests wrestle with their own assumptions and the complexities of charity, belonging, and identity.

Elijah was produced with support from the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation’s Short Film Fund.

Vital Signs

After an argument with his wife over old toothbrushes, the new immigrant Aron heads into the city to buy oranges. As he navigates the streets, unable to communicate in the language of his new surroundings, Aron becomes entangled in a series of events. What begins as a simple search for oranges evolves into a pursuit of his own identity.

Half a Date

Tzvi is an ultra-Orthodox yeshiva student who arrives at a military office to file his religious deferral paperwork. He encounters a young soldier of a similar age who comes from a different social world. As they sit in an office, light banter and a shared crossword puzzle offers glimpses of another life. Half a Date is written and directed by Eden Abitbol, a notable voice in Haredi culture and a screenwriter on the hit TV show “The New Black.”