The Israel Film Festival opening night with tributes to Arthur Cohn and Sharon Harel-Cohen

Festival founder Meir Fenigstein with the honorees: Arthur Cohn and Sharon Harel-Cohen 
Avi Lerner (Millenium Pictures) with Arthur Cohn, below the team of Incitement: Yaron Silberman and lead actor Yehuda Nahari Halevi

Rosana Arquette / 2019 IFF Achievement in Film Award winner Sharon Harel-Cohen and Avi Lerner, Chairman and CEO, Millennium Media

• Alon Aboutboul King Bibi Narrator, Forgiveness Actor
• Guy Amir Forgiveness Director, Actor 
• Ari Davidovich Shai K. Director 
• Anat Goren Dayan - The First Family Creator 
• Alon Gur Arye Mossad! Director 
• Jorge Gurvich Back to Maracana Director 
• Dani Menkin Picture of His Life Director 
• Yariv Mozer Reichman Director  
• Amos Nachoum Picture of His Life Actor 
• Eran Naim Love Trilogy: Chained Actor 
• Ofer Naim Mossad!, Love in Suspenders Producer 
• Yehuda Nahari Halevi Incitement Actor 
• Naama Preis The God of the Piano Actress 
• Hanan Savyon Forgiveness Director Actor 
• Schaul Scherzer Reichman Producer 
• Tamar Sela Incitement Producer  
• Adar Shafran Douze Points Forgiveness Producer 
• David Silber Incitement Producer  
• Jorge Weller Love in Suspenders Director
• Sharon Harel-Cohen, 2019 IFF Achievement in Film Award Recipient
• Yaron Zilberman Incitement Director

THE 33rd ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL in Los Angeles Opening Night Gala for the first time completely sold-out a week in advance to a capacity crowd of over 900 guests at last night’s opening at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.  The packed audience greeted the evening’s host, Israel Film Festival Founder/Executive Director Meir Fenigstein, with a standing ovation in recognition of his outstanding leadership of the Festival for over three decades. Standing ovations continued as six-time Academy Award-winning producer Arthur Cohn received the 2019 IFF Lifetime Achievement Award from actress Rosanna Arquette and when WestEnd Film Chair and producer Sharon Harel-Cohen was presented with the 2019 IFF Achievement in Film Award.by Avi Lerner, Chairman/CEO, Millennium Media. After the introduction of 25 of today’s leading Israeli filmmakers and talent who have films playing in the Festival which runs through November 26^th, the Festival bowed with the U.S. Premiere of renowned director Yaron Zilberman’s Incitement, winner of the Ophir Award for Israel’s Best Feature Film in 2019 and Israel’s Official Selection to the 2019 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.

“The Israel Film Festival opening night was a triumphant and successful start to what will be two weeks of premiere screenings of the very best of critically acclaimed and crowd-pleasing Israeli cinema,” said Fenigstein. “Nowhere else will audiences be able to see 35 award-winning Israeli movies, documentaries and tv shows complete with Q&As with their visiting filmmakers and talent in attendance.”

The 33rd Israel Film Festival takes place from November 12th – 26^th.  For further information on all films, schedules and to purchase tickets visit www.IsraelFilmFestival.com Festival screenings take place at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills and the Laemmle Town Center 5 Theatre in Encino.  For further information contact the IsraFest Foundation: 310.247.1800 or email info@israelfilmfestival.org.

Connect with the 33rd Israel Film Festival on Facebook (The Israel Film Festival), Instagram @IsraelFilmFestival, and Twitter @IsraelFilmFest for festival news and highlights, and join the conversation with #IsraelFilmFestival

Photos Bruno Chatelin