In Haifa, director Avi Nesher receives lifetime achievement award — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, at the opening of the 42nd Haifa International Film Festival, director Avi Nesher received a lifetime achievement award. That same evening, the official Israeli premiere of his new film Our Loves took place, which viewers greeted with a standing ovation, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The festival will run until October 3, and the film will be released in Israeli cinemas on October 15. The film depicts a group of people in southern Israel who consider October 6, 2023, the worst day of their lives and try to survive the Hamas attack the following day.
Screenings in Toronto
After the screening, cast members joined Nesher on stage, including Shalom Michaelshvili, Magi Azarzar, Noa Cohen, Daniel Gimpel, Yaniv Biton, Chanchaela Shon Mangosa, Hadas Yaron, and Amir Bnai. According to the publication, the director was moved by the audience’s reaction, the team’s support, and his own memories.
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Earlier in September, Our Loves was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nesher said that all three screenings there were sold out and that audiences gave the film standing ovations. According to him, the organizers asked that his name not be displayed on the sign of the driver who was to meet the director and his wife at the airport, while they were accompanied by increased security during the festival.
Remembering his son
During the ceremony, songs from Nesher’s films were performed. In particular, Sassi Keshet and the Israel Defense Forces quartet performed a medley from The Troupe. The song New Day Will Rise, dedicated to the mass killing at the Nova music festival, was performed by festival survivor Yuval Raphael together with Iranian singer Gola.
Nesher also recalled the 2018 festival opening, when the Israeli premiere of his film The Other Story took place there. After that opening, his 17-year-old son Ari was injured in a hit-and-run accident in Tel Aviv and died on September 27. Photos of his family were shown on the screen behind the director, and Nesher said his son would have been proud of both the award and the new film.
