Avi Nesher’s latest film, Our Loves, will continue its international journey at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the largest film festival in North America and one of the most prestigious in the world, considered to be an important launching pad for movies.
The film, which deals with characters caught in the October 7 massacre, will be screened in TIFF’s Centerpiece section, which is devoted to outstanding films from around the world that have already received international recognition. Industry insiders praised TIFF for choosing to spotlight an Israeli film in such a divisive time.
It was announced recently that international entertainment companies FOX Entertainment Studios and Access Entertainment have signed on as co-producers. Access Entertainment has produced Oscar-winning movies such as The Zone of Interest and Conclave.
The film was originally produced by United King Films and SIPUR, an Israel-based international entertainment studio, along with Artomas Communications and Zoa Films.
The addition of these international partners is a significant step in breaking through an unofficial but real international boycott of Israeli cinema, particularly for films that tell an explicitly Israeli story, in Hebrew.
The announcement came shortly after this year’s Ophir Awards nominations were announced, with Our Loves receiving 12 nominations, including best picture, director, screenplay, cinematography, editing, and original music.
Our Loves is Nesher’s 21st film. One of the most popular and prominent filmmakers in Israeli cinema, Nesher’s films include The Troupe (1978), Turn Left at the End of the World (2004), and The Matchmaker (2010).
Nesher's films often take inspiration from real life
He has frequently drawn inspiration from real events in his work, as he did in Image of Victory (2021), a movie about Jews and Egyptians during the War of Independence.
Our Loves follows seven characters whose lives become intertwined. Each of the seven is trapped in a dysfunctional relationship, and they all have one thing in common: their absolute belief that October 6, the day their relationships ended, was the worst day of their lives.
The following day, as the events of October 7 force them into desperate efforts to survive, previously hidden truths and insights about their pasts and futures begin to emerge.
The film stars leading Israeli actors Shalom Michaelshwilli, Magi Azarzar, Yaniv Biton, Noa Cohen, Hadas Yaron, Evelin Hagoel, Lena Fraifeld, Chancela Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, Lev Leib Levin, Naomi Aharoni-Gal (aka Nunu), Lior Miller, Elad Turgeman, Amir Banai, Nevo Katan, and Itamar Pinto, alongside newcomer Daniel Gimpel.
“Our Loves is perhaps the most significant opportunity Israel has been given to present the human story of October 7 to the world,” said SIPUR CEO Emilio Schenker.
“The film’s extraordinary power has succeeded in breaking through the walls of the infuriating boycott directed against
Israeli cinema. Now, the story that belongs to all of us, from the most painful and difficult day in the country’s history, will be presented on one of the world’s most important and respected cinematic stages.”
Boycott of Israeli media is 'gradually crumbling'
Liron Edery, United King Films’ head of marketing and distribution, said the Toronto selection showed that opposition to Israeli cinema was beginning to weaken.
“We are pleased to see that the boycott of Israeli cinema is gradually crumbling and that Israeli films continue to receive a platform at the world’s most important festivals because of their quality and power,” she said.
“For us, the selection of Our Loves for the Toronto Film Festival is a significant statement. This is a film that tells the Israeli story and what we experienced on that terrible day. But no less importantly, it is a film about the possibility of repair, healing, and change, and about the strength to grow even out of the greatest fracture,” she continued.
Edery said the producers were proud of Nesher, the creative team, and all the partners involved in the film.
“We are convinced that the film will also touch international audiences,” she said. “Ultimately, good cinema succeeds in crossing borders, languages, and prejudices, and we believe that this is exactly what Our Loves will do.”
At a panel held during the Jerusalem Film Festival last month, Our Loves was presented as a case study in overcoming the international boycott of Israeli film. Access Entertainment president Danny Cohen, a former director of BBC Television, spoke at the panel of the film’s awards prospects.
“I genuinely believe it has Academy Award potential,” said Cohen, speaking via Zoom at the event at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. “I’ve worked on a number of Oscar campaigns. I think Avi’s work deserves that platform. And I hope the Israeli Academy selects this film as Israel’s submission for Best International Feature.”
The involvement of major figures in the international entertainment industry, including FOX Entertainment Studios and Access Entertainment, headed by Len Blavatnik and Cohen, is expected to give the film an opportunity to reach millions of viewers around the world.
The producers include Schenker and Gideon Tadmor for SIPUR; Moshe Edery and Leon Edery for United King Films; and Cohen for Access Entertainment. The executive producers include Fernando Szew for FOX Entertainment Studios; Jim Berk and Sheldon Rabinowitz for Moriah Media; and Shari Redstone for SIPUR.