For the first time, three films from the Shomron Film Fund are competing in various categories for the Ophir Awards.
The film “Boom Barrier” by film-creator Tal Kushner, has been nominated in the short feature film category and has advanced to the final stage along with 14 other candidates.
The film “Hands Full” by film-creator Efrat Libi is competing in the short documentary-film category and is up against 17 other short documentaries. The film “Mid-Life” by Danny and Hela Riesfeld and Livnat Vardi Or Zach is competing in the long feature film category.
Libi’s film follows the story of three young, religious women, who are unable to continue bringing children into the world. It documents them in the support group in which they participate, in an attempt to understand what motivates them to continue trying to have children even though this endangers their health, and they already have children at home.
The film “Boom Barrier” by film creator Tal Kushner tells the story of a Russian immigrant couple who are drowning in their daily struggles. On the night of their fifth wedding anniversary celebration, the husband is called out to guard the settlement”s entrance and he is concerned about a deep crisis between him and his wife.
“Mid-Life” is a full-length feature film. The film reveals the inner conflicts of a man as he copes with his wife”s terminal illness. She is suffering from cancer and has a limited time left to live. He tries to solve his problems by returning to his Jewish roots and moving to a warm, supportive community in Samaria. However, he might not succeed in overcoming the difficulties – if he doesn’t take care of himself.

Chairman of the Fund and head of the Samaria Council, Yossi Dagan, said: “The Samaria Film Fund is a mouthpiece for creators from Judea and Samaria who present life and culture in the region in an in-depth way and from a unique perspective. This is a real revolution in the field of cinema. For the first time, Judea and Samaria are on the map.”
Esther Alush, CEO of the fund, said: “Another glass ceiling has been broken. I am sure that our creators will continue to bring real innovation into the film industry and to bring new shades of color into cultural film creation, bringing a new and unique voice into Israeli and international cinema.”