100 best Israeli movies
As the editor of the biggest movie site in Israel I decided to pick the best Israeli movies of all time, as far as I watched. The list is subjective and dosen't include great Israeli movies that I hadn't had the chance to see yet
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1.
Avanti popolo
(1986)
June 11th 1967, the Six-Day War is over and the cease fire has just begun. We follow the journey of Gassan and Haled... (84 mins.)
Director: Rafi Bukai
2.
Footnote
(2011)
Eliezer and Uriel Shkolnik are father and son as well as rival professors in Talmudic Studies. When both men learn that Eliezer will be lauded for his work, their complicated relationship reaches a new peak. (103 mins.)
Director: Joseph Cedar
3.
Peeping Toms
(1973)
Gote (zohar) and Eli (einsteen) are two aging friends who dont want to age. Gote is a lifeguard who's fighting peepers on the Tel-Aviv beach... (90 mins.)
Director: Uri Zohar
4.
Waltz with Bashir
(2008)
An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict. (90 mins.)
Director: Ari Folman
5.
S#x Acts
(2012)
Inevitable is a realistic paraphrase of a classic teen-movie, a deep dive into the 'Grey zone' of sexual abuse... (100 mins.)
Director: Johnathan Gurfinkel
6.
Broken Wings
(2002)
Daphne and her four children try to cope with the abrupt death of husband/father. As the family seems to fall apart, a sudden incident gives them a chance to heal their 'broken wings'. (87 mins.)
Director: Nir Bergman
7.
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
(2014)
In Israel there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce. Only rabbis can legitimate a marriage or its dissolution... (115 mins.)
Director: Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz
8.
Sallah
(1964)
The sharp, often hilarious satire that became the most successful film in Israeli history is about new immigrants Sallah and his family... (110 mins.)
Director: Ephraim Kishon
9.
Blues Lahofesh Hagadol
(1988)
A group of close friends celebrate the bittersweet changes coming to their lives during the summer of... (101 mins.)
Director: Renen Schorr
10.
Life According to Agfa
(1992)
The film takes place in Tel Aviv, much of it in a fictitious local pub called Barbie, a satirical nickname... (100 mins.)
Director: Assi Dayan
11.
The Kindergarten Teacher
(2014)
A kindergarten teacher discovers in a five year-old child a prodigious gift for poetry. Amazed and inspired by this young boy, she decides to protect his talent in spite of everyone. (119 mins.)
Director: Nadav Lapid
12.
The Policeman
(1971)
Azulai is a policeman in Jaffa, whose incompetence is only matched by his soft-heartedness. His superiors want to send him to early retirement... (87 mins.)
Director: Ephraim Kishon
13.
Dizengoff 99
(1979)
Three friends are moving to live together in 70's happy Tel Aviv . By days they are working a boring desk office job and by nights living the city... (110 mins.)
Director: Avi Nesher
15.
Zero Motivation
(2014)
A unit of female Israeli soldiers at a remote desert base bide their time as they count down the minutes until they can return to civilian life. (97 mins.)
Director: Talya Lavie
17.
Meduzot
(2007)
Meduzot (the Hebrew word for Jellyfish) tells the story of three very different Israeli women living... (78 mins.)
Director: Shira Geffen, Etgar Keret
18.
Ajami
(2009)
Ajami is the religiously mixed community of Muslims and Christians in Tel Aviv. These are five stories about the everyday life in Ajami. (124 mins.)
Director: Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani
19.
The Band's Visit
(2007)
A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town. (87 mins.)
Director: Eran Kolirin
21.
Mitahat La'af
(1982)
Four men whose combined intellect does not reach into the triple digits decide to steal a safe full of foreign currency - not from a local bank... (95 mins.)
Director: Jacob Goldwasser
22.
The Loners
(2009)
This human drama centers around two loner Russian soldiers who are caught smuggling arms and consequently arrested... (92 mins.)
Director: Renen Schorr
23.
Magic Men
(2014)
An elderly Greek man and his Hassidic rapper son embark on a journey with absurd encounters, which ultimately leads them to a final confrontation of father and son. (100 mins.)
Director: Guy Nattiv, Erez Tadmor
24.
Big Bad Wolves
(2013)
A series of brutal murders puts the lives of three men on a collision course: The father of the latest victim now out for revenge... (110 mins.)
Director: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado
25.
Alex Is Lovesick
(1986)
The movie is a romantic comedy which takes place in Israel during the Austerity period of the 1950s... (88 mins.)
Director: Boaz Davidson
26.
The House on Chelouche Street
(1973)
A fatherless family immigrates to Israel from Egypt during the British Mandate period. The film traces the hardships the family suffers in the politically unstable country. (110 mins.)
Director: Moshé Mizrahi
27.
Beyond the Walls
(1984)
In Israel's Central Prison, the security officer is corrupt, supplying drugs and stirring the hatred... (103 mins.)
Director: Uri Barbash
28.
Shlosha Yamim Veyeled
(1967)
Based on a short story by Abraham B. Jehoshua, the movie follows Eli (Oded Kotler) taking care of an old girlfriend's child for three days... (90 mins.)
Director: Uri Zohar
29.
Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi
(2003)
The new math teacher and new school principal discover the 16-year-old underachiever failing classes is really a genius, and the kid's own family's too busy relying on him to mend family fences to notice his brilliance either. (94 mins.)
Director: Shemi Zarhin
30.
Hagiga B'Snuker
(1975)
The story is about two twin brothers, Azriel and Gavriel (both played by Yehuda Barkan). Azriel is a... (95 mins.)
Director: Boaz Davidson
31.
Late Marriage
(2001)
Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married... (102 mins.)
Director: Dover Koshashvili
32.
Frozen Days
(2005)
A lonely young woman survives a suicide bombing and assumes the identity of one of its victims. As she moves into his apartment her grip on reality starts to crack. (90 mins.)
Director: Danny Lerner
33.
Lemon Popsicle
(1978)
Bentzi, Momo, and Yuda'leh are three teenage boys growing up in 1950's Israel, which is not much different... (95 mins.)
Director: Boaz Davidson
34.
Beaufort
(2007)
The story of a group of Israeli soldiers stationed in an outpost prior to the withdrawal of forces of 2000. (131 mins.)
Director: Joseph Cedar
35.
Noodle
(2007)
At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly... (90 mins.)
Director: Ayelet Menahemi
36.
Policeman
(2011)
A member of an Israeli anti-terrorist unit clashes with a group of young radicals. (105 mins.)
Director: Nadav Lapid
37.
The Debt
(2007)
The year is 1965. Rachel Brener is one of 3 young Mossad agents teem who caught "The Surgeon of Birkenau"... (100 mins.)
Director: Assaf Bernstein
38.
A Matter of Size
(2009)
A comedy about a 'coming out' of a different kind - overweight people learning to accept themselves. (90 mins.)
Director: Sharon Maymon, Erez Tadmor
39.
Yossi & Jagger
(2002)
Romance blooms between two soldiers (Knoller, Levi) stationed in an Israeli outpost on the Lebanese border. (65 mins.)
Director: Eytan Fox
40.
Giv'at Halfon Eina Ona
(1976)
Sergio Konstanza, a Swindler, owes money to Mr. Hasson. He escapes to the desert where he joins a wacky... (92 mins.)
Director: Assi Dayan
41.
Walk on Water
(2004)
Following the suicide of his wife, an Israeli intelligence agent is assigned to befriend the grandchildren of a Nazi war criminal. (103 mins.)
Director: Eytan Fox
43.
James' Journey to Jerusalem
(2003)
During his journey to Jerusalem young James learns the meaning of being Israeli. (91 mins.)
Director: Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
44.
Youth
(2013)
Two brothers kidnap a schoolmate to contribute to the family's income. (107 mins.)
Director: Tom Shoval
45.
Te'alat Blaumilch
(1969)
A slapstick comedy lampooning bureaucracy and the madness of everyday life in Israel centers on an escaped lunatic who digs up the streets of Tel-Aviv with a drill. (95 mins.)
Director: Ephraim Kishon
47.
Kazablan
(1974)
An embittered gang leader seeks the respect of his neighbors and the love of a young woman. (122 mins.)
Director: Menahem Golan
48.
The Matchmaker
(2010)
During the summer of 1968 a teenage boy goes to work for a matchmaker who has survived the Holocaust - both their lives are forever altered. (112 mins.)
Director: Avi Nesher
49.
Aviva, My Love
(2006)
Aviva, a hard-working hotel cook in the small northern Israeli town of Tiberias, is on the brink of finally fulfilling her lifelong dream... (107 mins.)
Director: Shemi Zarhin
50.
Sweet Mud
(2006)
Set in mid-70's, 12-year old Dvir Avni navigates between the equality values of his home-born Kibbutz and the relationship with his undermined mother, whom the Kibbutz members will to denounce. (90 mins.)
Director: Dror Shaul
51.
The Assassin Next Door
(2009)
A woman forced to work for the Russian Mafia as an assassin agrees to help her next-door neighbor kill her abusive husband. (102 mins.)
Director: Danny Lerner
52.
Matzor
(1969)
Story of a war-widow pressured by her friends to behave in the role of the heroic widow, and the journey she takes in a country of people under siege. (100 mins.)
Director: Gilberto Tofano
53.
The Human Resources Manager
(2010)
A tragi-comedy centered on the HR manager of Israel's largest industrial bakery, who sets out to save the reputation of his business and prevent the publication of a defamatory article. (103 mins.)
Director: Eran Riklis
54.
Turn Left at the End of the World
(2004)
As a family from India moves in to a desert neighborhood in Southern Israel in the 1960's, the family's eldest... (110 mins.)
Director: Avi Nesher
55.
Nina's Tragedies
(2003)
The taboo relationship between young Nadav and his Aunt Nina transcends definition on its way to odd highs and lows. (106 mins.)
Director: Savi Gavison
56.
Einayim G'dolot
(1974)
Benny Furman is a basketball headcoach who can't decide what he realy wants. (75 mins.)
Director: Uri Zohar
57.
Lost Islands
(2008)
A family in the 80s with five kids get into a crisis when twin brothers fall in love with the same girl. (103 mins.)
Director: Reshef Levy
58.
Out in the Dark
(2012)
A drama centered on the love affair between two men on opposite sides of the Mid-East conflict: Palestinian student Nimer and Roy, an Israeli lawyer. (96 mins.)
Director: Michael Mayer
59.
Afterthought
(2015)
A story of two men in the old part of Haifa. Both are walking up and down the mountain in opposing directions... (105 mins.)
Director: Elad Keidan
60.
Someone to Run With
(2006)
Through the streets of Jerusalem two teenagers' stories will unite to tell the summer adventure of their lives... (118 mins.)
Director: Oded Davidoff
61.
The Secrets
(2007)
In The Secrets, two brilliant young women discover their own voices in a repressive orthodox culture where females are forbidden to sing... (127 mins.)
Director: Avi Nesher
62.
The Farewell Party
(2014)
Residents of a retirement home build a machine for self-euthanasia in order to help their terminally ill friend, though they are faced with a series of dilemmas when rumors of the machine begin to spread. (95 mins.)
Director: Tal Granit, Sharon Maymon
63.
Or (My Treasure)
(2004)
Or shoulders a lot: she's 17 or 18, a student, works evenings at a restaurant, recycles cans and bottles for cash... (97 mins.)
Director: Keren Yedaya
64.
Dead End
(2006)
It is the height of summer and the reality show "his heart's choice" is just about to launch its third season... (90 mins.)
Director: Dror Sabo
65.
Phobidilia
(2009)
After suffering an emotional breakdown in a public place, a young man vows never to leave his apartment... (87 mins.)
66.
Saint Clara
(1996)
The year is 1999 and the storyline is actually a number of sub-plots all revolving around the 13-year old Clara... (85 mins.)
Director: Ari Folman, Ori Sivan
67.
Yossi
(2012)
This sequel to Yossi and Jagger finds Dr. Yossi Gutmann reminiscing about his love ten years after his death; however, as he encounters a group of young soldiers, one of them, Tom, reignites his romantic feelings. (84 mins.)
Director: Eytan Fox
68.
Charlie Ve'hetzi
(1974)
Charlie gets by through fleecing suckers with a three-card Monte. He passes himself off as a rich businessman... (105 mins.)
Director: Boaz Davidson
69.
Total Love
(2000)
Three friends concoct the ultimate love drug, TLV, and fall in love with the same woman, Renana. Years later, Renana's ex-lovers team up to rescue her from an Indian prison. (83 mins.)
Director: Gur Bentwich
71.
Going Steady
(1979)
Teenage romande, parties and sex in 1950s Tel Aviv. Music is at the core of the lives of these teenagers. This iscomedy about three friends. (100 mins.)
Director: Boaz Davidson
72.
Infiltration
(2010)
The 1956, a few years after the War of Independence and the establishment of the State of Israel. Immigration is at its peak... (120 mins.)
Director: Dover Koshashvili
73.
Out of Sight
(2006)
Ya'ara, 24 years old, is attractive, independent, confident and intelligent, and she has just begun her PhD in Mathematics at Princeton University... (86 mins.)
Director: Daniel Syrkin
74.
Sharqiya
(2012)
Nobody really respects Camel Najer, the young Bedouin who works as a security guard at the central bus station... (85 mins.)
Director: Ami Livne
75.
Sh'Chur
(1994)
A Westernized teenager struggles to come to terms with the white magic practiced by members of her family. (100 mins.)
Director: Shmuel Hasfari
77.
Or (My Treasure)
(2004)
Or shoulders a lot: she's 17 or 18, a student, works evenings at a restaurant, recycles cans and bottles for cash... (97 mins.)
Director: Keren Yedaya
78.
Valley
(2014)
This is the story of three sensitive teens who are forced to deal with violence at home, violence at school... (86 mins.)
Director: Sophie Artus
79.
Campfire
(2004)
The story of one woman's personal battle for acceptance, but also a portrait of a political movement that has forever affected millions of lives in the Middle East. (96 mins.)
Director: Joseph Cedar
80.
Bethlehem
(2013)
Tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant... (99 mins.)
Director: Yuval Adler
81.
Rock Ba-Casba
(2012)
The year is 1989. In an era of Palestinian demands for independence, the State of Israel sends young... (93 mins.)
Director: Yariv Horowitz
82.
Encirclements
(2014)
When thirteen year old Aharon,is selected for the great honor of carrying the big Torah book around the neighborhood in 'Simchat Torah' celebrations... (96 mins.)
Director: Lee Gilat
83.
Abu el Banat
(1974)
A man with eight daughters, and no hope of an heir, takes a mistress to console himself. He finally consults a magician who gives him a list of instructions on how to make a son. Soon his wife is pregnant again. (93 mins.)
Director: Moshé Mizrahi
85.
Princess
(2014)
While her workaholic mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar and her stepfather push their role-playing games into dangerous territory... (92 mins.)
Director: Tali Shalom-Ezer
86.
Afula Express
(1997)
David is a garage electrician, who dreamt all of his life of becoming a magician, but had no luck in it... (95 mins.)
Director: Julie Shles
88.
90.
Off-White Lies
(2011)
A father and his daughter, during the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon. (86 mins.)
Director: Maya Kenig
91.
Zohi Sdom
(2010)
When ancient Sodom is doomed to destruction due to its people's corrupt ways, Lot is the only righteous man destined to be spared. (90 mins.)
Director: Adam Sanderson, Muli Segev
92.
Mars Turkey
(2001)
A police captain needs to balance between protecting the last remaining witness in a trial, and his rapidly disintegrating love life. (90 mins.)
Director: Oded Davidoff
95.
96.
My Father My Lord
(2007)
A respected rabbi is forced to come to terms with the demands of his faith and the welfare of his own family. (72 mins.)
Director: David Volach
97.
Fill the Void
(2012)
A young Hasidic Jewish woman is pressured into an arranged levirate marriage to an older widower. (90 mins.)
Director: Rama Burshtein
98.
Abba Ganuv
(1987)
Respectable single father and tour boat captain Chico fights tooth and nail to maintain custody of his dear son Ben while developing a romantic relationship with beautiful lawyer Galia. (87 mins.)
Director: Yankol Goldwasser
99.
Colombian Love
(2004)
Tali and Ori are a young Israeli couple. After attending their best friends' wedding, which ended in disaster... (96 mins.)
Director: Shay Kanot
100.
White Panther
(2013)
In the 1990's a million former USSR Jews arrived in Israel. The immigrants were despised by the local population who feared their 'invasion'... (89 mins.)
Director: Danni Reisfeld
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