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Late Marriage Dover Kosashvili Set among the society of Georgian immigrants in Israel, Late Marriage is the funny, sad and sexy story of a 31-year-old man involved in a passionate affair with a divorced mother. His tradition-bound parents disapprove and try to find an appropriate wife for him. A culturally detailed, character-driven comedy-drama, with great performances and one of the most memorable love scenes of recent years. "...an unforgettable look at morality, family, and social expectation..." (Loren King, Boston Globe). DVD in Georgian and Hebrew with English subtitles; Israel, 2001, 100 mins. DVD | $44.95
2 Kuni Lemel Israel Becker Raphael Klatchkin plays a harried matchmaker in this delightful musical comedy from Israel. Try as he might, the matchmaker cannot find a suitor for the daughter of a wealthy neighbor. After learning of her obsession with a handsome young tutor, he sets the girl up with a convincing lookalike, creating comic complications for everyone. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1966, 120 mins. DVD | $44.95
9 Star Hotel Ido Haar The Israeli documentary Malon 9 Kochavim "possesses a brutal immediacy, unfolding like a Middle Eastern Grapes of Wrath" (Time Out NY). Filmmaker Ido Haar gained the trust of a group of young Palestinian men who illegally cross the border into Israel every night in search of construction work. Hiding from police and struggling to survive, they sleep in makeshift hovels ironically referred to as a Nine Star Hotel. The portrait that emerges is both painful but fascinating. A nominee for the Documentary Prix Arte at the European Film Awards, and an Official Selection at the Tribeca film festival. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2006, 78 mins. DVD | $44.95
The 17th Bride Nadav Levitan A strong-willed Jewish woman living in a Czech village during WWII marries a man that she despises to avoid being sent to a labor camp. Eventually, the stress of the loveless marriage and the war begin to erode the woman's mind. Stars Lisa Hartman. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1984, 92 mins. DVD | $44.95
Alex in Love Boaz Davidson An early pre-Hollywood romantic comedy from Israeli director Boaz Davidson (The Last American Virgin). Set in the early years of Israeli independence, the film follows the crush that 13-year-old Alex develops on a beautiful and much-older relative visiting from Poland. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1980, 88 mins. DVD | $44.95
Arbinka (Ervinka) Ephraim Kishon "...a brilliant satire of police stupidity and municipal bureaucratic inefficiency" (Amy Kronish, World Cinema: Israel). Topol stars as the title character, a good-natured layabout who becomes embroiled in a plot to rob the Israeli lottery. Along the way he indulges his boundless zeal for mischief and romance. From the director of the classic Sallah. Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1967, 95 mins. DVD | $44.95
Auditions Ron Ninio A provocative portrait of young actors and the struggles behind their success. A passionate and powerful drama about the action beyond the bright lights. Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1995, 92 mins. DVD | $44.95
Aviya's Summer Eli Cohen The story of one summer in the life of ten-year-old Aviya, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, during the first years of Israel's independence. Aviya's mother had been a partisan fighter during the war and she walked the thin line between sanity and madness, forcing to Aviya live in orphanages most of her life. This was the summer that Aviya would return home. Based on the life of Gila Almagor, writer/producer and star of the film. Winner of the Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival and three Israeli Silver Menorah Awards. "The emotionally powerful story...reveals the scars, both mental and physical, that Holocaust survivors brought with them to Israel" (American Historical Review). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1989, 96 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Barbecue People Yossi Madmoni/David Ofek An ambitious film by directors Yossi Madmoni and David Ofek, this powerful Israeli drama explores the immorality, infidelity, and murder in one immigrant family's past as they try to mask their scars behind the pleasant trappings of an Independence Day barbecue. DVD includes making-of featurette, music video clip ("Over the Palm Trees"), and English and French subtitle options. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2003, 98 mins. DVD | $44.95
Billiards Festival Boaz Davidson An early film from director Boaz Davidson (The Last American Virgin) filmed in his native Israel. Two con men, Gavriel and Hanuka (hilariously played by comedians Yehuda Barkan and Zev Revah), have a bad habit of swindling people at billiards. When their antics get into trouble with the Mafia, they are forced to contact Gavriel's religious twin brother, Avriel (also played by Barkan). A funny look at the clash between religious and secular cultures in Israel. Also known as Hagiga B'Snuker. DVD in Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1975, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Blaumilch Canal (The Big Dig) Ephraim Kishon An outrageous satire from the director of Sallah and Ervinka that lampoons the bureaucracy and madness of everyday life in Israel. An escaped lunatic starts digging up the streets of Jerusalem with a pneumatic drill and his random excavations set off a chain reaction of pandemonium as misguided government agencies rush to assist and claim credit for the project. A Golden Globe nominee for Outstanding Foreign Language Film. Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1969, 95 mins. DVD | $44.95
Bonjour, Monsieur Shlomi Shemi Zarhin Oshri Cohen plays a 17-year-old Israeli boy who's too busy caring for his needy family to realize his academic talents in this cheerful and inspiring coming-of-age comedy. Shlomi's (Cohen) day is full of chores - he cares for his aging grandfather, cooks the family meals, watches after his younger brother, and keeps the house tidy for his hardworking mother. Schoolwork takes a back seat until the day that Shlomi's math teacher (Nisso Khavia) tells the boy's family of his prodigious gift - an announcement they greet with more worry than celebration. "A feel-good movie about an unassuming teen and the machinations necessary to reveal his hidden genius" (Ruth Stein, San Francisco Chronicle). Israel, 2004, 98 mins. DVD | $44.95
Brave Detective Schwartz This outrageous screwball comedy--winner of three Academy Awards in its native Israel--concerns a wealthy banker's inquiry into his wife's suspicious behavior. Concerned that his dearly beloved is having an affair, Kahana hires a bumbling private investigator to expose the infidelity. In fact, the detective turns the table on his employer by attempting to woo the woman himself. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1973, 95 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Bubble (Ha Buah) Eytan Fox From Eytan Fox, director of Walk on Water, comes this intelligent, erotic Israeli film about Tel Aviv hipsters who seem far removed from the religious conflicts that taking lives around them. Lulu (Daniella Wircer) and her two gay roommates, Yali and Noam (Alon Friedmann and Ohad Knoller), like to party, gossip, and date. Politics rarely enter their conversations, but this changes when Noam has a fling with a Palestinian man, who is invited to stay in their flat illegally. Before long, larger social realities threaten their utopian bubble. "Fox's mix-and-match sampling of apparently incompatible genres nails the nervous blend of vitality and desperation that is Israel today" (The Village Voice). In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. Israel, 2006, 117 mins. DVD | $44.95
Cafe Tales Amit Lior Israeli star Moshe Ivgy stars in a bittersweet drama about patrons of a neighborhood coffee house who band together to try to halt its demolition. Nominated for 5 awards from the Israeli Film Academy, including Best Actress (Elishva Michaeli) and Best Film. In English and Hebrew with English subtitles. DVD includes director and cast commentary, deleted scenes, photo album, music video, trailer, bonus clips, behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5.1 sound, and Hebrew and English menu options. Israel, 2003, 83 mins. DVD | $37.95
Campfire (Medurat Hashevet) Joseph Cedar Winner of five Israeli Academy Awards, this politically resonant drama tells of a widowed mother (Michaela Eshet) who lobbies to join a pioneering settlement on the West Bank in the early 1980s. Her dream of moving her teenage daughters into a supportive new community is complicated when the settlement's steering committee refuses her petition on religious and ideological grounds. "...a rigorously unsentimental depiction of family life... so rich and well acted you'll be wondering about the characters for days" (EYE Weekly). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2004, 96 mins. DVD | $37.95
Charlie and a Half Boaz Davidson This Israeli comedy follows the misadventures of a small-time extortionist, his young assistant and a smooth criminal operator as they charm their way through a series of cons. Directed by Boaz Davidson (The Last American Virgin) and starring Yehuda Barkan and Ze'ev Revah. In Hebrew with optional Hebrew and English subtitles. Israel, 1974, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
Circus Palestina Eyal Halfon Winner of five Israeli Film Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Amos Lavi), this darkly comic tale uses the story of a small circus troupe from Eastern Europe as a smart, satirical commentary on the human condition. While on tour in the West Bank, the company finds that its lion is missing. The search for the beast draws together an unlikely alliance, but the united effort becomes more complicated as it goes along. In Hebrew, Russian, English and Arabic with English subtitles. Israel, 1998, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Clean Sweep Oded Davidoff A cult hit in its native Israel, this stylish crime comedy stars Yael Hadar as a the sexually frustrated mistress of Reuven (Alon Abutbul), a work-obsessed police captain. When Reuven enlists Aya (Hadar) to plant a bug in a crime lord's apartment, the woman's seething resentments bubble to the surface. Stylish and brash, Oded Davidoff's comic thriller was an Israeli Film Academy Award winner. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2001, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Close to Home (Karov La Bayit) Vardit Bilu/Dalia Hager Smadar Sayar and Naama Schendar play two female soldiers patrolling the streets of Jerusalem. Though they can barely stand one another on a personal level, they discover common ground in dealing with life in a city under the constant threat of violence. "Strikingly sympathetic" (Andrew Sarris, New York Observer). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2005, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Colombian Love Shai Kannot Described as an Israeli version of Four Weddings and a Funeral, this romantic comedy from television director Shai Kannot (Tik Sagur) follows three characters as they navigate the precipitous boundaries between love, lust, and friendship. The characters' complex solutions are entertaining, and offer insight into Israeli attitudes towards love and relationships. With Nir Levy, Assi Cohen, and Mili Avital (The Human Stain). Includes director commentary, behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, trailer, TV spot, 5.1 sound, and English and Hebrew subtitle options. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2004, 96 mins. DVD | $44.95
Cup Final Eran Riklis A political film suffused with humor and wit about an Israeli soldier detained by PLO guerrillas and his shifting relationship with the group's leader, both of whom carry an obsession for the Italian national soccer club. "An uncommon delicacy and wit that's bolstered by the powerful ensemble acting. Like Fuller, Coppola and Kubrick, Eran Riklis brings home the surrealism of war" (The Village Voice). DVD in Hebrew with English subtitles, letterboxed, includes director's statement and bio, photo and trailer galleries. Israel, 1992, 107 mins. DVD | $44.95
Dead End Street Yaky Yosha This Israeli drama follows the true story of Alice, a prostitute, who's given the rare opportunity to star in a documentary about her sordid life with the help of a film producer and his wife. While in production, she gets entangled in the producer's more-than professional interest in her, forcing Alice to face the possibility of having no part of society in which she feels comfortable. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1982, 86 mins. DVD | $44.95
Desperado Square Benny Toraty Morris Mandabon made a vow never to screen movies at his neighborhood theatre, but on the one year anniversary of his death, Morris visits his youngest son Nissim (Nir Levy) in a dream and urges him to re-open the theatre. Thus begins a moving and sensitively wrought Israeli drama that touches on themes of memory, family, and cultural obligation. Winner of 5 Israeli Academy Awards, Benny Toraty's drama also boasts a talented ensemble cast and a spirited soundtrack of ethnic music. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2001, 98 mins. DVD | $44.95
Distortion Haim Bouzaglo Set against a tumultuous backdrop of fear and violence, Haim Bouzaglo's acclaimed films tells of a Tel Aviv playwright who attempts to make sense of his country's carnage and his own tangled personal life by writing a new play. When writer's block sets in, Haim seeks a creative spark by hiring a private eye to trail his documentary filmmaker girlfriend. Bouzaglo brings an original mix of filmmaking styles to this potent and challenging drama about the malaise of contemporary life in Israel. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel/France, 2005, 103 mins. DVD | $37.95
Fictitious Marriage Haim Bouzaglo A high school teacher experiences mid-life crisis when he unexpectedly turns up in Tel Aviv and is mistaken for an Arab laborer. With Shlomo Bar-Aba, Irit Sheleg and Ofra Veingarten. "A human candid camera, an inside look at Israel" (Hadashot). DVD in Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1988, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Flying Camel Rami Na'aman Ethnic and religious differences take a back seat to shared humanity in this warm, upbeat comedy about a Jewish professor, an Arabic trash collector and a Catholic nun who wind up together in the professor's junkyard. At first, there is conflict over the property itself, which the trash collector claims was the former location of his father's orange grove. Eventually, their differences are resolved and they team up to reconstruct a flying camel statue that had been used as a symbol of Tel Aviv's renewal at the 1934 Eastern Fair. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1994, 92 mins. DVD | $44.95
God's Sandbox Doron Eran This powerful, highly-praised film from Israel relates a cruel and horrible story of ritualized female circumcision and its effects on a mother and her runaway daughter. Once reunited, they must come to terms with their family's past. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2005, 86 mins. DVD | $44.95
Hairdresser Zev Revah Popular Israeli comedian Zev Revah stars in a campy, outrageous farce about a lowly utility worker who switches places with his identical twin--a flamboyant hairdresser for upscale clients. Revah tackles both roles in a hilarious performance that will have you in stitches. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1984, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Heritage (Ha-Yerusha) Amnon Rubinstein A modern romance is intertwined with a 500-year-old history between a Christian soldier and a young Jewish girl during the Spanish Inquisition. A spellbinding drama, filmed on location in Israel and Spain. Winner of three Israeli Academy Awards. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1993, 89 mins. DVD | $44.95
Hill Halfon Doesn't Answer Assi Dayan Three reservists in the Israeli army can't seem to stay out of trouble in this riotous comedy starring the Hagashash Hachiver trio, an enormously popular comedy team in Israel. Romantic mischief complicates the search for an AWOL soldier, which escalates to a madcap adventure. The top-grossing Israeli comedy of all time. DVD in Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1975, 92 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Hit (Schlager) Assi Dayan This musical romantic comedy starring the acclaimed Hagashash Hahiver Comedy Trio features one of the first screen appearances by the late Israeli pop singer, Ofra Haza. Peppered with the wacky characters from the trio's sketch routines, The Hit follows a dancing instructor who uses a bizarre method to play matchmaker for his friends: he checks the obituaries and sets them up with new widows and widowers. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1979, 94 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Inner Tour Ra'anan Alexandrowicz Filmmaker Ra'anan Alexandrowicz takes an emotional journey into the heart of the charged conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Filmed just months before the 2000 Intifada, the documentary follows a group of West Palestinians on a three-day bus tour of Israel, which Alexandrowicz organized illegally by bypassing Israeli-enforced travel restrictions. As the tour group travels through a land where many of them had once lived and interacts with Israelis, the deep emotional distances and contradicting realities between the people resonate with incredible depth. A powerful film. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel/Palestine, 2001, 94 mins. DVD | $44.95
James' Journey to Jerusalem Ra'anan Alexandrowicz A Christian African discovers the rough realities of the Western world during his spiritual pilgrimage to Jerusalem in this poignant satire. James (an impressive Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe) yearns to be a pastor, so he travels from his small village to Jerusalem to experience the holiest of cities. The plans change, though, when the innocent, dreadlocked pilgrim is denied entrance into the city and locked in a cell with other immigrants. A new journey begins when James is bailed out by a stranger who introduces the boy to the corruptions of capitalism. "A morality tale that transcends its specific details to resonate with a universality" (Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter). Includes a music video, the U.S. theatrical trailer, optional English subtitles, and a director's statement. In English, Hebrew and Zulu with English subtitles. Israel, 2003, 87 mins. DVD | $44.95
Jewish Vendetta Aleksandr Shabatayev Suspecting that his wife has been cheating on him, a man fakes a heart attack and uses the guilt of his "death bed" to elicit a confession from her. It turns out that her lone infidelity came 30 years ago with her husband's best friend in Russia. The husband cannot let this ancient history rest, so he leaves Israel for Russia to reclaim his honor. If only his son and the Russian mob would get out of his way and let him take revenge. A clever film about the lasting power of jealousy. In Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles. Israel/Russia, 1997, 75 mins. DVD | $44.95
Joy Julie Shles From Julie Shles (Afula Express) comes this endearing, offbeat Israeli drama about a thirty-something woman (Sigalit Fuchs), who has trouble coming in from all sides. Her mother nags her about her weight, her father is handicapped, her brother is unemployed, and her boyfriend is married. She finally catches a break by being selected for a reality TV show, but, of course, there's a catch: her whole dysfunctional family has to go on the air with her. With Tal Friedman, Keren Mor, and Yossi Pollak. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2005, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Kuni Lemel in Cairo Yoel Silberg The first Israeli film ever shot in Egypt, this colorful musical features the famed Kuni and Muni Lemel twins in the story of an eventful journey to deliver an Israeli Torah to a Jewish community in Cairo. Israel, 1983, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Kuni Lemel in Tel Aviv Yoel Silberg A contemporary realization of the story of Kuni Lemel (Mike Burstyn), the Jewish folk hero of the shtetl, about a grandfather's offer to pay his twin grandsons $5 million to marry and return to Israel. The young men are polar opposites, one shy and virtuous, the other outgoing and in love with a shiksa. With Mandy Rice-Davies. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1977, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Late Summer Blues Uri Barbash A powerful, controversial film from Israel. Drawing on autobiographical details, Late Summer Blues looks at a group of seven 18-year-old men and women during the summer break between their final exams and their induction into Israeli Armed Forces as the War of Attrition at the Suez Canal draws on. This summer holiday will cut short their adolescence. First Prize, Israeli Film Awards. Videocassette in Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1987, 101 mins. Videocassette | $44.95
Lovely Troubles Assi Dayan Beloved Israeli film actor Zev Revah stars in a screwball comedy about a stuttering bridegroom and a part-time gigolo who flee to a boarding house to escape their female pursuers. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1976, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Marital Games (Hacham Gamliel) Joel Silberg Filmed in Israel, this early comedy by director Joel Silberg (Breakin') stars comic Yossi Banai as a folk healer anxious to marry off his reluctant daughter. As the hijinks compound, so do the laughs. DVD in Hebrew with English subtitles, closed-captioned, double-sided (NTSC or PAL). Israel, 1974, 94 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Megilla '83 Ilan Eldad Adapted from a classic Yiddish play, this musical comedy tells the story of a village's annual retelling of the Book of Esther with the actors beginning to take on--a little too closely--the characters they are supposed to portray. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1983, 86 mins. DVD | $44.95
Metallic Blues Danny Verete Avi Kushnir and Moshe Ivgy (Munich) play inept used car salesmen from Israel who buy a vintage limousine in hopes of selling it for a big profit in Hamburg. What starts out as a road movie with some lowbrow yucks unexpectedly switches gears to reveal lingering tensions between Germans and Jews. "A film whose multinational production mirrors its own internal logic, Metallic Blues sneaks up on viewers" (Variety). Includes director commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, photo gallery, trailer, and more. In Hebrew, German, and English with optional English subtitles. Israel/Canada/Germany, 2004, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Newland Orna Ben-Dor Niv Another outstanding work from Orna Ben-Dor Niv (Because of That War). A little girl and her brother travel to Israel after World War II in search of their lost mother and a new life in a new land. Settled in a refugee camp, they are caught in a world of colorful characters and unexpected events. Their story unfolds in a captivating tale of intrigue and expectation and the film's surprise ending is a stunning conclusion to a startling journey. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1994, 107 mins. DVD | $44.95
Nina's Tragedies Savi Gabizon Winner of 11 Academy Awards in its native Israel, this gently comic look at an Israeli teenager's infatuation with his aunt is imbued with surrealist flourishes and an air of sadness. Aviv Elkabeth stars as Nadav, a Tel Aviv teenager who happily moves in with his beautiful aunt (Ayelet Zorer) after her husband dies and his parents divorce. But Nadav's aunt's emotional fragility and the renewed demands of his parents make life more difficult than he had anticipated. "With improbable charm, Gabizon knits it all together, his characters' sexual obsessions and earthiness tempered by a soulful melancholy" (Village Voice). The DVD is letterboxed and includes making-of featurette, TV spot, and trailers. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2005, 110 mins. DVD | $44.95
Noa at Seventeen Isaac Yeshurun It is 1951 and Noa, a seventeen-year old, struggles for personal autonomy as an ideological debate over the future of kibbutz socialism tears her family apart. Should she finish high school or follow her youth movement friends to kibbutz? Will Israel's labor movement follow Moscow blindly or turn its attention to the West? This sophisticated allegory penetrates the very essence of the bond which fused the personal and the political in the early years of the state of Israel. Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1982, 86 mins. DVD | $37.95
Or (My Treasure) Keren Yedaya Winner of the Cannes Festival Camera D'Or for best debut feature, Keren Yedaya's harrowing and tragic drama is "one of the most remarkable pictures to emerge from the recent Israeli cinema" (Stuart Klawans, The Nation). The titular character Or (Dana Ivgy), an attractive Tel Aviv high school student, struggles to make ends meet while looking after her disturbed ex-prostitute mother Ruthie (Ronit Elkabetz). Yedaya captures the shadowy back streets and dark apartment blocks of Tel Aviv with Bressonian restraint in a film that plays like "a riveting, naturalistic urban nightmare" (Michael Atkinson, Village Voice). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2004, 100 mins. DVD | $44.95
Out of Sight (Lemarit Ain) Danny Syrkin A blind Israeli student is studying at in America at Princeton when she receives the terrible news of her best friend and cousin's suicide back home. Her confidence, independence, and happiness are shattered, but she returns home to investigate the troubling and mysterious details of the tragedy nonetheless. "Moving and well-acted" (Time Out). With Tali Sharon, Assi Dayan, and Sandra Sade. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2006, 87 mins. DVD | $44.95
Over the Ocean Jacob Goldwasser A poignant comedy about a struggling family whose lives are interrupted by the sudden possibility of success. Winner of nine Academy Awards in Israel. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1992, 89 mins. DVD | $44.95
Pick a Card Julie Shles Also released as Afula Express, this wildly original screwball comedy won six Israeli Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Score. An unemployed electrician tries to follow his childhood dream of becoming a magician. Unfortunately, he is supremely untalented at his new profession, leading to complications with his girlfriend as they embark on a new life together. "...both absurd and exhilarating...with the kind of enchanting magic one associates with the work of Fellini" (Variety). Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1997, 95 mins. DVD | $37.95
Planet Blue Gur Bentvitch A semi-normal man takes a bizarre journey through the unexpected in this Israeli sci-fi comedy. An extremely popular cult film in its native country, Planet Blue had a six-year theatrical run. Includes a Russian language track and optional English, French, Arabic and Hebrew subtitles. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1995, 86 mins. DVD | $44.95
Rising Star (Na'arat Ha-parvarim) George Ovadia The late Israeli singing sensation Ofra Haza stars in this poetic musical drama. Haza plays a blind orphan girl rescued from the streets by three benevolent hoodlums who attempt to raise money to restore her eyesight. Features five musical numbers performed by Haza. Double-sided (NTSC or PAL). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1979, 94 mins. DVD | $44.95
Saint Clara Ari Folman/Uri Sivan Winner of six Israeli Academy Awards, this is the bewitching story of Clara, a 7th-grade Russian emigre at Golda Meier High School in a Negrev town, who has telekinetic and psychic powers. If she falls in love, she will lose her ability to predict winning lottery numbers. Things get complicated when she meets an anarchist rebel hunk at school. Based on a script by Czech playwright/novelist Pavel Kohout. "A knowing, witty homage to adolescence" (Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle). Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1996, 85 mins. DVD | $44.95
Sallah Ephraim Kishon A classic of Israeli cinema, this popular satire was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1965 and brought future star Topol into the limelight. He stars as Sallah, the head of a family recently moved into Israel after its official settlement. Unlike other hard-working settlers, however, he searches out for fast money on the least amount of work until he accidentally discovers corruption in the housing industry. AKA: Sallah Shabati. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1965, 105 mins. DVD | $44.95
Schwartz Dynasty Amir Hasfari/Shmuel Hasfari A satirical Israeli comedy about two women who meet while struggling to bury their loved ones in their small-town cemetery. Encountering bureaucratic obstacles, religious extremism, bigotry, and a host of crazy characters along the way, the women must join forces to get what they want in this tale of women's empowerment. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2005, 104 mins. DVD | $44.95
Shabool / Lool Boaz Davidson Two comedy classics from 1970s Israeli film and television featuring pop stars Arik Einstein and Shalom Hanoch are featured for the first time in this exclusive two-DVD set. Shabool (Boaz Davidson, 1970, 80 mins.) stars Einstein and Hanoch in multiple roles that showcase their musical talents. Comic Uri Zohar also makes an appearance. The popular 4-part television variety series, Lool (1970-72), also allowed Einstein and Hanoch the opportunity to bring their talents to the masses. Both programs in Hebrew with English subtitles. Two-DVD set. Includes optional English, Hebrew subtitles; deleted scenes, sketches, clips and commercials from the 1970s; and more. Israel, 1970/1970-72, 230 mins. DVD | $44.95
Sima the Witch Dror Shaul Dror Shaul's directorial debut tells the story of a kindly grandmother with the unique ability to bestow curses and blessings on her friends and neighbors. But those around her realize the woman's special power, they attempt to manipulate it for their own gain. Enchanting and original, the film also offers a scathing critique of contemporary Israeli society. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2003, 103 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Syrian Bride Eran Riklis The personal is inseparable from the political in this thoughtful, compassionate film about a young bride whose wedding day is fraught with sadness. Mona (Clara Khoury) has been promised to a young actor (Derar Sliman), but because of the political situation in her native Israel, once she crosses the border into Syria, she will never be allowed to return. Humorous and deeply moving, this collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers co-stars Hiam Abbass (Munich), Makram Khoury, and Ashraf Barhom (Paradise Now). "It exudes affection, for its characters and their culture as well as the unprepossessing beauty of the scrubby terrain that holds them in thrall" (J. Hoberman, Village Voice). In Arabic, Hebrew, English, Russian, and French with English subtitles. Israel/Germany/France, 2004, 98 mins. DVD | $37.95
There Was No War in '72 David Kreiner A lonely teenager struggles to understand his parents and the world around him in this moving Israeli coming-of-age drama. Kicked out of his private school because of his poor grades, the boy feels trapped in his troubled home. As his American mother tries to get him into a boarding school, his father's understanding of his son becomes more clear. A thoughtful study of the generation gap in today's society. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1996, 88 mins. DVD | $44.95
Time of Favor Joseph Cedar The powder keg that is Israel's West Bank is the setting for this tense drama that raises vital questions about national loyalties and religious faith. A friendship between Orthodox soldiers and students is divided by romantic rivalry and fierce ideology inflamed by the passionate rhetoric of a Rabbi. The personal, political and spiritual tensions lead to a planned terrorist act in the heart of Jerusalem. "Highly atmospheric, it gets its charge by dramatizing religious millennialism in a region that is the world epicenter of irrationality" (J. Hoberman, Village Voice). Winner of six Israeli Film Academy Awards. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2000, 101 mins. DVD | $44.95
Torn Apart Jack Fisher In this recontextualized Romeo and Juliet, Ben and Laila are childhood friends who have fallen in love. Instead of a familial conflict, though, their problem is cultural and all-encompassing. Ben (Adrian Pasdar) is a Jewish soldier and Laila (Cecilia Peck) an Arab living in Israel. Their only option is to flee or be [insert title here]. "A love story of sweetness, compassion, and heartfelt humanity" (Rex Reed). In English. Israel/USA, 1990, 95 mins. DVD | $44.95
The Troupe Avi Nesher A musical comedy about 12 young men and women, all members of an Israeli Army entertainment troupe in the period immediately following the Six Day War, and their struggles with the stresses of performing and competing for the solo spots and falling in and out of love with each other. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1981, 112 mins. DVD | $44.95
Under the Domim Tree Eli Cohen Based on the autobiographical memoir by Gila Almagor (The Summer of Aviya), this "gentle, loving film about confronting the past" (Los Angeles Times) is the poignant and harrowing story of a group of teenagers living in a youth village for orphans who survived the Nazi concentration camps and other troubled Israeli youths in the 1950s. When life becomes unbearable, the teens find refuge under the beautiful Domim Tree, the only place where they feel at peace. "One of the most beautiful movies of the past 20 years, maybe longer" (The Record). DVD is double-sided (NTSC or PAL). Hebrew with English subtitles; Israel, 1996, 102 mins. DVD | $44.95
Ushpizin Gidi Dar Secular director Gidi Dar convinced members of Israel's ultra-Orthodox community to collaborate with him on this dramatic work of fantastic realism which recasts an Old Testament story for modern times. As they approach the Succot holiday with no way to afford a celebration, a loving husband and wife (Shuli Rand and Michal Bat-Sheva Rand) receive a surprise gift that tests their love and faith. "A groundbreaking, enjoyable, and original movie that humanizes and dramatizes the haredi lifestyle" (Jerusalem Post). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2004, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Walk on Water Eytan Fox At once a thoughtful meditation on world politics and a rollicking cloak-and-dagger spy thriller, this masterpiece by the director of Yossi & Jagger boasts a labyrinthine plot and bold thematic concerns. Lior Ashkenazi stars as a Mossad special agent with the cold-blooded ability to tackle any mission. When he's assigned to shadow the adult grandchildren of a suspected Nazi, the suave operative finds himself unexpectedly drawn to both of them, regardless of politics or sexuality. With its deft attention to issues of homophobia, guilt, self-loathing, and reconciliation with the past, Eytan Fox's film transcends its genre trappings and affects with an unrelenting humanism. In English, German, Hebrew, Italian, Turkish, Arabic with English subtitles. Israel 2004 103 mins. DVD | $44.95
Wedding in Galilee Michel Khleifi An intimate and multi-layered portrait of a Palestinian village under Israeli occupation. The mukhtar of the village wants to hold a traditional wedding for his son, and invites the Israeli military governor as a guest of honor. Beautifully filmed and acted by a cast of non-professionals, the story moves between the alienated grandfather, an angry group of young males prone to violence, an impotent groom and a resourceful bride. The DVD includes the short documentary, Ma'loul Celebrates its Destruction (Michel Khleifi, 1985, 30 mins., in Arabic with English subtitles); a bio and filmography on Khleifi; and removable English subtitles. Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel/Belgium, 1986, 113 mins. DVD | $44.95
Wooden Gun Han Moshenson Set in the tense atmosphere of Tel Aviv of the 1950's, this incisive film focuses on two rival groups of preteens whose behavior, motivated by their interpretations of the concepts of heroism, nationalism and friendship, raise hard questions. Portrayed are first generation sabras (native-born Israelis) who are separated by a tremendous psychological gap from those who came to Israel from Europe, many of them Holocaust survivors. Double-sided DVD (NTSC or PAL). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 1979, 91 mins. DVD | $44.95
Yana's Friends Arik Kaplun Set in Tel Aviv during the Gulf War, Yana's Friends depicts a passionate romance that blooms under the threat of missile and gas attacks. A young, pregnant Russian immigrant is abandoned by her husband but finds intimate comfort with an Israeli wedding photographer. Winner of 10 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. DVD in Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles. Israel, 1999, 90 mins. DVD | $44.95
Yatzpan: The 4th Season The hit 4th season of Israel's equivalent of The Tonight Show: the top-rated entertainment program in the country. Comedian Eli Yatzpan lampoons entertainers, politicians, and more in 51 hilarious sketches. 2-DVD set. In Hebrew WITHOUT English subtitles. Israel, 2004, 125 mins. DVD | $44.95
Yellow Asphalt Danny Verete The demands of modern Israeli life clash with traditional practices in this omnibus collection of short films. In his tales of manslaughter, spouse ownership, and infidelity, director Danny Verete imbues his characters and settings with complex emotions and rippling tensions. Shot before the 2000 intifada and featuring a cast of Israelis and Jahalin Bedouins, Verete's stories are possessed with "an atavistic power, as if they were tales that had been handed down since the beginning of time" (A.O. Scott, New York Times). In Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. Israel, 2002, 87 mins. DVD | $44.95
Yossi and Jagger Eytan Fox The secret love between two soldiers in the Israeli army is the focus of this powerful film from Eytan Fox (Song of the Siren). Yossi, the strong, serious commander, and Jagger, the free-spirited recruit, find comfort in each other's arms as they face a time of national and personal strife and uncertainty. Based on a true story. "Captures the sexual tension that permeates the atmosphere of a small base crowded with young men" (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times). In Hebrew with English subtitles. Israel, 2002, 81 mins. DVD | $44.95
