127 minutes. 2007. Director: Avi Nesher (Turn Left at the End of the World, The Matchmaker). With French star Fanny Ardant, Ania Bokstien (The Schwartz Dynasty), Michal Shtamler (Bethlehem), Adir Miller (The Matchmaker, The Wonders) and Dana Ivgy (Aviva My Love, Jaffa, Cupcakes and Zero Motivation).
In French and Hebrew with English subtitles. Genres: Features, Dramedy, Religiosity, LGBTQ
Winner, Audience Awards, New York and Los Angeles Israel Film Festivals.
Official selection Toronto International Film Festival.
Naomi, the brilliant and pious daughter of an ultra orthodox rabbi, finds herself at a crossroads when her mother dies and she is expected to immediately marry her father’s prodigy. Distressed yet determined, she begs that her father allow her one year to study at a women’s religious seminary in Safed. There she meets fellow student Michelle. As the growing attraction between the two young women stretch the borders of Jewish law, they must be kept secret. “Rated R” for some nudity.
Intriguing. Passionate performances
About the Filmaker
Avi Nesher
One of Israel’s most influential filmmakers, Avi Nesher was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, but spent much of his adolescence in New York, where he graduated high school and enrolled at Columbia University at age 16. At 18, he left Columbia to serve in a special forces branch of the Israeli army, Sayeret Matkal. Nesher’s early films (The Troupe, Dizengoff 99, Rage & Glory) became Israeli classics. During the 1990’s, Nesher worked in Hollywood, where he made Doppelganger starring Drew Barrymore and The Taxman starring Joe Pantoliano. In 2004, he moved back to Israel, directing, producing and writing Turn Left at the End of the World, a film that became Israel’s greatest box office success. In 2007, he directed The Secrets, and in 2010, The Matchmaker, both of which premiered at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival. The Wonders (2013) has also received much critical and popular acclaim. Avi Nesher is the recipient of many awards, among them Cinematic Excellence Awards at the Jerusalem and Haifa Film Festivals and the Landau Prize for Excellence in the Arts.
The Secrets
