Seven Blessings (Drama | Israel, 2023 | 111 min)
Director: Ayelet Menahemi. In Hebrew, French and Moroccan with English subtitles
Winner of ten Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir Awards), including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script, and Best Actress
Israel’s submission to the Oscars for Best International Film
Don’t miss this Israeli drama, a mega hit in Israel and at Jewish film festivals worldwide. It’s culturally specific and richly universal in the best possible way, with immense talent and heart tapped to tell a deeply moving story.
In early 1990s Jerusalem, a boisterous Moroccan-Jewish-Israeli clan reunites for a cross-cultural wedding, celebrating the Moroccan-Jewish bride and French-Ashkenazi groom over the course of seven nights of dinners and ceremonies each hosted by a different family member in honor of the newlyweds. The week-long ritual of sheva brachot (seven blessings) occasions joy, laughter, dancing, and oh so much delicious food. But behind the joie de vivre and togetherness, are family secrets and lies. With humor, pathos, and confidence, Seven Blessings puts Mizrahi mothers, daughters, and sisters at the beating heart of this rich enveloping story.
Directed by Ayelet Menahemi (Noodle), Seven Blessings was written by Reymonde Amsallem and Eleanor Sela, who co-star as sisters in the film. Cousins in real life, Sela and Amsallem were inspired by their own family as well as interviews with Moroccan Jewish women. One of the best Israeli films in years, Seven Blessings became a cultural watershed upon its theatrical release this winter.