Tom Nesher’s directorial debut Come Closer will represent Israel in the 97th Academy Awards after it won the best film prize at the country’s Ophir film awards on Monday evening.
Lia Elalouf stars as a young woman struggling with the sudden death of her brother in a tragic accident, whose grief takes an obsessive turn when she discovers he had a secret girlfriend.
Nesher, who is the daughter of renowned Israeli director Avi Nesher, took inspiration for the storyline from the death of her own brother Ari Nesher, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident at the age of 17 in 2018.
Come Closer, which was nominated in 12 categories, also clinched awards for best director, best actress for Elalouf, and best editing.
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The feature world premiered at Tribeca earlier this year, winning the Viewpoint Award. and made its Israeli premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival in July, where it was feted with the best first feature prize and the actress award for Elalouf. It goes on general release in Israel this week.
Unfolding against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza conflict sparked by the October 7 Hamas attacks, this year’s Ophir awards ceremony was a somber affair, with most presenters and presenters reiterating calls for the safe return of the some 100 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza.
Late filmmaker Yahav Viner, who was killed in his kibbutz of Kfar Aza on October 7, was posthumously awarded the Ophir for best short film for his last work The Son, with his filmmaker and singer widow Shaylee Atary receiving the award on his behalf.
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