Jonathan Dekel of “Checkout” Joins for Q&A to Conclude IIJS Summer Film Series

The IIJS Summer Film Series concluded with Checkout, the Israeli “psychedelic spy comedy” from director and co-writer Jonathan Dekel. Dekel joined us online on Monday, July 15, at 12:00 PM for a virtual Q&A with IIJS Film Programmer Stuart Weinstock.

In this spy comedy, Dov, an aging and feckless Mossad operative, has just been given notice of his mandatory retirement. About to leave his Istanbul hotel on a wave of self-pity, he decides to stay when he identifies an Arabic-speaking traveler as "Gilgamesh," a notorious terrorist. No spoilers: Dov's pursuit of Gilgamesh plays out more like Curb Your Enthusiasm than Fauda. (97 minutes; English, Hebrew, and Arabic with English subtitles)

Jonathan Dekel’s Q&A is available to view in full below.

This event was made possible by the generosity of the Appel and Kaye families.

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2024 IIJS Summer Film Series Begins with Erez Tadmor and "Matchmaking"

The IIJS Summer Film Series began this year with “Matchmaking,” the Israeli hit from director and co-writer Erez Tadmor. On Monday, June 17, at 12:00 PM, the Institute hosted a virtual Q&A with the filmmaker and IIJS Film Series Coordinator Stuart Weinstock.

A box office hit in Israel and on the Jewish film festival circuit, Matchmaking tells the comic story of Moti Bernstein, the ideal yeshiva bucher and the perfect match for any Haredi Orthodox bride-to-be. While Moti seems to be on a path towards marriage with an exceptional match, his Ashkenazi world is thrown into turmoil when he falls in love with Nechama, a Mizrahi girl. When the matchmakers of his Haredi community refuse to pair him with Nechama, Moti seeks an unconventional solution to bridge the social gap between them.  (98 minutes; Hebrew with English subtitles)

Erez Tadmor is an Israeli-born filmmaker working across genre lines with diverse short and feature-length films. His internationally-acclaimed films include: A Matter of Size (2009), Magic Men (2014), the Ophir-Award-winning Wounded Land (2015), The Art of Waiting (2019), and Children of Nobody (2022). His 2004 short film, Strangers, won the Audience Award for Short Films at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Q&A with Erez Tadmor is available to view in full below.

This event was made possible by the generosity of the Appel and Kaye families.

Keep up with the IIJS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or join our mailing list for updates!