The Institute is kicking off its Summer Film Series with Karaoke, the feature-film debut from writer-director Moshe Rosenthal.
In Karaoke, winner of “Best First Film” honors at the 2022 Jerusalem Film Festival, Sasson Gabay (The Band’s Visit, Shtisel) and Rita Shukrun (When Heroes Fly) star as a middle-class couple in their 60s, whose life of quiet disappointment and regret is upended when they meet their new neighbor, Itsik, a modeling agent and international bon vivant (Lior Ashkenazi: Walk on Water, Footnote, IIJS guest speaker in October 2022). The couple is fascinated and transformed by their new friend, who forces them to decide what they really want from their life together. This late-coming-of-age story is equal parts comic and dramatic, anchored by a trio of engaging, unpredictable performances. Gabay and Shukrun won Israeli Film Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. (103 minutes)
Please register for the event below. You will receive an email with a link to watch the film at home on Friday, July 14th. This link will only be available until Monday, July 17th at 11:59pm EDT.
We will be hosting a Zoom Q&A session on Monday, July 17th at 12:00pm EDT with writer-director Moshe Rosenthal.
Please note: at this time, only viewers in the United States will be able to stream the film. This event will be on ZOOM.
Please email iijs@columbia.edu with any questions.
Moshe Rosenthal is a graduate of the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University. He worked in music videos, commercials, short films, and web series for about a decade before writing and directing Karaoke, his first feature. Karaoke had its international premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, and won Best First Film at the 2022 Jerusalem Film Festival.
Supported by the generosity of the Appel and Kaye families.
While all IIJS events are free and open to the public, we do encourage a suggested donation of $10.