"Independence" Breaks Records: Nominees for the 2026 Ophir Awards
A month before the 37th Ophir Awards, the Israeli Academy of Film and Television has unveiled the nominees. Moshe Rosenthal's "Independence" leads the pack with a historic 16 nominations. The list also includes films that previously competed for an Oscar.
It is a historic year for Israeli cinema: the Israeli Academy of Film and Television announced the nominees for the 37th Ophir Awards this morning. This ceremony will honor the most acclaimed films of 2026 and select the Israeli representative for the Oscars.
The clear frontrunner is "Independence" (Atzmaut), the second feature by director and screenwriter Moshe Rosenthal. The film has made history by securing 16 nominations across various categories. The ceremony will take place on September 9 at Cinema City Glilot and will be broadcast live on mako, hosted by actors Shani Cohen and Adam Gabay.
The unprecedented success of "Independence" is reflected in its presence across almost every major category. Moshe Rosenthal is nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay, while the entire cast has received recognition: Assi Cohen (Best Actor), Keren Tzur (Best Actress), and Yair Mazor, Ido Tako, Mor Dimri, and Neta Orbach (Best Supporting Actor). The film is nominated in every category for feature films, with the exception of Best Original Music.
Other notable films include Avi Nesher's "Our Loves," which focuses on the events of October 7, and "The Jester" by Shuli Rand and Gidi Dar, both receiving 12 nominations each. The films "Mama" and "Where to" (Lean Le'an) follow with 11 nominations each. Interestingly, Ido Tako is nominated for his role in "Where to," where he competes against himself for his performance in "Independence."
One of the summer's biggest box-office hits, "Checkout - The Movie," which sold over 800,000 tickets, had to settle for a single nomination in the Best Makeup category.
In the short film categories, the list features works that have already competed for an Oscar: the fiction film "Butcher's Stain" by Meir Levinson-Blunt and the documentary "Were and Are No More" by Hilla Medalia. The latter competes for Best Short Documentary against "Alon, My Brother the Hero," directed by Omri Koren, which documents the public struggle of the family of Alon Shamriz, the hostage accidentally killed by IDF fire.
Additionally, the late director Nitzan Giladi, who passed away last month, was honored with two posthumous nominations for his feature "And Loved" and his short film "Consolation."
Full List of Nominees
Best Feature Film: "Our Loves," "The Jester," "Home!," "Where to," "Mama," "Independence."
Best Director: Avi Nesher ("Our Loves"), Or Sinai ("Mama"), Asaf Machnes ("Where to"), Moshe Rosenthal ("Independence"), Reut Ackerman ("Home!").
Best Actress: Evgenia Dodina ("Mama"), Lihi Kornowski ("Many Waters"), Keren Tzur ("Independence"), Rabaka Azmiralda Talhami ("Amal"), Reut Ackerman ("Home!").
Best Actor: Avraham Shalom Levi ("Parting with Dough"), Ihab Salami ("Where to"), Assi Cohen ("Independence"), Ala Daka ("Many Waters"), Shuli Rand ("The Jester").
Best Supporting Actress: Daniel Gimpel ("Our Loves"), Mor Dimri ("Independence"), Malki Goldman ("The Jester"), Neta Orbach ("Independence"), Rama Nasrallah ("Where to"), Tiki Dayan ("Parting with Dough").
Best Supporting Actor: Tal Friedman ("The Jester"), Yair Mazor ("Independence"), Michael Moshonov ("And Loved"), Ido Tako ("Where to"), Ido Tako ("Independence").
Best Short Feature Film: "The Other Body," "The Sands Do Not Speak," "Stars," "Butcher's Stain," "Consolation," "Big Peppa."
Best Full-Length Documentary: "Esther, the Woman Who Didn't Know How to Love," "Sun Bay," "Flower of Peace."
Best Short Documentary: "Ahmed, Movie Star," "After the Vote Count," "Alon, My Brother the Hero," "I, Esther," "Were and Are No More."
Best Animation Film: "Pigeon Blood," "Everything is Fine," "Expectations," "Casey," "More."
Best Screenplay: Avi Nesher ("Our Loves"), Avraham Shalom Levi ("Parting with Dough"), Or Sinai ("Mama"), Asaf Machnes ("Where to"), Moshe Rosenthal ("Independence"), Shuli Rand ("The Jester").
Best Cinematography: Giora Bejach ("The Jester"), Ziv Berkovich ("Independence"), Maayan Buchnik ("Where to"), Matan Radin ("Mama"), Amit Yassour ("Our Loves").
Best Original Music: Asaf Talmudi ("The Jester"), Habib Shehadeh Hanna ("Where to"), Israel Bright ("Parting with Dough"), Tom Oren and Naomi Aharoni Gal ("Our Loves"), Tomer Katz, Amit Ulman, Itzik Ptzatzi and Jimbo J ("Magshimim High School").
Best Editing: Or Li-Tal and Shauli Melamed ("Where to"), Dafi Perebman ("Independence"), Yosef Grinfeld and Amir Winkler ("The Jester"), Yitzhak Tzahik ("Our Loves"), Michal Holland ("Mama").
Best Art Design: Eitan Levi ("Our Loves"), Nitzan Ziprot ("Magshimim High School"), Oz Shtamler ("Mama"), Ido Dolev ("Independence"), Shahar Bar Adon ("The Jester").
Best Costume Design: Hava Levi Rozelsky ("Independence"), Carmel Meir ("The Jester"), Keren Eyal Melamed ("Our Loves"), Keren Eyal Melamed ("Magshimim High School"), Rachel Ben Dahan ("Mama").
Best Makeup: Amili B. Faudem ("Our Loves"), Eti Ben-Nun ("The Jester"), Lital Mijan ("Mama"), Maya Gerstel ("Checkout - The Movie"), Maya Levy Shamai ("Independence").
Best Casting: Orit Azoulay and Prag Benvenisti ("Parting with Dough"), Esther Kling ("Our Loves"), Hamutal Zaram Kastel ("Where to"), Hamutal Zaram Kastel ("Independence"), Maya Kassel ("Mama").
Best Soundtrack: Vitali Grinshpon ("Independence"), Yossi Appelbaum ("Magshimim High School"), Ronen Nagel and Ran Tzurya ("Our Loves"), Shahaf Wagshall ("Where to"), Shahaf Wagshall ("Mama"), Shahaf Wagshall and Ran Tzurya ("The Jester").
