Havatzelet

Levana Hakim’s student graduation project from Tel Aviv University’s Department of Film and Television Studies features the story of Havatzelet, a young woman who spends her nights in the company of UN soldiers, in the hopes that one of them might whisk her off with him across the ocean, as far away as possible from her past and her life of destitute, living in a shack she must share with her strict conservative mother, pregnant sister, and brother who is bleeding her dry, financially. The film was shown at multiple festivals and has won scores of praise and awards.

Directed by Levana Hakim, Havatzelet leans on a strong ensemble — Anat Waxman, Dan Turgeman, Naama Shem-Tov — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about romance titles of 1989.