May 29, 2012

Israeli cinema won another accolade: Screenwriter-director Meni Yaesh took home the Gaul’s Society of Authors, Directors and Composers award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for his film, God’s Neighbors.

Yaesh’s theological drama is also nominated in the Caméra d’Or category for best first feature film.

Gods Neighbors Cannes

The movie tells the story of three Breslev Hassidic men who force their beliefs on neighborhood residents. But when the group’s leader falls in love he suffers a crisis of faith and must choose between his feelings and his friends.

“Propelled by a vigorous narrative thrust and an unflinching but never unsympathetic focus on the protag’s less-than-pious impulses and motives, this assured, provocative debut has strong crossover potential with a subject that transcends its specific national context,” writes Variety.

God's Neighbors scene

Yaesh is a graduate of the Minshar School of Cinema in Tel Aviv. His short film Eliko was screened at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2008, and the Kiev IFF 2008, where it received a Special Mention.
God’s Neighbors – also known as The Supervisors – is an Israeli-French co-production.