Israeli Films ‘Tatami,’ ‘Vanishing Soldier’ Make Shortlist for European Film Awards

Shiryn Ghermezian

A scene from “Tatami.” Photo: Venice Film Festival.

Two Israeli movies — one about a female Iranian judoka and the other about a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) — have both been added to the shortlist of 40 feature films being considered for nomination at this year’s European Film Awards, an annual event to honor the best cinematic projects akin to the Academy Awards in the US.

Tatami, a film from Oscar-winning Israeli director Guy Nattiv, centers on Iranian judoka Leila Hosseini, played by Iranian-Chilean Arienne Mandi, and her coach Maryam Ghanbari, played by Iranian actress and the film’s co-director Zar Amir Ebrahimi. Hosseini is competing for gold at the Judo World Championships when she is ordered by the Islamic Republic of Iran to fake an injury and lose or be labeled a traitor by her home country. She must decide if she will obey the orders of the Iranian authorities or continue competing for the gold medal. Meanwhile, Hosseini’s coach tries to convince her to comply with the Iranian regime and leave the competition.

Tatami is also the term used to describe the mat in judo bouts.

The Vanishing Soldier, from Israeli director Dani Rosenberg, is a Hebrew-language drama about an 18-year-old Israeli soldier named Shlomi who flees fighting in the Gaza Strip to head back to his girlfriend in Tel Aviv, only to discover that the army thinks he was kidnapped during the battle. Rosenberg and Amir Klinger co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which is Rosenberg’s second feature. It is inspired by Rosenberg’s similar but failed attempt to escape a military camp in the Judean Desert when he was 18 years old. The Vanishing Soldier was also nominated for Best Picture at Israel’s Ophir Awards, the Jewish state’s version of the Oscars.

Tatami is the first feature co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian filmmaker — Nattiv and Ebrahimi — and made its world premiere early last month at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation. The project has so far been sold to eight countries.

Nattiv also recently directed Golda, a film about former Israeli Prime Minster Golda Meir.

The nominations for the European Film Awards will be revealed on Nov. 7, and this year’s ceremony will take place on Dec. 9 in Berlin. The 4,600 members of the European Film Academy vote on the nominations.