Shai Carmeli-Pollak’s The Sea, about a Palestinian boy, will be Israel‘s entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards after it won Best Film in the country’s Ophir Awards on Tuesday evening.
Under Israel’s protocol, the winner of the Best Film Ophir is automatically put forward as Israel’s Oscar candidate.
The film follows Khaled, a 12 year old Palestinian boy living in the landlocked West Back on his way to visit the sea for the first time in his life, until at the checkpoint, the Israeli authorities deny his entry.
Determined to fulfil his dream, he sneaks into Israel and embarks on a dangerous journey to the coast, dodging checkpoints, military and police.
The film, which was a frontrunner in the awards with 13 nominations, features a cast of mainly Palestinian actors born and living within Israeli borders.
The film’s young star, 13-year-old Muhammad Gazawi, won Best Actor, and made a plea for all children to be able “to live and dream without wars” in his acceptance speech.
Tuesday’s ceremony was a somber affair, unfolding just hours after Israel launched a major ground offensive on Gaza City.
Actor Khalifa Natour won the Ophir Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Sea but did not attend the ceremony.
In a statement read out on his behalf, he said: “Following the army’s entry into Gaza and the genocide that frightens me greatly, I cannot find words to describe the magnitude of the horror, and everything else becomes secondary to me. Even cinema and theater.”
Israel last made it onto the shortlist in 2017 with Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot.
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