IIJS Israeli Film Series: Seven Blessings

Marie was just two years old when her mother gave her to be raised by her infertile aunt, a common custom among Moroccans at the time. Forty years later, Marie returns to Israel from France for her wedding after long being disconnected from her family, who are preparing for the ritual of Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings) — a week of festive nightly meals in honor of the newlyweds. But Marie has also come to reopen old wounds and seek apologies. In the midst of intoxicating family meals, secrets and lies are revealed with humor and pathos.   

Seven Blessings swept the 2023 Ophir Awards (Israel’s Oscars), winning Best Picture and nine others, and was Israel’s entry for the Best International Feature Oscar.

(111 minutes; Hebrew, French, and Arabic with English subtitles)

View the movie trailer, .

Host or Publisher The Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University