Aki Avni Movies

A Jewish-American woman still reeling from her breakup with her Spanish-Israeli fiancée hits the road with a middle-aged Israeli woman, who is looking to collect the 30,000-dollar debt owed to her by her husband's former business partner, and a Palestinian woman, who claims to know the elusive moneyman's whereabouts, in this road-trip drama from Kippur director Amos Gitai. In her efforts to escape the painful memory of her breakup with former fiancée Julio (Aki Avni), Rebecca (Natalie Portman) agrees to accompany Hanna (Hanna Laslo) on her arduous journey through Israel to the Free Zone -- a tax- and customs-free region where those from countries at war with one another amiably buy and sell cars -- in hopes of collecting a large debt owed to her by her ailing husband's business partner known only as "The American." When Hanna and Rebecca finally arrive in the Free Zone only to discover that Hanna's contact and money have mysteriously gone missing, a Palestinian woman named Leila (Hiam Abbass) agrees to lead the skeptical Hanna to both "The American" and Hanna's rightly due cash. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Issues of love, loyalty, and faith are set on a collision course in this award-winning drama. Rabbi Meltzer (Asi Dayan) is a respected Orthodox rabbi and leader of a yeshiva school in a remote section of the Judean hills. One of the Rabbi's favorite causes is returning Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock to the control of Israel -- a holy shrine in the ancient city that Moslems use as a mosque and Jews call Temple Mount. With this goal in mind, the Rabbi organizes a military unit comprised of his students, with military officer Menachem (Aki Avni) serving as an advisor. While Menachem agrees with Rabbi Meltzer in principle, especially since the Rabbi regards the group's activities as more symbolic than anything else, he and other military authorities are wary of his plan, believing the Rabbi's soldiers could easily turn into a fanatical terrorist group with the wrong twist of the political winds. One of the Rabbi's prize students is a frail young man named Pini (Edan Alterman), and Meltzer is fond enough of the lad that he's decided Pini should wed his daughter Michal (Tinkerbell). But while Michal respects her father, she has a mind of her own and no interest in marrying Pini. Instead, Michal has become infatuated with Menachem, but the officer refuses to go against the Rabbi's wishes; determined to follow her heart, Michal leaves home to strike out on her own. Pini is devastated by Michal's departure, and he becomes newly determined to make good within Rabbi Meltzer's military unit, while mapping out a secret plan with fellow student Itamar (Micha Selektar) in which they'll finally destroy the Dome of the Rock. Time of Favor won wide acclaim in Israel, earning six Israeli Academy awards, including Best Picture, and it was the nation's official entry for the 2000 American Academy Awards competition (though it failed to make it into the final field of nominees). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Life behind the scenes in the Israeli theater is not all its cracked up to be as can be seen in this serious, episodic psychological drama that chronicles the disillusionment of idealistic young actors who come to the stage after graduating from school. The story pays attention to both the personal and professional obstacles faced by these young players. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi