American actress Debra Messing and Israeli pop star Dana International will be guests of honor at this year’s TLVFest, the 20th edition of Israel’s international LGBTQ film festival.
The 20th edition of TLVFest will take place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 2 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, with additional screenings at the Haifa Cinematheque, Club HaMeretz 2 in Tel Aviv and Ennis cultural center in Jaffa.
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Dana International and Debra Messing
(Photo: Ran Lazaroni (Dana International), courtesy of Israel’s international LGBTQ film festival)
Dana International will receive a special award during the opening ceremony recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to both Israeli and LGBTQ culture, as well as her career achievements. Messing will receive the festival’s honorary award at the closing ceremony.
Messing, best known for her starring role in the hit sitcom “Will & Grace,” is a longtime advocate for LGBTQ rights and has become an outspoken supporter of Israel, especially following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.
In December 2023, she visited Israel, toured communities near the Gaza border, and met with families of hostages.
She was also among the entertainment figures who signed a letter opposing a boycott on Israeli film industry and co-produced the documentary film October 8, which explores the Hamas attack and the global surge in antisemitism that followed.
This year’s festival lineup includes a special performance by the drag group “Peot Kdoshot” (“Holy Wigs”), featuring songs from popular films. Other highlights include a queer pitching event (with an 18,000-shekel prize), a queer screenwriting panel, and a casting panel.
Among the premieres is an exclusive screening of Makan (the Israeli Arabic-language television channel, on behalf of the Israel Broadcasting Corporation) “Sof Isha” (“End of a Woman”), with an episode focusing on the life and death of Sarit Ahmad Shakur, an 18-year-old LGBTQ woman from a Druze village who was murdered on June 9, 2023.
The festival will also host the world premiere of Al HaZayin Shela (“On Her D*ck”) by Racheli Ben Zaken, and the debut of The Parliament of Gila and Drorrrrr by Alon Weinstock and Dror Nobleman, which centers on the late transgender icon Gila Goldstein and her inner circle.
The program also includes several Israeli films with LGBTQ themes that have yet to be released, such as Batim ("Houses") by Veronica Nicole Tetelbaum and Banot Kamonu (“Girls Like Us”) by three-time Ophir Award winner Lee Gilat.
In the short film category, the festival will feature 85 Israeli productions across 12 different programs, including youth films, queer videos, student projects, and independent short films.