The Ophir Awards (Hebrew: פרס אופיר), full name: the Israel Film Academy Award, sometimes also known as The Israeli Oscars or the Israeli Academy Awards, are film awards for excellence in the Israeli film industry awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. The award, named after Israeli actor Shaike Ophir, has been granted since 1990.
The Academy Awards ceremony takes place every year in September, about four months before the announcement of the nominees for the American Academy Award. The winner of the "Best Film" award is sent as Israel's representative to compete for an Oscar nomination in the "Best Foreign Film Oscar Award" category. Out of the winners of the Ophir Award in the "Best Film" category over the years, 10 films were chosen to be nominated for the Oscar Award in the "Best Foreign Film" category.
History
The first Israeli Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1982 with the first award being presented to director Shimon Dotan for the film Repeat Dive, and since 1990 has been renamed the Ophir Awards and held annually at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. The award holds annual competitions in the field of feature and documentary cinema among the films produced that year. The Ophir Awards are awarded in 18 categories in the field of Israeli cinematic creation.
Since 2003, the Academy has held a separate ceremony for television programs. Before the establishment of the Academy, the "Kinor Daviv" was awarded in the years 1963 - 1986 to creators in various fields of Israeli culture. The award was given both in the field of cinema and in the field of communication (where awards were given for television programs). Starting in 2003, these awards are given separately as part of the "Awards of the Israel Television Academy".
The year 2004 is known as the record year for viewing percentages of Israeli films and the record year for the Ophir Awards ceremony: 23 feature films competed, including the blockbusters "Turn Left at the End of the World", "Campfire" and "Walk on Water".
As of 2022, The highest number of Ophir Awards won by a single film is 11, for the film "Nina's Tragedies", , which in 2003 won 11 awards out of a possible 13 (not including the "Best Documentary" award and "Lifetime Achievement Award"), including the best film, but lost the best actor award to Aryeh Elias and the best composer award to Ehud Banai (both from the film "James' Journey to Jerusalem"). The record for winnings per person belongs to Assi Dayan and Gil Toran, who won 8 Ophir awards each. Assi Dayan is also the only one who won awards for directing, writing and acting.
The award is televised every year. In the beginning it was broadcast on Channel 2 as part of Keshet Medial Group broadcasts, and then the broadcast moved to Channel 10. In 2016 the ceremony was broadcast live on Channel 24 and then returned a second Channel 12.
Since 2003 the ceremony split into two ceremonies: a separate ceremony for television and a separate ceremony for films. This was also the first ceremony which been held in late September instead of October, due to the US Academy Awards brought forward from March to February.[5]
Since 2004, the award name changed from "Israeli Oscar" to "Ophir Award," named after actor Shaike Ophir.[6]
Record of wins for an actress: 3 - Ronit Elkebetz (3 main actress), 3 - Dana Ivgy (2 main actress; 1 supporting actress), 3 - Anat Waxman (1 main actress; 2 supporting actress), 3 - Raymond Amsalem (1 main actress , 2 supporting actress)
Record wins for a player: 4 - Sasson Gabai (2 main player; 2 secondary player)
^"טקס "האוסקר הישראלי" יוקדם לספטמבר" [Israeli Oscars ceremony will be brought forward to September]. Ynet (in Hebrew). 14 January 2003. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
^"הוכרזו המועמדים לאוסקר הישראלי" [The nominees for Israeli Oscars announced]. Ynet (in Hebrew). 23 August 2004. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
