The Appointed

In a remote corner of northern Israel, Shemaya, the son of a renowned rabbi, has turned his back on religion to become a sleazy nightclub magician. A mysterious, beautiful, and ethereal young woman, Oshra, enters his life one night and gives him supernatural power to ignite fires, cure invalids, and perform other acts of sorcery. He falls in love with this "Lilith"/witch and understands that without her, he is just a two-bit showman. But the great rabbi dies and his huckster son is called back to the sect to lead his disciples. This brilliant film recalls the great Soviet director Andre Tarkovsky with its exquisite rendering of landscape and atmosphere, and its evocation of mystery and intrigue. Director Wachsman creates a world of narrow alleys in small Galilee towns, ancient crypts and forbidden temptations, and above all a rocky, recalcitrant world untouched by time.

Daniel Wachsmann has produced and directed feature films and a number of documentaties and short dramas for television. Two of his seminal works, Hamsin -- Hot Desert Windand The Appointed were presented in the 1984 and 19991 SFJFF Festivals. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS My Father -- 1975 First Prize at the International Film Festival Mannheim, Germany Elvira -- 1977 Various International Festivals Transit -- 1978 Official competition, Berlin Film Festival Hamsin -- 1982 Israel's candidate for the Academy Awards' Foreign Film category Silver Leopard, Lucarno Film Festival Human Rights Prize, Strassbourg Film Festival Chosen by Israeli film critics as the best film of the 1980's Red Cow -- 1986 Presented at various international film festivals The Appointed -- 1989 Cannes Film Festival Shanghai Film Festival Song of Galilee -- 1996 Golden Anchor of Mediterranean Cinema, Haifa Film Festival San Francisco Jewish Film Festival