The Wedding Entertainer Opens in Theaters Across Israel Thursday
The comedy film The Wedding Entertainer opened in theaters across Israel on Thursday, bringing a story set within Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community to screens ahead of its upcoming United States release.
The film follows Hasidic wedding entertainers, known as badhans, in contemporary Jerusalem as public debates continue over military service. It marks the latest collaboration between director and writer Gidi Dar and actor and writer Shuli Rand.
The two creators have worked together for over three decades, beginning with their film Eddie King. Dar is secular, while Rand embraced the ultra-Orthodox community decades ago after growing up Modern Orthodox and spending a period as a secular actor in films such as Assi Dayan’s Life According to Agfa.
Previous joint projects include the film Ushpizin and Legend of Destruction, which depicts the Jewish revolt against Rome and the fall of the Second Temple. Legend of Destruction recently became available to stream in the United States, featuring Rand as a script collaborator and the voice of the central character.
In The Wedding Entertainer, Rand stars as Moishe, a former legendary badhan in Jerusalem whose career was derailed by alcoholism. Now facing a financial crisis as he needs to pay for the wedding of his eccentric daughter, Sarah Leah, played by Malky Goldman, Moishe seeks out a major gig.
He learns that his old friend Yisroel Bumchik, played by Tal Friedman, is planning a large wedding for one of his children. However, Bumchik has already hired an American interloper, a flashy and arrogant younger comedian named Meshulam, played by Elon Gold.
The supporting cast features Tsufit Grant as Moishe’s wife, alongside Alon Neuman and Uri Hochman. The production incorporates klezmer music and won an award for its score at the Jerusalem Film Festival last summer, where it screened for a mostly secular and left-leaning audience.
The film is scheduled to open in the United States following its current theatrical run in Israel.
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