Israeli wins best actress award at Tribeca

Joy Rieger picks up prize at festival for film 'Virgins'.

By AMY SPIRO
Updated: APRIL 29, 2018 01:54
A scene from the film 'Virgins' (photo credit: PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL)
A scene from the film 'Virgins'
(photo credit: PYRAMIDE INTERNATIONAL)
Israeli actress Joy Rieger picked up the award for best actress in an international feature film at the Tribeca Film Festival for Keren Ben-Refael’s movie Virgins.
The jury which awarded the prize on Thursday night in New York commended Rieger’s sensitive portrayal of a “16-yearold girl who had to navigate a sexual awakening among a life filled with hardship and yearning.” They added that Rieger “brought to life a sassy, sexually naïve teenager that is universally identifiable.”
Virgins (Hebrew uses the same word for mermaids), which also stars Shtisel’s Michael Aloni, tells the story of Lana, an Israeli teenager who hears news from an older stranger about a mermaid sighting off the coast of her small town.
Rieger, a 24-year-old native of Herzliya, has also been seen in the 2016 Avi Nesher film Past Life.
The festival, which ran from April 18-29, also saw the premiere of the upcoming Israeli TV show On The Spectrum. The Yes show, which has yet to premiere in Israel, features three 20-something roommates with autism and their attempts to navigate the world. The series was created by Dana Idisis and Yuval Shafferman and stars Neomi Levov, Niv Majar and Ben Yosipovich. According to Yes, the show is slated to premiere in Israel sometime in May.
The festival’s short film lineup also included the world premiere of The Love Letter, written by Atara Frish, about a teen who finds a special note in her locker.