Based on the directors’ Oscar-nominated short, DEAD LANGUAGE begins with Aya (Sarah Adler – FOXTROT, JELLYFISH, SJFF 2008) waiting at the airport for her husband when another man mistakes her for his driver. Curious, she picks up the stranger (Ulrich Thomsen) anyway and their time together unlocks her desire and a deep yearning for connection that rocks her world, sending Aya on an odyssey to reignite her spark.
The direction of Brezis and Binnun along with Adler’s sublime performance is successful in expressing the inexpressible beauty of fleeting encounters in life, building gently toward a climactic dance sequence set to Depeche Mode that makes language superfluous when the body supplies all the communication necessary.
Premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and winning awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, DEAD LANGUAGE received 12 Israeli Academy Award (Ophir) nominations across most categories both in front and behind the camera.
Directors Bios: View on IMDB (Brezis/Binnun)
Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun received an Oscar nomination for their short film AYA (2012) which also took home the Israeli Academy Award (Ophir) for Best Short and was subsequently released for commercial theatrical screenings. Their feature film debut, THE ETRUSCAN SMILE, starred Brian Box and won seven international prizes.
Happy Hour: Wine/beer/noshes for sale in the J Cafe before the film.
