Ushpizin facts for kids

Ushpizin (Hebrew: האושפיזין, lit. 'Sukkot guests') is an Israeli movie from 2004. It was directed by Gidi Dar [he] and written by Shuli Rand. The main actors were Shuli Rand and his wife, Michal. Michal had never acted in a movie before.

Movie Story

Moshe and Mali Bellanga are a poor couple living in Jerusalem. They are part of the Breslov community, a group within Hasidic Judaism. They have no children. Moshe and Mali are "baalei teshuva," which means they have chosen to become more religious.

Moshe expects to get some money, but it does not come. This means they cannot pay their bills. They also cannot prepare for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Moshe really wants a special fruit called an etrog, or citron. This fruit is one of the four species needed for the Sukkot holiday. They try to stay positive, remembering a saying from Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. He taught that hard times can test your faith.

After praying, they get an unexpected gift of money just before the holiday starts. Moshe uses a lot of this money to buy the etrog.

Then, two unexpected guests arrive. These men knew Moshe from his past, before he became religious. They become the couple's guests (called ushpizin) in their sukkah (a temporary hut built for Sukkot). Their arrival causes many problems and puts a strain on Moshe and Mali's relationship.

Main Actors

• Shuli Rand plays Moshe Bellanga
• Michal Batsheva Rand plays Malli Bellanga
• Shaul Mizrahi plays Eliyahu Scorpio
• Ilan Ganani plays Yossef
• Avraham Abutbul plays Ben Baruch

Filming Locations

The movie Ushpizin was filmed in Jerusalem, Israel. Some parts were filmed in areas where many religious Jewish people live. However, most of the movie was shot at the Schneller Orphanage. It was also filmed in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood.

Many streets in Nachlaot appear often in the movie. These include Rama Street, Zichron Tuvyah, and Tavor Street. The old stone buildings of Nachlaot were used to look like another area called Shmuel Hanavi. You can still see famous buildings like the Wolfson Towers in the background.

Movie Music

There was no separate music album sold for the movie. However, two of the main songs from the film were later released. These songs, "Ata Kadosh" and "Yesh Rak HaKadosh Baruch Hu," appeared on an album by Adi Ran.

Cultural Impact

Shuli Rand wanted his wife, Michal, to act opposite him in the movie. This was due to his personal beliefs and cultural reasons. Michal had never acted before.

The movie was not made for people from the Haredi community to watch in cinemas. This is because Haredi people usually do not go to movie theaters. Still, the film became very popular. Many people watched it by downloading it without permission.

Afterward, some people who watched the movie this way wanted to pay for it. Posters, called pashkvilen, were put up in Haredi neighborhoods. These posters explained the financial problems caused by people watching the movie for free. They reminded everyone about the importance of paying for creative work. The posters also gave a way to pay, like a post office box or a phone number for credit card payments. Another way to pay was to buy movie tickets and not use them.

Awards and Recognitions

The film was nominated for three Ophir Awards. These are like the Israeli Oscars. Shuli Rand won the award for Best Actor. In his thank you speech, he thanked God and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. The movie was also nominated for Best Screenplay (the script) and Best Supporting Actor for Shaul Mizrahi.