The First Lady

Israel / Germany 2025, 82 min, Hebrew, French and German, Hebrew & English subtitles

Efrat Tilma, a trailblazing transgender woman, was forced to flee Israel as a teenager in the 1960s after a police officer threatened to kill her if he ever saw her again walking the streets of Tel Aviv in women’s clothing. Today, at 75, she is a prominent LGBTQ+ activist and the first transgender volunteer in the Israeli police force. As the country descends into an unprecedented social and political crisis, Efrat confronts the traumas that shaped her life and once again fights for her place in the world.

Previous Festivals: (פרס הסרט הטוב ביותר 2025)

Israeli Israeli Competition The optimists

Screening Schedule:

Sun 25.05 20:15, Cinematheque 3 Filmmaker Present Purchase
Mon 26.05 16:00, Cinematheque 1 Filmmaker Present Purchase
Thu 29.05 21:15, Cinematheque 3 Purchase
Fri 30.05 16:00, Cinematheque 3 Purchase

Directors: Udi Nir, Sagi Bornstein

Udi Nir is a director and producer of documentaries. His films as a director include “We Must Talk Now” (2024, Arte), “Viral Dreams” (2021, Arte, HotDocs, IDA award for best short series, DocAviv Editing Award), Golda (2019, Arte, DocNYC, DocAviv), and “#uploading_holocaust” (2017, DokLeipzig, DocAviv).

Sagi Bornstein is an editor, director and producer of documentaries. His films include “We Must Talk Now” (2024, Arte), “Viral Dreams” (2021, Arte, HotDocs, IDA award for best short series, DocAviv Editing Award), Golda (2019, Arte, DocNYC), “#uploading_holocaust” (2017, DokLeipzig, DocAviv), and “Kafka’s Last Story” (2011, Arte, DokLeipzig, DocAviv).

Production: Udi Nir, Sagi Bornstein, Christian Beetz
Production Company: uvs films, Beetz Brothers Film Production
Editing: Sagi Bornstein
Cinematography: Daniel Binsted, Uriel Sinai
Research: Hagit Ben Yaakov
Sound Design: Aviv Aldema
Music: Adam Maor

Supporters & Broadcasters: KAN – Israeli Public Broadcast Corp, Arte, NDR, קרן אלבי לקולנוע וטלוויזיה, The New Fund for Cinema and TV, Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, Mifal HaPayis, Jewish Film Institute, The Weil Bloch Foundation

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Sun 25.05 20:15, Cinematheque 3 Filmmaker Present Purchase
Mon 26.05 16:00, Cinematheque 1 Filmmaker Present Purchase
Thu 29.05 21:15, Cinematheque 3 Purchase
Fri 30.05 16:00, Cinematheque 3 Purchase

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