Tom Nesher’s directorial debut “Come Closer” won best feature film at Israel’s Ophir Awards on Monday night and will go on to be the Jewish state’s official selection for consideration in the 97th Academy Awards in the category of best international feature film.

“Come Closer” won a total of four Ophir awards on Monday, presented by the Israeli Academy for Film and Television, including best leading actress for the film debut of Lia Elalouf, best editing, and best director for Nesher, who is the daughter of acclaimed director Avi Nesher. The film, which Tom also wrote, received a total of 12 nominations.

On Monday night, Nesher went on stage to accept her awards while wearing an ensemble that included a black T-shirt with Hebrew words calling for the release of the remaining 97 hostages held by Hamas since the terrorist organization’s deadly rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7.

“Come Closer” is about a young woman named Eden who struggles to cope with the sudden death of her brother, who was killed in a car accident. When she discovers her brother had a secret girlfriend, Eden finds her and together the two women are bonded in grief but their relationship also becomes obsessive, passionate, and dangerous. The film was inspired by the death of Tom’s own brother, Ari Nesher, who was killed in 2018 in a hit-and-run accident at the age of 17.

“This film was created for my brother,” Nesher told The Algemeiner earlier this year about her debut film. “I wanted to make a film that he would like. So not a family drama [or] sad film, but a coming-of-age, funny, sexy, full of life — just like an exciting film for him to watch also.”

“The process that I was going through [after Aris death] was very similar to the process that the characters were going through,” she added. “This film became kind of like my lifeline. I was coping with the grief I was dealing with through making this film, which is very full of love and passion.”

“Come Closer” made its world premiere in June at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the viewpoint award, and premiered in Israel at the Jerusalem Film Festival in July, where it took home the award for best first feature and an actress prize for Elalouf. It will be released to the general public in Israel this week, according to Deadline.

Also at the Ophir Awards on Monday night, the late filmmaker Yahav Viner, who was killed in his kibbutz of Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, was posthumously awarded the Ophir for best short film for his final project, “The Son.” His widow, filmmaker Shaylee Atary, accepted the award on his behalf.

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