A star was born: meet 9-year-old Emily Weiss from Atlit, who plays in the film that won first place at the film festival

9-year-old Emily Weiss from Atalit is the actress in the film by director Shira Geffen, which won the award for the short film at the film festival on Tuesday 7/1/25. "Horizon of Events" is a short and moving film, which tells the story of Nega, a little girl who faces a difficulty in her parents' relationship with the guide, who is an anchor of stability for her, during their trip in the desert. In her fascinating acting, Emily succeeds in bringing to life the character of Nega in a real and fascinating way. Geffen also signed the script.

This is the second award the film has won. In June last year, the film won the best short film award at the Shanghai Film Festival, which is considered a very prestigious festival. The film "Horizon of Events" was the only Israeli film that competed in the competition. The award is considered a great achievement because about 2,000 films were submitted to it, and out of the 10 that competed for the award, Geffen's film won first place.

Emily's mother, Michal Weiss, proudly shares her daughter's success. "The film was shot last year, when she was 8 years old," Michal shares with us, "the film is now being shown at the film festival and it won the best short film award. There is a possibility of submitting it to compete for the Oscar on behalf of the State of Israel."

Is this your daughter's first role?

"This is her first leading role. She has a very central role in the film. She was chosen from among hundreds of girls. Shira the director told me that she didn't need to be reminded at all and that she has a natural talent."

What was it like for her to be photographed in the desert?

It was a good experience for her," says Michal, "she saw mountains and desert there and became very attached to the desert. She was there for very intense filming - 4 days that started at 5:00 am and ended at 22:00 pm. Of course, it was tiring for her, but she tried very hard, because she really liked it. She says that these four days helped her connect with the character of Noga and the other actors."

How did she feel with all the actors and cameras around her?

"Emily was very excited because it was her first time. She told me after that that in her imagination she felt like she was jumping up to the sky."

How did the other players treat her?

"Emily was very satisfied with the treatment she received on the set. She said that everyone was very nice to her, both the actors and the rest of the crew and did everything to make her feel pleasant and comfortable. She also connected with the son of the actress Tinkerbell, who came every dinner and they talked and played together. In addition, there were also two twins who played in the film and I met them during the filming, so she wasn't bored."

Is Emily learning to act?

"She started learning acting from the age of 7. She really likes it and hopes to develop in the field. Today she is in the fourth grade and attends the Meshool school in Atlit."

How does she feel about the film being able to make it to the Oscars?

"Of course, she really hopes to get to the Oscar. She will be very happy if the film wins the Oscar because it is her dream to go far and become an actress. When the film competed in the festival in China, we did not join. My daughter was very excited about winning in China."

What is her next role?

"There are several auditions that she attended, but we don't know anything yet."

Have you thought about the possibility of her getting positions abroad?

"Of course, in the first stage I would prefer that she get roles in Israel. Later on she will be happy to play roles abroad as well, and I imagine that just as in this film she got into the character and tried to do it as well as possible, the same will happen with the roles abroad."

Does Emily take the game seriously?

"For her, this is the career she wants to pursue. She can sing beautifully and play the piano. She is a very talented girl. She says she would like to be both a singer and an actress."

Sounds like you get a lot of pleasure out of it

"Obviously, but it's important to me that she keeps her proportions. She's another student at school, and I don't want her to think that she's allowed everything."