Kissufim (Hebrew: כיסופים) is a 2023 Israeli coming of age drama film directed by Keren Nechmad.

It takes place on Kibbutz Kissufim in 1977, the period after the Yom Kippur War and before the Camp David Accords (peace agreement with Egypt) in 1978.

It centres on three friends, Eli (Swell Ariel Or), Yoav (Yehonatan Vilozny) and Ron (Ofer Grinberg).

[5] Eli's character is based on the true story of Elaine Gazit, a 21-year-old Israeli woman serving with Nahal on the kibbutz.

[6] A group of young male and female conscripts in the Israel Defense Forces, complete their final stage of service with Nahal on Kibbutz Kissufim.

Men on the kibbutz compete for the affections of Eli, who is fiercely independent and struggles to reconcile the innocence of her youth with the confrontation of war.

[6] Gatzin was nearing the end of her mandatory military service with the Israel Defense Forces, and spending the final stage with Nahal on Kibbutz Kissufim.

At the time it was considered customary for Israelis living close to the strip, to go shopping at the markets in Gaza and visit the beaches.

[6] The script is based on conversations and stories that Elaine's friends had with scriptwriter, Yonatan Bar-Ilan that were subsequently dramatized.

[4] Kibbutz members participated fully with the production, allowing wide use of the locations and even appear as extras in the film.

"[3] Nechmad changed the ending of the film in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel: "I’m not in a place of hope and this is what I stand for...

[8] In December of that year it was screened at William Morris Endeavor in Beverly Hills, with Or and Nechmad attending.

[11] On 5 June 2024, it was part of the lineup for Israeli Cinema Day, held in Israel and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport.

[13] Hannah Brown wrote about the film for The Jerusalem Post: "Kissufim gracefully weaves the coming-of-age tropes with the reality of life in Israel during a time of hope."

"[14] Malina Saval wrote about the film for the magazine Los Angeles: "Cinematographer Ram Shweky captures the essence of this youthful wistfulness, crafting in Kissufim an idyllic landscape of muted hues and hypnotic visuals.

Much of Kissufim evokes the idealistic Zionist dream, as embodied by 1970s hippie kids plucking fruit from kibbutz trees, chasing after farm animals and harboring wanderlust fantasies of traversing the world, of seeing what lay beyond the wired fences and landmine-filled traps dividing Israel and its Arab neighbors... More than anything, Kissufim functions as cinematic confirmation that exquisite beauty sometimes exists amongst the worst things in the world.

"[4] Lior Zaltzman of Kveller, wrote that: "Though set decades ago, and filmed long before October 7, so many of the themes of the show feel ever prescient today."

You can almost smell the pool from the screen, feel the splash of those old sprinklers in the verdant fields in the desert, immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of the communal dining room, the center of the kibbutz universe.