JIFF26 Wish You Long Life

In this timely and insightful drama from Melbourne-born filmmaker Gideon Heine, a young Jewish man must confront his fear of reconnecting with his culture as antisemitism becomes an increasingly visible reality in Australia. Starring Noah Missell (Beetlejuice) and Tal Davida (Aphelion, Hindi Vindi), Wish You Long Life follows Adi and Maya, two childhood friends who have become estranged in recent years. When the sudden death of their best friend Reuben brings them back together, they reconnect and retrace the lives they once imagined for themselves and reckon with their past experiences with bullying, exclusion and antisemitism. Through this journey, they grapple with whether they should hide their cultural identity, or be proud of it. Tender, funny and ultimately hopeful, Wish You Long Life is a coming-of-age story about friendship, grief and identity which asks: what does it cost to hide who you are?