The Cast of Fauda in 5 Breakout Roles
Did you binge watch Fauda? (It’s ok, we won’t tell). If you too can’t get enough of Doron, Steve, and the crew, here are five movies and TV shows you can stream starring the Fauda cast — including longtime favorites Rona-Lee Shimon, Doron Ben David, and Itzik Cohen — in other breathtaking roles.
- Asylum City (“Ir Miklat”): Doron Ben David leads a Tel Aviv police thriller
Prepare yourself for another binge watch — this police thriller set in Tel Aviv and starring Doron Ben David (Steve in Fauda) will take you on a journey through the dark underside of life in Israel’s cultural capital. The series follows ambitious detective Anat Sitton (Hani Furstenberg) as she investigates the murder of a local human rights activist, with the number-one suspect being an African asylum-seeker.
Slowly, Anat begins to discover there’s more to this case than it seems, as she unravels a cesspool of corruption lurking beneath the surface. With local activist Itay (Fauda’s Doron-Ben David) by her side, the duo learn more about the forces at work behind the scenes — from Tel Aviv’s criminal underground to the highest rungs of government corruption.
Shot on the streets and back-alleys of Tel Aviv, this heart-stopping series from the studio that produced Fauda delivers pulpy thrills and piercing social commentary with seamless precision, giving us a visceral exploration of the rot at the center of this city.
Watch Asylum City, starring Doron-Ben David and Hani Furstenberg on ChaiFlicks
- Bethlehem: Tzahi Halevi action-packed thriller
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been fertile ground for action dramas. In Bethlehem, actor Tzachi Halevi turns up the heat in an award-winning turn as Razi, an undercover Israeli Shin Bet agent. He is charged with handling a young Palestinian informant, Sanfur (Shadi Mar’i, Fauda). Razi and Sanfur develop a close relationship, something the ever-troubled Palestinian boy desperately needs.
Yet soon the Israelis discover that Sanfur — whose brother, Ibrahim (Hisham Suliman, another Fauda vet), is a high-ranking terrorist — has actually been misleading them all along. No longer able to trust the young man, Razi dives into uncharted waters. As the stakes rise on both sides of the equation, the nature of loyalty and truth becomes a matter of life and death.
In true-to-life form, Bethlehem packs a sophisticated script with action packed moments where situations escalate by the second. With another masterful performance, Tzahi Halevi’s character is so believable that we can’t help ourselves from following him until the very end.
Watch Bethlehem starring Tzahi Halevi, Shadi Mar’i, and Hisham Suliman on ChaiFlicks
- A Matter of Size: Captain Ayoub’s Classic Comedy
Fauda’s Captain Ayoub usually strikes fear in the heart of his enemies. Itzik Cohen, the actor behind the army general, delivers a hearty comedic performance in A Matter of Size. After quitting his job as a cook over an argument about his weight, Herzl (Cohen) goes to work as a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant, where he discovers the sport of sumo wrestling.
Choosing pride over shame, Herzl and his friends decide to become sumo wrestlers themselves, under the tutelage of Kitano (renowned international actor Togo Igawa). In doing so, Herzl goes up against stereotypes and finds pride in being true to himself.
A heart-warming comedy about a man’s struggle to rediscover his purpose and self-confidence, A Matter of Size became an instant Israeli classic, going on to premiere in the Sundance Film Festival and picking up three Ophir Awards in the process.
Watch A Matter of Size starring Itzik Cohen on ChaiFlicks
- A Quiet Heart: Rona-Lee Shimon stars in an understated drama
The picturesque image and the true reality of life in Jerusalem are often at odds with one another. This is very much the case in A Quiet Heart, a masterful drama starring Ania Bukstein (Game of Thrones, The Secrets), and Fauda star Rona-Lee Shimon.
Winner of the Grand Prix award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, A Quiet Heart follows Naomi (Bukstein), a young pianist who moves to Jerusalem and finds a job at a local radio station in an attempt to find new inspiration. As she starts to build a new life in the city, she is confronted by extreme Orthodox Jews who take issue with her secular lifestyle.
Despite the circumstances, she manages to build brave friendships with others in the area, through connections with a young activist (Shimon), a motherly Orthodox neighbor, and even a Christian monk named Fabrizio (prolific Italian actor Giogrio Lupano).
As Naomi slowly rediscovers her love of music, the reality of her new neighborhood tests her personal resolve and perseverance. Under Eitan Anner’s sensitive direction, A Quiet Heart depicts Jerusalem as a sometimes lonely, but also intimate city, where beliefs are strong, people are all around, and where hope can ultimately be found.
Watch A Quiet Heart, now streaming exclusively on ChaiFlicks.
- The Bouncer: Faith, Fatherhood, and the Law
Nominated for an astonishing 12 Ophir Awards (AKA the Israeli Oscars), The Bouncer is a thoughtful action movie that examines the boundaries between family, faith, and the law. Moris Cohen won the Jerusalem Film Festival’s Best Actor Award for his role as Ovadia, a nightclub bouncer who wants to start a family with his wife, but is unable to afford an expensive fertility treatment. That is, until a gangster offers him a job that he just can’t refuse.
The deeper Ovadia becomes involved in the gang, the more egos inflame — until he realizes he can’t turn back the clock and must face dangerous consequences for his choices. With the likes of Doron Ben-David in strong performances, this is a film that truly examines just how far anyone will go for love and family, and what happens when they’ve gone further than they should have.
The film neatly juxtapozes between Ovadia’s personal nature — the warm, religiously-observant family man — and the path he chose in life, which pours various meaningful angles into this otherwise straightforward action film.
Watch The Bouncer starring Moris Cohen and Doron Ben David on ChaiFlicks
