The film received acclaim from critics and audiences . It won eight Ophir Prizes awarded by the Israeli Film Academy . It was Israel 's original Foreign Language Film submission for the 80th Academy Awards , but was rejected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences because it contained over 50 % English dialogue . Thus , Israel sent '' Beaufort '' instead ; '' Beaufort '' was eventually included in the five final nominees
80th Academy Awards
80th Academy Awards
The Band's Visit