One Night, Markovitch

Two men are crossing the sea to marry women they have never met, in order to help them escape war-torn Europe for the Jewish homeland. Zeev Feinberg - lover of many women and proud owner of a lustrous moustache - yearns to return home, to a girl whose skin is sweet with the smell of oranges. For Yaacov Markovitch, however, who no woman has ever looked at twice, his fake marriage is the beginning of a lifelong obsession. As he vows to make his beautiful bride, Bella, love him - and she determines to break free - their changing fortunes take them through war, upheaval, terrible secrets, tragedy, joy and loss. Vital, funny and tender, One Night, Markovitch brilliantly fuses personal lives and epic history in an unforgettable story of endless, hopeless longing and the desperate search for love.

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen was born in Israel in 1982. She holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from Tel Aviv University, has been a news editor on Israel's leading newspaper and has worked for the Israeli civil rights movement. Her film scripts have won prizes at international festivals, including the Berlin Today Award and the New York City Short Film Festival Award. One Night, Markovitch, her first novel, won the Sapir Prize for best debut.