Israeli actress Shira Haas won the Jury Prize for her role in the television drama Night Therapy at the 63rd Monte Carlo International Television Festival Tuesday evening.
"Hello everyone, thank you for this incredible honor," Haas said in her pre-recorded acceptance speech, as she is currently filming in the United States. "I wish I could be there with you right now... Night Therapy is a series about healing, about grief, about love and I love this series so much. This role is meaningful for me on the most personal level, so thank you Raanan [Caspi], our creator and writer of the show."
Shira Haas' acceptance speech
She also thanked her production partners, as well as Yousef Sweid, who plays the lead role, and her family, including her mother, who passed away in 2022. "I want to thank my mom, whom I miss every day and every moment, and like everything in my life, this incredible achievement is thanks to her and for her," she said.
The plot of Night Therapy, starring Sweid, Haas and Yaron Brovinsky, follows the story of a psychologist who must see his patients only at night.
The show was produced for Yes TV by Dafna Danenberg, Aviram Avraham, Benny Menache and Eight Productions.
Additionally, Israeli creator Ben Shani represented his film Table for Eight from the popular current affairs and investigative show Uvda, which was nominated for the Golden Nymph Award at the festival but did not win.
The film explores the new life of Abigail Edan, a U.S.-Israeli dual citizen and daughter of Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet photographer Roy Edan, who was murdered on October 7 while documenting the terrorist invasion of Israel's shores. Edan's wife, Smadar, was also killed that morning, while Abigail's siblings, Michael and Amalia, hid in a closet for 12 hours.
Abigail, 3 years old at the time, was abducted to the Gaza Strip by terrorist invaders on October 7 and was released a month later as part of a cease-fire agreement.