The Story

Shai K. is the untold story of Shaike Ophir, one of the greatest Israeli performers of all time. Known as the ‘Israeli Charlie Chaplin’, Ophir worked with the legendary Alfred Hitchcock and Marcel Marceau, and became a mega star in Israel. In 1990, the Israeli Academy of Film and Television named the Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars) in his honour. Yet very few really knew the man behind the thousand faces.

Premiering at the 2019 DocAviv Film Festival, Shai K. is the tale of a tragicomic clown; a man who wanted more than anything to make people laugh and to be loved. For this, he paid a heavy personal price. Recounting Shaike’s extraordinary story by deftly weaving rare archive and interviews with those who knew him best, the film comes together to create a fascinating personal and psychological portrait of the man who became an icon.

Language: Hebrew (English subtitles)