''False Flag'' (original title in ) is an
Israeli television
Television in Israel refers to television broadcasting services in the State of Israel, inaugurated on March 24, 1966. Initially, there was one state-owned channel, operated jointly by the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Israeli Educational ...
thriller drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
series.
The series is directed by Oded Ruskin and stars
Ishai Golan
Ishai Golan ( he, ישי גולן) is an Israeli film and television actor.
Early life
He was born in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Career
Golan attended Telma Yalin Arts High School in Givatayim. In 1990, he got his first cinematic role at the age of 17 ...
, Maggie Azarzar,
Angel Bonanni,
Ania Bukstein
Ania Bukstein ( he, אניה בוקשטיין; russian: link=no, Аня Букштейн, ''Anya Bukshteyn''; born 7 June 1982) is an Israeli actress, singer and pianist, performing in Hebrew, Russian, French and English.
Early life
Bukstein was ...
and Orna Salinger. It was created for
Keshet International
Keshet International is the global production and distribution arm of Israeli media company Keshet Media Group ( he, שידורי קשת). Keshet International was established in 2012 and is led by chief executive officer Alon Shtruzman. The comp ...
by Maria Feldman and Amit Cohen. It involves five ordinary Israelis who wake up one morning and discover that their names, faces, and personal details have been splashed across the world’s media on suspicion of involvement in a high-profile kidnapping.
The series had its world premiere at the
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...
in February, and won the audience award at France's Series Mania festival in April 2015. In October 2015, during the annual trade show
MIPCOM
MIPCOM (Marché International des Programmes de Communication, English: International Market of Communications Programmes) is an annual trade show held in the French town of Cannes, traditionally in the month of October and running for 4 days. It ...
, it was announced that the series was acquired by
Fox International and was its first acquisition of a foreign-language series on a global scale. The show will be broadcast in 127 countries.
''False Flag'' was made by
Keshet International
Keshet International is the global production and distribution arm of Israeli media company Keshet Media Group ( he, שידורי קשת). Keshet International was established in 2012 and is led by chief executive officer Alon Shtruzman. The comp ...
and originally aired on
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
's
Channel 2 on October 29, 2015.
Background
The show is loosely based on the story of the
assassination in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
of
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
Mahmoud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhouh ( ar, محمود عبد الرؤوف المبحوح; 14 February 1960 – 19 January 2010) was the chief of logistics and weapons procurement for Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He is reme ...
, co-founder of the military wing of
Islamist Palestinian group
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam ...
, on January 19, 2010.
Series synopsis
The series revolves around five ordinary Israeli citizens who discover one morning via the media that they are the principal suspects of a high-profile kidnapping and are implicated as culprits in the kidnapping. They are involved in a brutal kidnapping of the Iranian minister of defense, Farhead Sulimani, during his visit to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
on 15 April 2015, having arrived in the country earlier that day from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
under an alias and using one of several passports. According to the Russian
Federal Security Service (FSB), Sulimani was drugged. Widespread speculation, which Russian police allegations support, is that he was killed by the Israeli
Mossad in a secret mission.
News channels around the world cover the incident while broadcasting the footage of the kidnapping, the five Israelis soon become wanted and their personal details, including their passports photos, are shown on the media and TV channels around the world.
The unceasing news coverage causes an uproar in the suspects' lives and mixed feelings from their surroundings and the public. Their attempts to deny their involvement are in vain. The Mossad and the Israeli government leave them to deal with it on their own instead of providing protection. It's not long before they undermine their credibility. Later, even their closest friends begin to distrust them. Although eventually it is discovered that they are not that innocent.
Cast and characters
Main cast
*
Ishai Golan
Ishai Golan ( he, ישי גולן) is an Israeli film and television actor.
Early life
He was born in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Career
Golan attended Telma Yalin Arts High School in Givatayim. In 1990, he got his first cinematic role at the age of 17 ...
as Ben "Benny" Rephael – A chemist and a family man, an Israeli with a Greek citizenship. (S1)
*
Magi Azarzar as Natalie Alfassia – A bride on her wedding day, an Israeli with a French citizenship. (S1)
*
Ania Bukstein
Ania Bukstein ( he, אניה בוקשטיין; russian: link=no, Аня Букштейн, ''Anya Bukshteyn''; born 7 June 1982) is an Israeli actress, singer and pianist, performing in Hebrew, Russian, French and English.
Early life
Bukstein was ...
as Asia Brindich – A kindergarten teacher, an Israeli with a Russian citizenship. (S1)
*
Angel Bonanni as Sean Tilson – An Israeli with dual Dutch citizenship, came back to Israel after a vacation in India. (S1-2)
*
Orna Salinger
''False Flag'' (original title in ) is an Israeli television thriller drama series.
The series is directed by Oded Ruskin and stars Ishai Golan, Maggie Azarzar, Angel Bonanni, Ania Bukstein and Orna Salinger. It was created for Keshet Internation ...
as Emma Lipman – New Israeli citizen with dual British citizenship. (S1)
* as Eithan Kopel – Head of the
Shin Bet
The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...
investigation team and a former
Mossad agent. (S1-2)
*
Yiftach Klein as Sagi Kedmi (S2)
*
Neta Riskin
Neta Riskin ( he, נטע ריסקין; born 28 October 1976) is an Israeli actress and journalist, best known for her role as Giti Weiss in the series ''Shtisel''.
Riskin coached Israeli-born American actress Natalie Portman to speak Hebrew with a ...
as Anat Kedmi (S2)
*
Yousef Sweid as Amir Cohen (S2)
*
Hanna Azoulay Hasfari as Miriam Levi (S2)
*
Hani Furstenberg as Joan 'Jo' Berger (S2)
* Moran Rosenblatt as Dikla Levi (S2)
* Lihi Kornowski as Mika Arazy (S2)
Recurring cast
* Morris Cohen as Eli Mazor – Shin Bet investigator
* Sergey Bukhman as Alex Feldman – Shin Bet investigator
* Avigail Ariely as Efrat – Ben's wife
*
as Gafni
*
Roi Assaf as Yuval – Natalie's fiance
*
Yigal Naor
Igal Naor ( he, יגאל נאור; born ) is an Israeli actor, sometimes credited as Yigal Naor.
Naor was born in Givatayim, Israel, to Mizrahi Jewish parents from Iraq. He has appeared in the American films ''Munich'', ''Green Zone'' and '' R ...
as Gabi
Episodes
Remake
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
has ordered a remake of the series starring
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...
, titled ''Suspicion'', for
Apple TV+
Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
.
See also
*
Mahmoud al-Mabhouh
Mahmoud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhouh ( ar, محمود عبد الرؤوف المبحوح; 14 February 1960 – 19 January 2010) was the chief of logistics and weapons procurement for Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He is reme ...
References
External links
*
* {{IMDb title, 5091684, False Flag
Articleon
Fox International's website about the acquisition of 'False Flag'
Israeli drama television series
Thriller television series
Espionage television series
Shin Bet in fiction
Channel 2 (Israeli TV channel) original programming
2015 Israeli television series debuts
Television shows set in Moscow
Television shows set in Israel