Veteran Hollywood actor Henry Winkler will star alongside Aleeza Chanowitz in “Chanshi,” a U.S.-Israel crossover comedy series for Israeli network HOT.
Chanowitz is also the series creator and writer of “Chanshi,” which is currently in production on location in and around Jerusalem.
Chanowitz plays Chanshi, a young religious girl from the Jewish community in Brooklyn who decides, just before her wedding and despite her family’s objections, to break off her engagement and immigrate to Israel. In the Holy Land Chanshi embarks on a wild and reckless journey, but the transition from a life with a clear set of rules to a life without any rules at all is not what she was expecting. Meanwhile, Chanshi’s father Tatty’s (Winkler) anxieties escalate and he demands that she return home, get married, and save her family’s reputation.
The cast also includes Marnina Schon (“Dollface”), Tomer Machloof (“Tehran”), Lee Bader (“Super Lady”), Oshri Cohen (“McMafia”), Daniel Moreshet (“The Big Nothing”), Michal Birnbaum (“Unorthodox”), Roy Miller (“Superdaddy), Roni Dalumi (“Euphoria”) and Dor Gvirtsmam (“S.W.A.T.”).
The series is produced by Kastina Communications (“The Chef”) for HOT. It is directed by Mickey Triest and Aaron Geva, who won an Israeli Academy Award with “Bracha,” a 2015 short film which received considerable festival play.
Filming on “Chanshi” is currently underway and transmission is due on HOT later this year.
Winkler is a three-time Emmy award winner and two-time Golden Globe award winner known globally for his role as Fonzie in classic series “Happy Days.” He was part of the ensemble cast in Wes Anderson’s Cannes 2021 title “The French Dispatch.”
Chanowitz is a graduate of Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, and who’s short films have been screened at many international festivals including “Mushkie” which premiered at Berlinale 2016.