Jerusalem Film Festival

  • Eliran Malka’s THE UNORTHODOX to Open + Wes Anderson’s ISLE OF DOGS to Close 35th Jerusalem Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_30313" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Unorthodox The Unorthodox[/caption] The Unorthodox, the first feature film directed by Eliran Malka, will make its world premiere as the opening film for this year’s 35th edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival  on July 26, 2018. The Festival will close with a festive screening of the animated film, Isle of Dogs, by American director Wes Anderson which earlier this year opened the 2018 Berlin Film Festival.

    THE UNORTHODOX

    Synopsis: When Yakov Cohen’s daughter is expelled from school for ethnic reasons, he decides to fight back. It’s 1983 and Yakov, a printer in Jerusalem, is just a regular guy. He has no knowledge, no money, no connections and no political experience. But he does have the will and the passion to take action, and a belief that he and and other Sephardic Jews should be able to hold their heads up high. Yakov brings two friends along and together they start the first ethnic political group in Jerusalem, with an operation characteristic of the people they represent: not the suit-wearing types, but rather the people working their way up from the bottom. Their operation is informal, full of love for their fellow man, animated by a great sense of humor and a whole lot of rage. They didn’t know how to play the political game, so they made it all up as they went along – setting off on one of the oddest, most surprising and moving election campaigns Israel has ever known. Today, the Sfarad’s Guardians political party – known as “Shas” – is an empire, an institution and a brand influencing an entire society. Yakov Cohen still works at his printing house at the Bukharan Quarter in the heart of Jerusalem city. The Unorthodox is the first feature film directed by Eliran Malka, best known as the creator of the hit Israeli TV series Shababnikim. Inspired by the unique formation story of Israel’s Shas political party, which created a movement for Israel’s disenfranchised Sephardic community, the film is a comic drama about events that reshaped Israeli society and continue to resonate today. The Unorthodox also marks a return to the screen for lead actor Shuli Rand, who endeared himself to audiences in films such as Ushipizin by Gidi Dar, Marco Polo: The Missing Chapter by Rafi Bukai, and Life According to Agfa by Assi Dayan. In The Unorthodox Shuli Rand plays the lead role of Ya’akov Cohen, a man who, in wanting a small change, transformed an entire country. Director Eliran Malka is best known for the award winning Israeli television series Shababnikim, a humorous dive into the lives of four Jerusalem yeshiva students. Shababnikim was the top rated show on Israel’s HOT network last year, beating out imports such as Game Of Thrones and The Handmaid’s Tale. Malka studied at the Ma’aleh Film School in Jerusalem and also previously directed the short film 71 Square Meters.

    ISLE OF DOGS

    [caption id="attachment_25762" align="aligncenter" width="1329"]Isle of Dogs Isle of Dogs[/caption] Wes Anderson’s new film transports us to Japan to tell the story of Atari, the nephew of a corrupt mayor. When the mayor banishes all dogs from the city of Megasaki, Atari highjacks a plane to Trash Island to find his pet. Joined by a pack of courageous canines, he embarks on a journey that will determine the fate of the region. Through a long line of films including, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson has established himself as one of the most esteemed and original filmmakers in the world. In Isle of Dogs, his second animated film, he creates a lush and exciting world, and continues to develop his unique cinematic language.

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  • TIKKUN, HOTLINE Win Top Awards at 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival

    TIKKUN, directed by Avishai Sivan TIKKUN, directed by Avishai Sivan is the winner of the The Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film at the 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival. Tikkkun also won the awards for The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script, The Haggiag Award for Best Actor to Khalifa Natour for his role in Tikkun, and The Van Leer Award for Best Cinematography to Shai Goldman. Tikkun follows Haim-Aaron, a bright, Ultra-Orthodox religious scholar living in Jerusalem. His talents and devotion are envied by all.  One evening, following a self-imposed fast, Haim-Aaron collapses and loses consciousness. The paramedics announce his death, but his father takes over resuscitation efforts and, beyond all expectations, Haim-Aaron comes back to life. After the accident, try as he might, Haim-Aaron remains apathetic to his studies. He feels overwhelmed by a sudden awakening of his body and suspects this is God testing him. He wonders if he should stray from the prescribed path and find a way to rekindle his faith. The father notices his son’s changed behavior and tries to forgive him. He is tormented by the fear of having crossed God’s will, the night he resuscitated his son. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8hlHhX_H14 HOTLINE, directed by Silvina Landsmann is the winner of the Van Leer Award for Best Documentary Film.  Hotline delves into the heart of a small Tel Aviv-based NGO – a human rights organization called the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants – shedding light on its activities and revealing its reality, while observing the functions of an NGO in the democratic arena. The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants is dedicated to promoting the rights of refugees and undocumented migrant workers in Israel. In addition to its direct services through weekly visits to detention centers and its hotline, the NGO’s work also includes legal advocacy and public policy activities. The Hotline works to ensure that existing laws protecting basic human rights are implemented. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9n45YWJOo The complete list of 2015 Awards of 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival The Haggiag Competition for Full-Length Israeli Features The Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film granting 120,000 ILS: Tikkun, directed by Avishai Sivan, produced by Ronen Ben Tal, Moshe and Leon Edery. Jury: For its very impressive artistic achievement in telling a deep and delicate story with great sensitivity. The Anat Pirchi Award for Best First Film granting 20,000 ILS Wedding Doll, directed and produced by Nitzan Gilady. The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script granting 10,000 ILS Avishai Sivan for his film Tikkun. The Haggiag Award for Best Actor granting 10,000 ILS Khalifa Natour for his role in Tikkun. The Haggiag Award for Best Actress granting 10,000 ILS Asi Levi for her performance in Wedding Dolls. The Van Leer Award for Best Cinematography granting 9,000 ILS Shai Goldman for filming Tikkun. The Haggiag Award for Best Editing granting 10,000 ILS Reut Han, Yoav Paz and Doron Paz for editing JeruZalem. Israel Critics’ Forum Award for Best Feature Film A.K.A. Nadia, directed by Tova Ascher, produced by Estee Yacov-Mecklberg, Haim Mecklberg. The Audience Favorite Award JeruZalem, directed by Yoav Paz, Doron Paz, produced by Yoav Paz, Doron Paz, Nir Miretzky and Rotem Levim. The Van Leer Competition for Israeli Documentary Cinema The Van Leer Award for Best Documentary Film granting 30,000 ILS Hotline, directed by Silvina Landsmann, produced by Silvina Landsmann, Pierre-Olivier Bardet. The Van Leer Award for Best Director of a Documentary granting 18,000 ILS Nirit Aharoni for her film, Strung Out. The Haggiag Award for Best Music granting 10,000 ILS The jury has elected to present this award to a musician who contributed to a documentary: Ophir Leibovitch, for his work in Strung Out. Honorary Mention to a Documentary Thru You Princess, directed by Ido Haar, produced by Liran Aztmor. The jury of the Israeli Feature Film Competition was comprised of Elma Tataragić from the Sarajevo Film Festival, Matthijs Wouter Knol from the Berlin Film Festival/EFM, Turkish director Tayfun Pirselimoğlu and Israeli film critic Yael Shuv. The Wim Van Leer “In the Spirit of Freedom” Competition The Cummings Award for Best Feature Film granting 4,000$ Three Windows and a Hanging, directed by Isa Qosja. The Ostrovsky Award for Best Documentary Film grating 2,000$ The Pearl Button, directed by Patricio Guzman Honorary Mention Mussa, directed by Anat Goren, produced by Daniela Rachminov-Sidi, Anat Goren. The In the Spirit of Freedom jury was comprised of Israeli director and screenwriter Tali Shalom-Ezer, French actress Laëtitia Eïdo and French journalist Hélène Schoumann. The FIPRESCI International Debuts Competition The FIPRESCI Award for Best First Film Songs my Brothers Taught Me, directed by Chloe Zhao. Honorary Mention to an Israeli Debut Wedding Doll, directed and produced by Nitzan Gilady. The FIPRESCI jury was comprised of José Luis Losa García of Spain, Jack Mener of Belgium and Yair Raveh of Israel. The Israeli Short Film Competition The Van Leer award for Best Short Feature Film granting 9,000 ILS Line of Grace, directed by Rotem Kapelinsky, produced by Eyal Shirai. The Van Leer Award for Best Director of a Short Feature granting 9,000 ILS Yehonatan Indursky for his film The Cantor and the Sea. The Van Leer award for Best Short Documentary Film granting 7,000 ILS Mazal Means Luck, directed by Mazal Ben Yishai, Maaleh Film School. The Van Leer Award for Best Short Animation Film granting 7,000 ILS Warm Snow, directed by Ira Elshansky, Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design. The jury of the Short Film Competition was comprised of Mexican director and producer Gabriel Ripstein, Israeli director and screenwriter Elad Keidan and Israeli director, screenwriter and poet Netalie Braun. The Experimental Cinema and Video Art Competition The Lia Van Leer Award, donated by Rivka Saker, granting 12,000 ILS Factory, directed by Maya Geller. The Ostrovsky Family Foundation Award granting 8,000 ILS Last Person Shooter, directed by Boaz Levin and Adam Kaplan. The jury was comprised of Austrian artist and filmmaker Manu Luksch, Israeli curator Ran Kasmy-Ilan and Israeli curator Edna Moshenson. The Jewish Experience Competition The Leah Van Leer Award for Films about Jewish Heritage Zelda: A Simple Woman, directed by Yair Qedar The Avner Shalev – Yad Vashem Chairman’s Award for Holocaust-Related Films My Nazi Legacy: What Our Fathers Did, directed by David Evans. The International Children’s Films Competition The Cummings Award for Best Children’s Film granting 3,000$ Paper Planes, director by Robert Connolly

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  • Nanni Moretti’s MY MOTHER Starring John Turturro to Open 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival

    My Mother, Mia Madre, Nanni Moretti My Mother (Mia Madre), Nanni Moretti’s latest film, will open the 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival, at the Sultan’s Pool on July 9th, only months after its screening in the official competition at Cannes. The opening ceremony will be attended by John Turturro, who stars in the film. My Mother tells the story of Margherita, a famous Italian director who, while shooting her new film, has to deal with her lead actor (John Turturro) – an annoying but charming American with a proclivity for exaggeration. In addition to the pressure on the set, she also has to deal with her hospitalized aging mother’s health and with her adolescent daughter. Her brother (Nanni Moretti), is there to support and assist her, but very soon she understands that she cannot separate her personal life from her work on the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-l1oOMmkrg

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