The winners of the 42nd Jerusalem Film Festival were announced at a ceremony on Thursday at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, in both the Israeli and international competitions and a total of NIS one million was given to the prizewinners.
While all the categories are competitive, the Israeli competitions are watched especially closely by those interested in blue-and-white cinema, and some of the most important Israeli films of the last 25 years have won at this festival.
The Haggiag Award for Best Feature through the Jerusalem Foundation went to Oxygen, directed by Netalie Braun, which tells the story of a mother (Dana Ivgy) who goes to incredible lengths to stop her soldier son (Ben Sultan) from being deployed on the front lines when a war breaks.
The jury statement read, in part: “A radical reading of Israeli existence centered on a mother who boldly chooses to stop being a victim of the Israeli ethos, no matter the cost. The film is layered with endless facets of Israeli reality, presented from a new perspective, giving an almost biblical dimension to the story of a mother facing the sacrifice of her son.”
The Sea
An Honorable Mention went to The Sea, directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak, about a Palestinian boy who sneaks into Tel Aviv to go to the beach for the first time, as his father frantically searches for him. The jury wrote the film is, “A poetic journey that manages to capture the nuances of our harsh reality and conveys the dissonance within the experience of Israel's impossible labyrinths of occupation, military, and police. The film moves back and forth between tunnels, fences, towers, buses, and motorcycles, and a child's simple yearning to see the vast sea, depicted here as a chance for redemption.”
GWFF Award for Best Israeli Debut Feature went to Nandauri, directed by Eti Tsicko, which tells the story of a female Israeli lawyer (Neta Riskin) who was born in Georgia and who returns there to help a client, which brings up traumas from her childhood. The jury said, “In her first feature film, Eti Tsicko demonstrates remarkable talent, taking us on a powerful journey. The director constructs an artistic, cinematic, female, and unique world, creating a collision between tradition and modernity. Tsicko's protagonist emerges from patriarchal environments yet relentlessly strives to change reality.”
The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script went to Mihal Brezis, Oded Binnun, Tom Shoval, and Amital Stern for Dead Language, a reworking of the short film, Aya, about a woman whose life takes an unexpected turn after she impulsively gets close to a stranger.
Anat Pirchi Award for Best Performance went to Riki Reif Sinai for playing a soldier struggling to help her dysfunctional family in Cuz You're Ugly.
The Best Ensemble Award went to the cast of The Sea.
The Diamond Award for Best Documentary Film went to Malachi, directed by Ido Bahat and Noam Demsky, which is about a couple that gives up their severely ill baby for adoption and the midwife who adopts the child.
The jury said, “Ido Bahat and Noam Demsky's film presents a sharp and powerful human drama without judging its protagonists, who bare their most fragile and profound places. Malachi touches upon the very core complexity of family roles and unconditional parental love, examining how we relate to those who are different. It bravely confronts a major social taboo alongside a unique human conflict and an ethical, moral dilemma. The film leaves viewers unable to escape the question of how they would act in the same situation. The result is a film that highlights the human spirit at its finest.”
Diamond Award for Best Director of a Documentary Film went to Israela Shaer-Meoded for Looking for Yadida, the story of the Yemenite children who went missing in transit camp’s and the director’s search for her own aunt.
The jury said, “Director Israela Shaer-Meoded approaches a sensitive and volatile affair that has haunted the country for nearly seventy years with a unique and personal perspective. Through powerful investigative work, she takes us into her family's personal story and, through it, delves into a national controversy that has shaken, and continues to shake, Israeli society. By uncovering new details and revelations about the past, she demonstrates extraordinary determination in her filmmaking, even at a heavy personal and familial cost.”
Diamond Award for Best Live Action Short Film went to Tongue Behind Teeth by Ira Eduardovna, while second prize went to Dalia's Tea Casts a Shadow on Mount Fuji by Oren Gerner.
The Aliza and Micha Shagrir Award for Best Student Film went to The Things We do for Love and a Foreign Passport by Ayal Sgerski of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film & Television School.
This year’s International Competition jury – which was comprised of Lawrence Bender, Matthias Glasner, and Julia von Heinz – gave the Nechama Rivlin Award for Best International Film to The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho of Brazil, which tells the story of a technology expert who seeks refuge in his hometown.
The Best Director Award went to Bálint Szimler of Hungary for Lesson Learned.
The film festival will continue until Saturday night at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the Lev Smadar theater. For the schedule, go to https://jff.org.il/en