Winners of DocAviv 2010 were announced yesterday, May 11. There will be additional screenings of the winners in each category on May 14 & 15th – so if you missed seeing these in the course of the festival, there is still a chance to catch up!
Winner of the Israeli contest is Ofer Trainin’s “Wandering Eyes”. The film centers on the creative process of Gabriel Belhassan, guitarist and founding member of the Israeli rock band “Algir” (1992 – 2006) who suffers from manic depression. The judges were: Dr. Hermann Barth, Amir Labaki, Anna Glogowski, Joelle Alexis and Nitzan Gilady. Their comments on the film: “A moving documentary that transcends the private crisis of an artist, diving us all into a journey around self-discovery, brotherhood and the challenges of creation, the best documentary film award goes to “Wandering Eyes”. Noa Ben Hagai’s “Blood Relation” was awarded second place. The Mayor of Tel Aviv’s Prize for a first film was awarded to Ohad Itach for “Loving Sophia.”
Yair Sagi received an award for his cinematography in “My Name is Ahlam,” the judges comments were: The cameraman is the eyes of the director, a task rarely fulfilled. When one is visualizing life it is easy to look straight ahead, but how can one film death? The best cinematography award goes to Yair Sagi for the film “My Name is Ahlam”.
Arik Lahav Leibovitch received the award for editing for his work on “Teacher Irena” and “Loving Sophia”, the judges said, “Editing is a complex task full of dangerous traps. For the skill of storytelling, taking the right choices to build a coherent structure and protecting the characters in a sensitive way. We chose to give Arik Lahav Leibovitch the best editing award.”
Nadav Harel won an award for his research on “The Electric Mind.” According to the judges, “Research in documentary films often requires finding adequate and convincing ways to explain and make understandable complex issues. Such a very precise and sincere film which deals with different ways of treating with brain disorders, with or yet small knowledge of the functions of the brain, our doubts and hopes, together with the success of modern medicine.”
The International Contest was judged by Amy Hardie, Olivier Tournaud and Dr. Shmulik Duvdevany. An Honorable Mention was given to “The Most Dangerous Man: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” by Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith, USA, the judges saying, “We salute this documentary: it shows the richness and diversity of the art-form of the documentary. It deals with important issues, intellectually challenging, stimulating. It Brings the notion of ancient dramaturgy ‘hero’ to the be central to documentary – even documentary of current events, and so to our political institutions: the persons who have to make an individual decision that cuts them off from the comfort and acceptance of their peers, their career, their future, in order to change the understanding and the direction of a nation. It gives us courage, to believe that things can change, and that we are not powerless. A beautifully paced investigative story.”
First place in the International Contest was awarded to Joonas Berghäll, Mika Hotakainen for their film “Steam of Life,” a close look at the conversations of men in the sauna. Said the judges, “The sauna is the symbolic space, where people are naked physically and emotionally, which makes the protagonists compelling and vulnerable. Showing the most common Finnish cultural custom, the director exposes human emotions that are the same in France, Israel and the UK. The film surprised us on many levels. We are seeing thing we never imagined and hearing dialogue that brought out the poetry of everyday tragedies and pleasures. Change happened in front of the camera. We saw men saving each other through their shared humanity. The limpid gaze of the director that found visual delight as well as the pain of living in a world which seems inexplicable, and that we cannot control.”
In the Student Competition, the judges – Tamar Yarom, Naama Piritz and Nancy Fishman, awarded first place to Maytal Ben Hamo, from the Kibbutz Seminar Film Department for “Document of Identity”, saying, “The director chose captivating characters and provided us with an intimate glance into their world. The film manages to sweep us into their emotional world, to make us identify with their pain and admire their strengths in fighting for their rights. The director has shown maturity in the making of the film and in her ability to allow this story to be revealed. The music, cinematography and editing combine to create a powerful and meaningful film.” Golan Rise, from the Maaleh Film School, was awarded second place for “The Breakfast Parliament.” Rachel Ben Zaken, from Camera Obscura, received an editing award for “Simplicity.”
Tickets: www.ticketnet.co.il/docaviv, cinemaphone: 03-5157929, 03-6060800, ext. 0
Screening Times and Locations:
Friday, May 14, ZOA,
16:00 “My Name is Ahlam”
20:00 “Teacher Irena”
22:00 “Loving Sophia”
Saturday, May 15, ZOA & Cinematheque,
10:00 “Steam of Life” Cinematheque 1
10:00 “Document of Identity” Cinematheque 2
12:00 “The Electric Mind” ZOA
14:00 “Wandering Eyes” Cinematheque 1
18:00 “Blood Relation” ZOA
20:30 “Steam of Life” Cinematheque 2
22:00 “Wandering Eyes” ZOA
Cinematheque, 2 Shprinzak Street, Tel Aviv
ZOA, 1 Daniel Frisch Street, Tel Aviv
