The 39th edition of the Jerusalem Film Festival will open on July 21, 2022, with a gala screening of Ruben Östlund’s new film, Triangle of Sadness, winner of the Palme D’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The traditional opening ceremonies and screening will take place at the Sultan’s Pool in Jerusalem, with the film’s director in attendance.
Triangle of Sadness is the Swedish director’s first English-speaking film, following The Square (2017), which won the Palme D’Or at Cannes, and Force Majeure (2014). Viewers of The Square will recognize the incisive satiric wit that informs the Triangle of Sadness, as Östlund turns his gaze to the world of super-models, influencers, and the ultra-wealthy. His protagonists Yaya (Charlbi Dean), a successful model, and Carl (Harris Dickinson), a somewhat less successful model, whose relationship is perhaps as much a business partnership as a romance. The pair are also influencers and it’s the latter calling that scores Yaya an invite to a luxury cruise, where they mingle with the extravagantly wealthy. The cruise highlights the power dynamic between the privileged, wealthy, passengers, and the crew members who work to keep the ship running, with Woody Harrelson at the helm as the drunk Captain.
With his second Palme D’Or win, Östlund joins the very short list of directors who have won the prestigious prize more than once. This exclusive cohort includes Alf Sjöberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Billie August, Shōhei Imamura, Emir Kusturica, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Ken Loach, and Michael Haneke. Following the film festival, Triangle of Sadness will be distributed in Israel by Lev Cinema.
Roni Mahadav-Levin, Jerusalem Cinematheque CEO, and Elad Samorzik, Jerusalem Film Festival Artistic Director released a statement: “We are proud to open the festival this year with Triangle of Sadness, one of the most beautiful, intelligent, and funny films that we have seen in a long time. Ruben Östlund, one of the most important and original filmmakers of this generation, amazed viewers at the last Cannes Film Festival with a fresh and unusual film that succeeds in being at once entertaining and subversive. The film expresses the spirit of our time so sharply and precisely, that we were not surprised when the jury decided to award it the Palme D’Or. We would like to thank Lev Cinema, the film’s distributors in Israel, and we are confident that the thousands of audience members at the Sultan’s Pool will enjoy an unforgettable experience.”
The Jerusalem Film Festival will take place from July 21 – 31, 2022, with a rich program that includes screenings of over 200 films from 50 countries, including festive premieres of Israeli films, and international films that have garnered accolades and awards at leading festivals worldwide, such as Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and Sundance. The festival will include industry events and professional workshops. The full program and additional information will be available on the Jerusalem Film Festival website.
The Jerusalem Film Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Van-Leer Foundation and the Jerusalem Foundation.
