The full list of awards at the 2022 Jerusalem International Film Festival:*
International Competition, courtesy of the Jerusalem Foundation
The Nechama Rivilin Award for Best International Film courtesy of Ronald S. and Jo Carole Lauder, through the Jerusalem Foundation, was awarded to the film Metronom, directed by Alexandru Belc. The jury members for the International Competition are: Mariette Rissenbeek, László Nemes, Rúnar Rúnarsson. Jury statement: “A penetrating cinematic portrayal of youth under an oppressive regime. The film’s unique power is in its clear focus and personal point of view.”
A special mention was given to Pablo Schils for his performance in Tori and Lokita, directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. Jury statement: “We present a special mention to Pablo Schils. He portrayed the character of Tori in a tender and touching fashion, and his performance was rare and exquisite.”
International Competition for Debut Films, courtesy of GWFF
The GWFF International Debut Award was awarded to the film 1976, directed by Manuela Martelli. Jury members: Pamela Koffler, João Pedro Rodrigues, Smriti Kiran. Jury statement: “We were profoundly impressed with the film’s confident, persuasive and understated style of storytelling. The director creates suspense and mystery, the backdrop for which is an increasingly escalating political crisis, which is familiar and well-documented. The wonderful portrayal of the protagonist breathes life into a story about a profound inner change, which she’s experiencing simultaneously with the chaos roiing her country and her family. The issues of patriarchy and privilege, courage and sacrifice, come together to form a story of conflict and great empathy. We’re pleased to present the International Debut Award to 1976. Manuela Martelli is a promising director worth following. We’re proud to honor an important voice in film, and will continue to do so.”
A special mention was given to the film La Jauría, directed by Andrés Ramírez Pulido. Jury statement: “The film consists entirely of an inner journey. We embark on a journey to the dark reality of daily life for a group of teenage convicts deep in South America, possibly in Colombia. To the elusive, beating heart of Eliú, and his friend and rival, El Mono. The film doesn’t shy away from portraying their violent reality. The vicious aggression passed down through the generations is its driving force. But much like in the works of Jean Genet, characters who have committed irredeemable acts get the chance to make a fresh start. We present a special mention to Andrés Ramírez Pulido’s La Jauría.
In the Spirit of Freedom Awards
The MKR Award was awarded ex aequo to two films: Everything Will Be OK, directed by Rithy Pahn and My Imaginary Country, directed by Patricio Guzmán. Jury members: Jacques Comets, Teona Strugar Mitevska, Maya Fischer. Jury statement: “Two wonderful filmmakers who continue to lead social struggles while using their personal, unique voices. One deals with a contemporary revolution, and skillfully presents a story of resistance and female empowerment and reminds us that one can affect real change. The other uses animation to present a chilling look at our reality as humans, it is a poem of war, injustice, evil, but also hope for freedom.”
The Chantal Akerman Experimental Documentary Prize
The Chantal Akerman Prize, courtesy of the Ostrovsky Family, was awarded to the film Myanmar Diaries, directed by The Myanmar Film Collective, and produced by Corinne van Egeraat.
Full-Length Israeli Feature Film Awards
The Haggiag Award for Best Feature through the Jerusalem Foundation was awarded to 35 Downhill, directed by Yona Rozenkier, and produced by Kobi Mizrahi Jury members: Volker Schlöndorff (chair), Daniella Nowitz, Christophe Cognet, Alissa Simon. Jury statement: “A film that defies conventions and combines drama, comedy and social satire. A sincere, intimate, anarchically frenetic portrait of characters facing society.”
The GWFF Award for Best First Film was awarded to the film Karaoke, directed by Moshe Rosenthal, and produced by Efrat Cohen. Jury statement: “An amusing, biting social satire, constantly entertaining and intriguing thanks to emotional performances and bold direction.”
The Dalia Sigan Award for Best Script was awarded to Idan Haguel for the film Concerned Citizen. Jury statement: “A perfect combination of screenplay and direction, creating an intimate, brave and fair portrait of a couple trying to fulfil their personal desires while conscious of the societal tension around them.”
The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Actress was awarded to Oshrat Ingedashet for her performance in the film America. Jury statement: “Ingedashet, in the part of Iris the florist, shows a strong, natural presence on screen, and adds color and emotion to a world that comes off as cold and pitiless.”
The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Actor was awarded to Shmuel Vilozni for his performance in the film 35 Downhill. Jury statement: “Shmuel Vilozni is the heart and soul of 35 Downhill, beginning to end, he captures and enhances the director’s vision of a character unshackled by social mores, and is constantly surprising in his warmth, generosity, and sarcasm that’s free of bitterness.”
The Audience Choice Award was awarded to the film Karaoke.
The Aaron Emanuel Award for Best Cinematography was awarded to Oded Ashkenazi for the film 35 Downhill. Jury statement: “The camera follows the story in perfect harmony, and presents deep and sincere portraits along satirical scenes and images. The modest and understated lighting and compositions fully match the characters’ personalities and performance for the camera.”
The Diamond Award for Best Editing was awarded to Nili Feller and Shauly Melamed for the film Savoy. Jury statement: “The editing skillfully blends the real and the imaginary, and maintains dynamism and a steady rhythm throughout the film.”
The Yossi Mulla Award for Best Original Score was awarded to Zoe Polanski for the film Concerned Citizen. Jury statement: “An impressive, minimalist soundtrack that captures the complexity and tension of the film’s narrative.”
The Diamond Award for Best Documentary Film was awarded to the film To Cure Longing, directed and produced by Artyom Dubitski. Jury statement: “A young immigrant’s sober examination of his family’s life in Russia and Ukraine before they immigrated to Israel. The filmmaker uses the camera himself and directs conversations in a delicate, sensitive manner, creating powerful moments that would be at home in one of Chekhov’s plays.”
The Diamond Award for Best Director of a Documentary Film was awarded to director Zohar Wagner for her film Savoy. Jury statement: “A combination of fascinating documentary footage and excellent scripted scenes, recreating a tragic historical event and reestablishes a brave woman’s reputation.”
The Best Documentary Research Award was awarded to the film Two Kids a Day, directed by David Wachsmann, and produced by Yoav Roeh and Aurit Zamir. Jury statement: “Provides a chance for several of the numerous Palestinian children arrested and imprisoned for throwing rocks to contemplate their past actions and plans for the future.”
The Diamond Competition for Israeli Shorts
The Diamond Award for Best Live Action Film was awarded to the film Killing Ourselves, directed by Maya Yadlin. Jury members: Jury: Michel Franco, Hadas ben Aroya, Michel Zana.
A special mention was given to the film Lot’s Wife, directed by Ori Birger.
The Aliza and Micha Shagrir Award for Best Documentary Film was awarded to the film God’s Mountain, directed by Tamar Tal Anati.
The Aliza and Micha Shagrir Award for a Promising Filmmaker was awarded to Gaya Elstein for her film Man’s Best Friend.
The Bell-Bielski Family award for Best Performer in a Short Film was awarded to Noam Imber for his performance in the film Wednesday, directed by Rona Segal.
The Jerusalem Film & Television Fund – The Jerusalem Development Authority Award for Best Animation Film was awarded to the film Letter to a Pig, directed by Tal Kantor.
The Israeli Video Art and Experimental Film Competition, in collaboration with The Mamuta Project, a Center for Art and Research
The Lia van Leer Award courtesy of Rivka Saker for Best Experimental Film was awarded to the film جثمان كلب (A Dog’s Funeral), directed by Yara Kassem Mahajena. Jury members: Tzion Abraham Hazan, Adina Kamien, Noga Davidson. Jury statement: “The film was chosen for its breathtaking cinematic experience and text. It is a satirical alegory depicting an absurd memorial echoing a traumatic past. Using concentrated images, tactile sound design and a methodical cinematic language, Yara Kassem Mahajena displaces the political content to a fictional cinematic space which distills the experience of reality.”
The Ostrovsky Family Fund Award was awarded to the film Grandmother Carmela, directed by Yoel Peled. Jury statement: “Yoel Peled’s film was chosen for the unique form of the characters and world it depicts. The film creates an indecipherable cognitive and visual experience due to the characters’ formal distortion, and the use of technology, which imparts them with an illusive concreteness. A sincere existential conversation between a grandmother and a child takes place in an uncanny environment.”
A special mention was given to the film 73, directed by Meshy Koplevitch. Jury statement: “The film was chosen for its sincerity, its humor and the varied material richness through which the filmmaker depicts her father’s traumatic experience of war. Meshy Koplevitch develops elements from her father’s drawing style, and brings them to life using sound, animation and montage. The horrific stories are recounted from a vulnerable, personal perspective, with a delicacy and grace that invites us to remain in front of the screen and observe the pain.”
*Award information and texts from the Jerusalem Film Festival
