The 40th Haifa International Film Festival will herald the coming new year, opening on December 31, 2024, with special events – sing-along screenings of Wicked and The Nightmare Before Christmas, lighting the 6th candle of Hannukah in the Cinematheque square, and dancing in the New Year at the Beat Club. As the festival was postponed from its traditional dates during the Sukkot holiday, the festival will now take place from December 31, 2024 – January 11, 2025, in a festive winter edition. The official opening ceremony and screening of renowned Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s new film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig will take place on January 2, 2025. French-Jewish director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) will be the guest of the festival in attendance for the Israeli premiere of his new film The Most Precious of Cargoes from the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2024.
New Dates New Films
New international and Israeli films have been added to the festival program, including films that have generated excitement at prestigious international festivals – Cannes, Venice and Sundance. Among the additions to the program are:
The Brutalist
Directed by Brady Corbet, The Brutalist stars Adrien Brody as Jewish architect László Toth who escapes post-war Europe to rebuild his life and work in America, reunited with his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones). Settling in Pennsylvania, his talents come to the attention of the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). The Brutalist premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, and Corbet was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Direction.
The Last Showgirl
Directed by Gia Coppola, the film stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a Las Vegas dancer who, after 30 years of performing, must figure out a path forward when she learns her show is closing. Jamie Lee Curtis lights up a supporting role as Annette, an older former showgirl turned waitress. The Last Showgirl premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the cast was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2024.
Better Man
Better Man, directed by Michael Gracey, takes an unusual approach to telling British pop singer Robbie Williams’ life story. A chimpanzee is the visual representation of Williams in the film, depicted with CGI and performed by Jonno Davies through motion capture. The voice of Williams as a child is performed by Jonno Davies, with Williams himself voicing the adult Robbie Williams.
September 5
September 5 is another film that takes a different perspective on events. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, it relates the tragic events during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, when terrorists murdered 11 Israelis. In the film, the Munich massacre is related through the coverage of the ABC Sports crew. The film stars Peter Sarsgaard as ABC executive Roone Arledge and held its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
Stranger Eyes
Directed by Yeo Siew Hua, Stranger Eyes follows a Singaporean couple whose daughter disappears from the playground, an event that reveals the additional distressing knowledge that someone has been filming their daily lives. The film stars Lee Kang-sheng and Wu Chien-ho as the child’s mother and father. The film held its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The Order
Directed by Justin Kurzel, The Order is based on true events, as described in Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt’s 1989 non-fiction book The Silent Brotherhood. Jude Law stars as Terry Husk, an FBI agent who pursues the Order, a white supremacist terrorist group that was active in the United States during the 1980s. Nicholas Hoult stars as Bob Mathews, the leader of the Order. The film held its world premiere in competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.
The New Year that Never Came
The New Year that Never Came is directed by Bogdan Mureșanu in his feature directorial debut. The lives of six individuals converge in unexpected ways on December 20, 1989, during the fall of Nicolae Ceauşescu and Communist rule in Romania. Based on Mureșanu’s 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift, the film held its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival where it won the Orrizonti Award for Best Film.
Israeli Films & Filmmakers
Highlights at the festival include Reading Lolita in Tehran, directed by Eran Riklis, starring acclaimed Iranian actors Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi. The film is an Italian-Israeli co-production based on the bestseller by Azar Nafisi, with a screenplay by Marjorie David. Riklis is well-known for his films The Syrian Bride (the festival will host a special screening of a restored version, celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary), Lemon Tree (2008), Dancing Arabs (2014) and more. Nafisi’s memoir tells of her experiences in Iran as an extremist, oppressive regime took power.
Opening the Carmel Competition will be Longing, an American remake of Shavi Gabizon’s 2017 film Ga’agua. Directed by Gabizon, the film stars Richard Gere as Daniel, a New York businessman who runs into a former girlfriend, Rachel (Suzanne Clément) who stuns him with the news that years ago she went back to Canada pregnant with their son, Allen, and breaks his heart, with the knowledge that Allen recently died in an accident. Daniel becomes obsessed with learning everything he can about Allen, and travels to Canada, connecting with the different people in Allen’s life.
New to the festival is Total Show, directed by Roy Assaf, which will be screened in the Israeli Competition. The film follows Assi, an unsuccessful aspiring actor, who returns from reserve duty during the war to his hometown in the South. A high school drama teacher by day, he performs in a small cabaret show for locals by night. An unexpected event brings Assi into the public’s attention, although not in the way he would have wanted, and he is forced to make difficult choices.
Closing the festival will be the film Pink Lady, directed by one of my favorite directors, Nir Bergman. The film explores issues of sexuality in the ultra-Orthodox community, and the screenplay was written by Mindi Erlich, who is a member of the ultra-Orthodox community. The film focuses on Bati, who is happy in her life with her husband Lazer and their three children. A distressing revelation sends Bati on a mission to help Lazer and save her family, which turns into a journey of discovery.
The Haifa International Film Festival takes place with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports – Israeli Film Council, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Regional Cooperation, and the Haifa Municipality. The festival’s Artistic Director is Yaron Shamir, and it is produced by Ethos – The Haifa Municipality Art, Culture and Sports Association Company. The full festival program and ticket information will be available on the Haifa International Film Festival website: www.haifaff.co.il
