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Festival Winners 2022
International Feature Competition
International Feature Films Competition Jury:
Pini Schatz (Chair), Andrea Kuhn
International Feature Competition: 1st Place
Maryna Er Gorbach; Ukraine, Turkey 2022, 100 min
Jury Statement:
This poetic and imaginative film conveys the surreal atmosphere of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014. A great script, spectacular cinematography and fine acting are not only excellent elements of this work, but are integrated precisely and correctly into a fierce film about the war, which presents the feminist view of wars in general. At the end of the film, amidst all the destruction and death, hesitation turns into resistance and life finds its way into the world.
International Feature Competition: Special Mention
Christina Kallas; United States, 2022, 111 min
Jury Statement:
This is a brave film about racism, feminism and Cancel culture with a great jazz soundtrack; it combines cinematic originality with multiple parallel stories brilliantly performed by actors and musicians.
International Documentary Competition
International Documentary Films Competition Jury:
Sivan Arbel (Chair), Sinai Abt, Zohar Wagner
International Documentary Competition: 1st Place
Alison Millar; Great Britain, 2022, 91 min
Jury Statement:
The winner of Best International Documentary Film award is the film that succeeds in weaving the story of the young activist journalist Lyra McKee, who was killed in the riots in Northern Ireland in 2019. She is a captivating cinematic heroine, but more than that, a real-life heroine. The film is superbly edited. By incorporating materials shot, reported and recorded by Lyra, it manages to give the viewers a feeling that she is still alive. The film gives hope to the free press and strengthens the hands of anyone who wants to change the world, as Lyra tells in the film: "Some mothers saying all they can hear in their sleep is 'Mommy, Mommy'; all she'd ever hear is 'Why?! Why?!'" At a time when journalists are persecuted all over the world, "Lyra" calls upon us to persist and to act.
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International Documentary Competition: Special Mention
Anna Shishova; Finland, Norway, Croatia, 2022, 92 min
Jury Statement:
A Special Mention is awarded to the creator of the film "The New Greatness Case", Anna Shishova, who risked her life in the very act of making the film in which she fiercely and fearlessly criticizes the regime in Russia. At the center of the film is a young woman who fights for her freedom; the film itself is not only about activism but is a brave action in itself.
International Documentary Competition: Special Mention
Rodrigo Reyes; Mexico, United States, 2022, 83 min
Jury Statement:
How can you make a film about a protagonist who is not allowed to be filmed at all? A Special Mention is awarded to "Sansón and Me", and to its director Rodrigo Reyes, because even though the face of the protagonist who was sentenced to life in prison for murder is not visible on the screen, he manages to tell the story of a Mexican immigrant in an original way by using an unusual cinematic solution.
Israeli Short Films Competition
Israeli Short Films Competition Jury:
Ari Davidovich (Chair), Rana Abu Fraiha, Artyom Dubitski, Adi Mishnayot
Israeli Short Films Competition: 1st Place
Ruqayah Abu al-Qian & Ayshah Abu al-Qian; Israel, 2022, 11:30 min
Jury Statement:
This is a sensitive and powerful documentation, which deals, among other things, with memory and its erasure. The filmmaker commemorates her home and the process of its destruction, the longing for home while it is being trampled. In the act of documenting, the ilmaker presents the story of the Bedouin society, together with her private and personal history, of her home, of her children. In a rare and unique way, the film manages to combine images of pain and destruction, with a poetic language that is full of beauty and even inspires hope.
Jury Statement:
This is an original and fascinating story about a post-traumatic young man, who chose to withdraw from the terror of the oppressive society, but was forced to return and face its laws. The filmmaker, who also plays the lead role, leads a poignant, moving and well-made drama that explores social issues through the emotional and immersive world of characters on the fringes of society.
Jury Statement:
A winding journey between the realistic and the fantastic - full of creativity, humor and a wink - towards the discovery of a dark secret in the life of the protagonist. With an impressive performance by the actress who plays the main character, and the original points of view of the filmmaker, the film illustrates the ability of cinema to touch even the deepest wounds of the soul.
Israeli Student Films Competition
Israeli Student Films Competition Jury:
Ari Davidovich (Chair), Rana Abu Fraiha, Artyom Dubitski, Adi Mishnayot
Jury Statement:
This original and powerful film captures the mental story of a woman who was the victim of an act of rape and discovers that the young man who raped her is in the same space where she is going to spend the weekend. The filmmaker demonstrates an admirable mastery of the means of cinematic expression that shapes the shaken inner world of the protagonist, and manages to use it to raise poignant questions about the female gaze and the male gaze, as well as about the cinematic gaze and social cost, in a drama that does not need to spare many words.
Jury Statement:
With courage and sensitivity, the film brings the phenomenon of stuttering to the screen and to the discourse, from an unexpected point of view - the point of view of the mother, who is portrayed in an exemplary and moving manner by the actress Rotem Abuhab. Through the mother's journey with her daughter who stutters, the film touches on complex issues such as social diversity, mother-son relationships, and even intergenerational trauma. The filmmaker observes growing up in the shadow of abnormalities and trauma from a surprising point of view, and succeeds in formulating a surprising and moving statement, while impressively controlling the means of cinematic expression.
Israeli Student Films Competition: Special Mention
Eliav kikus; Israel, 2021, 6:40 min
Jury Statement:
This animated documentary brings to the screen an original and powerful story about the intergenerational transmission of PTSD. With direct and heartfelt sincerity, the creator weaves together the monologue of the father and the monologue of the son into an impossible dialogue about unspoken pain.
The impressive and fast-paced visual language creates a claustrophobic feeling that highlights on the background of the recorded evidence the protagonist's experience of being torn apart and the difficulty of dealing with reality in the shadow of the unrelenting memories of war.
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