JFF 2022 Winners

Manuela Martelli’s 1976 (Chile)

The major winners in the Israeli competitions:

Yona Rozenkier’s 35 Downhill

Artyom Dubitski’s To Cure Longing

The full list of awards follows:

International Competition, courtesy of the Jerusalem Foundation

Jury: Mariette Rissenbeek, László Nemes, Rúnar Rúnarsson

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.

Director: Alexandru Belc (Romania, France)

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.

Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne (Belgium, France)

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

Jury: Pamela Koffler, João Pedro Rodrigues, Smriti Kiran

The GWFF International Debut Award was awarded to the film 1976.

Director: Manuela Martelli (Chile, Argentina, Qatar)

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.

Director: Andrés Ramírez Pulido (France, Colombia)

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:

Jury: Jacques Comets, Teona Strugar Mitevska, Maya Fischer

The MKR Award was awarded ex aequo to two films:

Everything Will Be OK

Director: Rithy Pahn (France, Cambodia)

My Imaginary Country

Director: Patricio Guzmán (Chile, France)

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.

Directors: The Myanmar Film Collective, Producer: Corinne van Egeraat

Full-Length Israeli Feature Film Awards:

Jury: Volker Schlöndorff (chair), Daniella Nowitz, Christophe Cognet, Alissa Simon

The Haggiag Award for Best Feature through the Jerusalem Foundation was awarded to 35 Downhill.

Director: Yona Rozenkier, Producer: Kobi Mizrahi

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.

Director: Moshe Rosenthal, Producer: 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 wa 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.

Director: Moshe Rosenthal, Producer: Efrat Cohen

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.

Director and producer: 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.

Director: David Wachsmann, Producers: Yoav Roeh, 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

Jury: Michel Franco, Hadas ben Aroya, Michel Zana

The Diamond Award for Best Live Action Film was awarded to the film Killing Ourselves.

Director: Maya Yadlin

A special mention was given to the film Lot's Wife.

Director: Ori Birger

The Aliza and Micha Shagrir Award for Best Documentary Film was awarded to the film God’s Mountain.

Director: 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.

Director: 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.

Director: Tal Kantor

The Israeli Video Art and Experimental Film Competition, in collaboration with The Mamuta Project, a Center for Art and Research:

Jury: Tzion Abraham Hazan, Adina Kamien, Noga Davidson

The Lia van Leer Award courtesy of Rivka Saker for Best Experimental Film was awarded to the film جثمان كلب (A Dog's Funeral).

Director: Yara Kassem Mahajena

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.

Director: 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.

Director: 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.”