Welcome to the Haifa International Film Festival!
The Haifa International Film Festival is celebrating 35 years as one of Israel's most important and influential cinematic events.
The hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Festival have the opportunity to watch the best new films from Israel and the worldand to visit the cultural events taking place in public spaces outside the screening halls.
The Festival embodies the city of Haifa's unique spirit: the spirit of cultural diversity, coexistence and good neighborliness among all of the city's residents.
Israeli cinema and its creators will take center stage, where new Israeli films will be unveiled, in all their variety and types. Israeli filmmakers, young and veteran, stand at the center of the Festival's industry events, which aim to enable and support new Israeli cinematic creations. Meetings between Israeli filmmakers, producers and distributors from Israel and around the world encourage international collaborations and the promotion of Israeli work on the international scene. The Haifa Film Festival is producing and hosting, for the third year, a virtual reality program featuring creators and artists from all over the world.
The international film selection offers the audience a rich and horizon-widening experience, allowing them to become acquainted with cultures and countries and to meet with filmmakers.
The Festival, which is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, expresses my vision for the advancement of Israeli cinema while exposing it and expanding its reach in Israel and overseas. Furthermore, the Festival expresses the fundamental principle, which I lead, of making culture accessible to a wide range of audiences of all ages.
For all this and more, I would like to thank all those involved in the important work of producing this wonderful Festival.
Sincerely,
MK Miri Regev,
Minister of Culture and Sport
“Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”
- Ingmar Bergman, director and screenwriter.
This year we will celebrate for the 35th time the “Haifa International Film Festival," which has secured a major position not only in the film world, but also in Haifa’s Sukkoth holiday, which cannot be complete without it.
The Festival event has become a long-standing tradition, which includes the screening of hundreds of films in theaters across the Carmel, as well as performances and events enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors from our city, the country and the world. The Festival offers a wonderful opportunity to experience the unique Haifa feeling, outside the screening halls, among the colorful vendor stands, the music shows, restaurants, pubs and the happy streets.
Some 300,000 people attend the Festival each year, taking part in the 280 screenings of new films from around the world. About 70,000 tickets are sold at the Festival, including for live music events and open family screenings. The Festival's artistic program is known for its high quality and its special emphasis on promoting pluralism, coexistence and the quest for peace. At the Festival's events, we are honored by the presence of many filmmakers from across the country and around the world who share with us their cinematic work.
My sincere thanks to all of the Festival participants, the directors, the screenwriters, the actors and those behind the scenes. Of course, to you, the visitors and guests of the Festival who are partners to its success.
A big thank you to the Festival's management and all those who worked to prepare and turn the Festival into a reality.
Wishing you a happy Haifa movie holiday.
Sincerely,
Einat Kalish Rotem
Mayor of Haifa
Thirty-five years of cinematic celebration on Mount Carmel, and each time it’s stirring and exciting anew.
For long months, the Festival staff has been diligently working on the details of the artistic program, the production, the industry events, the old and new unique initiatives that will fill ten days with magical moments. The Haifa Film Festival, in its 35th anniversary, unveils the best of Israeli and international films in their Israeli premiere.
Locally grown films and series will be screened in premiere screenings at this year's Festival. Feature films and documentaries, full-length and short, animated films and student films. The Haifa Film Festival has pioneered the integration of Israeli drama series whose cinematic language and professional quality make them worthy of first exposure on the big screen. This year three original drama series will be presented, including the international premiere of the French drama series "The Middleman" written and directed by Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret.
The Festival also serves as a platform for the film industry and film producers. Outside of the dark halls which allow us to disengage and dive into globe-spanning societies and stories, connections are woven between Israeli creators and those from around the world. Connections that plant the seeds of new ideas still nested in the feverish minds of screenwriters, directors and producers and that promote films now enjoying new exposure to the international market.
So, as is our tradition, this year we will once again hold professional industry events which facilitate meetings and acquaintances between colleagues, creating channels for new working relationships, and opportunities for recruiting collaborators.
New media holds a special place for the Festival, and - for the first time in Israel - we have designated a special compound in Haifa’s down-town to show over three days virtual reality films and the best of new digital works designed for innovative platforms.
Dozens of guests, among the best in the international industry, and hundreds of representatives from the Israeli film industry will attend this year's Festival to meet and engage in dialogue with our loyal audience.
On behalf of the Festival staff, I would like to thank all of the creators and partners who make the Festival a vibrant cultural scene as well as an eye-catching, heartfelt cinematic celebration. I welcome our guests and the film-loving public to an enjoyable and enriching Festival.
See you in Haifa,
Pnina Blayer
Artistic Director
קבלו עדכונים על סרטים, אירועים, המלצות והטבות. לנרשמים תוענק הטבת הצטרפות!
