International Cinema

Carmel – The International Cinema Competition

Best Film Award

INTREGALDE

Director: Radu Muntean
Romania 2021

The film has grabbed a hold on us right from the start and all the way to its end. The characters grew on us while watching it. We gave in to the demonstration of humanity of the script and the directing, to the humor and criticism, all the way to the compassionate end sequence.

Honorable Mention

WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY

Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Japan 2021

We were deeply moved by the beauty of the characters and their stories. We were drawn into the character's worlds, and the musical rhythm that connects them, and found the film bigger than its three parts.

The Golden Anchor Competition – The Debut Film Competition

Best Film Award

PLAYGROUND

Director: Laura Wandel
Belgium 2021

Like its original title "world" (Un Monde), the film draws us into the world of children and at their eye level, in an intensity that is usually reserved to prison films. On the one hand this is a film that makes its own strict rules and keeps to them, and on the other hand it has high emotional intensities. The camera work, as well as the directing of the actors are especially remarkable, and the young girl's mature acting is also worth noting.

Honorable Mention

BROTHER’S KEEPER

Director: Ferit Karahan
Turkey 2021

The film is directed in a confident way that combines suspense and humor, as well as a sharp critical look on a distorted reality. The film stirs its audience by Yusuf's walking pace, his penetrating distress, and his contagious despair.

Israeli Cinema

The Short Israeli Cinema Competition

Best Student Film Donation of the Haifa Arts Foundation

Night Stroll

Director: Ori Birger 

An impressive show of directing that succeeds in making the audience feel connected to the main character with almost no words, through spectacular camera work and acting, that all together make a whole cinematic experience.

Honorable Mention Student Film

Lions awake in the summer

Director: Almog Farhi

Magical cinematic moments of directing, acting, and writing, that manage to produce variety of believable and interesting characters.

Best Independent Film Donation of the Haifa Arts Foundation

It’s Time You Died Already

Director: Hadar Morag

An impressive work with non-actors, a defined script that ranges between truth and fiction that creates minimalistic yet powerful moments of pain and happiness between a mother and her daughter at the end of their life.

Best Animated Film Donation of the Haifa Arts Foundation

Black Slide

Director: Uri Lotan

An extraordinary achievement of script, directing, and animation, all tied together in a perfect way that produces a moving cinematic experience.

Animated Film Honorable Mention

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Director: Sarai Abergel, Guy Livnat, Noy Friman

An impressive design, a humorous and surprising script. An original and refreshing voice.

The Israeli Documentary Cinema Competition

Best Documentary Film Award

PORTRAIT

Director: Yael Kipper, Ronen Zaretzky

 The film tells in a poignant and moving way the stories of women from all parts of Israeli society who were murdered by their partners. The film also documents in real time the women that may be the next victims, women who are subjected to violence on a daily basis. The film's hero, connects those women through portraits. Together they look at the camera and demand their right to live free of threats and fear.

An Award for an Israeli Documentary Film Creating Awareness and Illuminating Social Issues Donation of the Friend Family, San Francisco

ON THE THRESHOLD

Director: Yonatan Haimovich

A gentle and compassionate portrait that through a meditative cinematic language reveals a soul in a state of deep darkness. The film offers the possibility of redemption and liberation through the cinematic encounter of the director and the film's hero.

Documentary Film Honorable Mention

BACK IN BERLIN

Director: Bobby Lax

A meeting in berlin allows the film's Jewish director and his German friend to explore and deal with their personal family history in front of the camera. The dramatic revelations jeopardize their relationship. The creator's attempt to preserve this friendship creates a moving and deeply relevant viewing experience.

The Israeli Feature Film Competition

Best Actress Award

Reymond Amsalem

In the film: THE HOUSE ON FIN STREET

In a dark and hopeless world, Tikva's character, portrayed by Reymonde Amsallem, is the viewer's only source of comfort. She manages to give the character humanness, humor, and compassion, to give us comfort, and that without being cliché. In an honest and authentic acting she makes it believable to think there's hope to those whose life has been as miserable as Tikva's. 

Best Actor Award

Ehab Salami

In the film: LET IT BE MORNING

Ehab Salami is and empathetic from the moment he appears on screen. His character of Abed manages to contain basic human needs such as the need to be loved, to love, to be accepted by society, and all that during the story of the curfew in the village. In his unforgettable acting, Ehab lays to us a variety of feelings that makes us want to hug him and wish him only good.

Best Artistic Achievement Award

PLAN A

Director: Yoav Paz, Doron Paz

This award is given to the producers, director, and creators on this film, for creating a rich, authentic, and colorful visual world. We were impressed by all of the departments' works: camera, artistic design, dressing, makeup and whoever took part in researching and restoration of the period portrayed on the screen. The film creates a world loyal to post Second World War period in Europe, a divided, broken, and bleeding continent, and manages to move its viewers, and to provide an impressive and comprehensive cinematic experience.

Best Screenplay Award

LET IT BE MORNING

Director: Eran Kolirin

The film's plot, dialogue, and human moments come together to create a touching story of a village under siege, alongside a family drama, and rooted in the complex Israeli-Palestinian reality. The script combines and weaves the small private life drama with the big political drama; sly humor with tragic situations and is told in intelligence and sensitivity. Sayed Kashua's literature style is evident in the emotional and human script, which is an excellent adaptation by Eran Kolirin.  

Debut Film Award

TEL AVIV

Director: Marat Parkhomovsky

The story of the Tel-Avivi couple, Dana and Michael, has moved us. We found Marat an interesting creator, that has brought to the screen his love for the city and theater. We appreciated his ability to create beautiful and gentle dramatic moments, and his humorous look which is evident through the whole movie. We recognize in this debut film his passion and potential.

Best Feature Film Award

LET IT BE MORNING

Director: Eran Kolirin

A wonderful film that has wounded yet warmed our hearts. The film produced in us harsh feelings regarding the bleak and unsolvable, and at the same time it was filled with human love and many humorous moments. The film deals with family and political dilemmas in the Palestinian society in a courageous and original way. Kolirin manages to wonderfully combine realistic scenes with poetic moments. The impressive cast, as well as the artistic design and camera work are an inseparable part of this film's quality.