Israel Film Festival Celebrates Silver Anniversary

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 04 May 2011 05:00

Written by Laura Blum

For its 25th marker, the Israel Film Festival is treating New Yorkers to two weeks of revelries (May 5 to 19, 2011), beginning with tonight's Opening Night Gala featuring a VIP reception at The Plaza followed by awards and the New York premiere of Intimate Grammar at the Paris Theater (across the street, at 58th Street at Fifth Avenue).

Honorees to be ribboned are actor Liev Schreiber, director/choreographer Stanley Donen and producer/director Micha Shagrir.

The film, which is based on David Grossman's acclaimed 1991 novel The Book of Intimate Grammar, took the Best Feature prize at the 2010 Jerusalem International Film Festival and the Sakura Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Directed by Nir Bergman (Broken Wings), it follows an adolescent boy in Jerusalem of the 1960s whose struggle to throw off the shadow of the Holocaust literally stunts his growth.

Proceeds from the Gala will plump the IsraFest Foundation and scholarship coffers at Israel's top six film schools.

Among the 30 works to be screened during the Festival (which continues at AMC Loews 84th Street, 2310 Broadway) are award-grabbing recent fiction features, documentaries, student shorts and TV series.
 


Fans of Dover Kosashvili's 2001 sensation, Late Marriage, which is often credited with launching the Israeli New Wave, may be intrigued to see his latest effort, Infiltration, based on the prize-winning novel by Yehoshua Kenaz about soldiers-to-be.

This is Sodom is another title whose reputation precedes it. Hardly a Pier Paolo Pasolini remake, this slapstick comedy by Adam Sanderson & Muli Segev sics the cast and crew of TV's Eretz Nehederet (think SNL and The Daily Show) on a biblical sendup inspired by Monty Python's The Life of Brian which may or may not be translatable. The film sold more tickets during its opening weekend than any film in Israeli box office history.

Those who prefer their Holy Land history unadulterated may want to stick with Jerusalem Moments. The documentary by Micha Shagrir chronicles 100 years of Jerusalem life, including the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shagrir will entertain a Q&A following the May 10 screening.

In the quarter-century since IFF's founding, it has showcased nearly 900 titles and brought 400 Israeli filmmakers to engage with audiences and industry professionals in the U.S. Cultivating opportunities for distribution and co-production has also been a part of the mission as defined by founder Meir Fenigstein, former frontman of the 70s Israeli rock band Poogy.

Beyond New York, the Festival plays in Los Angeles and Miami.

For a fulll program of its New York run, visit www.israelfilmfestival.com

Israel Film Festival
May 5 - 19, 2011

AMC Loews 84th Street 6
2310 Broadway
New York City

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