Jerusalem Film Festival Awards 2006
While bombs were being dropped and rockets were being fired in Lebanon and Israel, the Jerusalem Film Festival came to a close, with most of the festival’s top awards going to films that celebrate tolerance and compassion.
The Wolgin Award for Best Israeli Narrative Feature went to Dror Sabo’s Dead End, a critical look at TV exploitation and sensationalism. The Drama Award was shared by Jony Arbid for directing Ringo & Taher, the tale of an Arab boy who develops a strong emotional bond with a puppy he raises in the streets of his poor Haifa neighborhood, and Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit for their direction of Mortgage, a comedy-drama about a young couple who resort to extreme measures in order to keep their house from being confiscated.
Jasmila Zbanic’s Berlin Film Festival winner Grbavica, the story of a Bosnian girl who discovers that her father was not a "martyr" of Bosnia’s civil war, won the In the Spirit of Freedom Award for best narrative film. (That award is given to "feature and documentary films from all over the world, dealing with human rights, civil rights, social awareness, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression.")
In the Documentary category, the In the Spirit of Freedom Award went to Helene Klodawsky for No More Tears Sister, the story of Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, a Tamil-Sri Lankan feminist and "freedom fighter" who was murdered in 1989 at the age of 35.
Additionally, veteran actress Gila Almagor won a special prize for her performances in Tied Hands, as a mother desperately looking for marijuana in the streets of Tel Aviv so as to ease her ailing son’s pain, and Three Mothers, the story of three Egyptian sisters whose promising lives have turned out to be tragically unfulfilling.
2006 Jerusalem Film Festival Awards
2006 Jerusalem Film Festival: July 6–15
WOLGIN AWARD – NARRATIVE FEATURE
Dead End, directed by Dror Sabo, produced by Ori Dickshtein and Michal Dvash
DRAMA AWARD IN MEMORY OF ANAT PIRCHI
Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit for their direction of Mortgage (upper photo), and Jony Arbid for directing Ringo & Taher (lower photo)
WOLGIN AWARD – DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (tie)
9 Star Hotel, directed by Ido Haar, and Bil`in Habibti, directed by Shai Carmeli Pollack
WOLGIN AWARD – SHORT FILM
Road Marks, directed by Shimon Shai
ACTING AWARD IN A FULL-LENGTH FEATURE FILM
Actress (tie)
Yevgenia Dudina for Dear Mr. Waldman and Assi Levy for Aviva My Love
Actor (tie)
Assi Dayan for Things Behind the Sun and Gal Zayid for Dead End (above)
SCREENWRITING AWARD
Shemi Zarhin for Aviva My Love
CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD IN MEMORY OF JERZY LIPMAN
Shai Goldman for Three Mothers
SPECIAL PRIZE
Actress Gila Almagor for Tied Hands (above) and Three Mothers
WIM VAN LEER IN THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM AWARD
("Awarded to feature and documentary films from all over the world, dealing with human rights, civil rights, social awareness, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression.")
NARRATIVE FILM
Jasmila Zbanic for directing Grbavica
HONORABLE MENTION
Café Transit, directed by Kambozi Partovi
DOCUMENTARY FILM
Helene Klodawsky for directing No More Tears Sister
HONORABLE MENTION
October`s Cry, directed by Julie Gal
THE JEWISH EXPERIENCE LIA AWARD
El Cantor, directed by Joseph Morder
HONORABLE MENTION
Nadia`s Friends, Chanoch Zeevi
THE JEWISH EXPERIENCE YAD VASHEM AWARD
("for artistic achievement in Holocaust related films")
Nina`s Journey, directed by Lena Einhorn
HONORABLE MENTION
Nina`s House, directed by Richard Dembo
IN THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM PRODUCTION GRANT
"Shahidot," a film to be directed by Natalie Assoulin-chwartz and produced by Ayelet Efrati and Talia Kleinhandler
SHAVIM PRODUCTION GRANT
"Awarded to a documentary film dealing with social justice"
"Avdei Kablan," directed by David Ofek and produced by Edna and Elinor Kowarsky
THE FORUM FOR THE PRESERVATION OF AUDIO-VISUAL MEMORY AWARD
Sergei Loznitsa doe his direction of Blockade
Wolgin Award Jury: Debra Winger, Vidi Bilu, Gadi Taub, Sharon Harel, and Sayed Kashua
In the Spirit of Freedom Jury: Carmit Gait-Shaltiel, Anat Hoffman, and David Benchetrit
Jewish Experience Jury: Stuart Schoffman, Aharon Fueurstein, and Levi Weiman Kalman
Jerusalem Film Festival Awards: 2006 2007 2008
Film Awards: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards
Art Directors Guild (ADG) Awards
Brussels European Film Festival Awards
Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards
Karlovy Vary Film Festival Awards
Los Angeles Film Festival Awards
Slovakian Art Film Festival Awards
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Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has no contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog and no information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
Other awards given to films competing for Wolgin Award:
Best Screenplay: Shemi Zarhin – Aviva my Love
Best Actor (tied): Assi Dayan – The Things behind the Sun / Gal Zayed – No Exit (aka Dead End)
Best Actress: Assi Levy – Aviva my Love
Best Cinematography: Shay Goldman – Three Mothers
Best Documentary Feature (tied): Bil’in Habibti / Nine Stars Hotel
The intersting thing about No Exit’s win is that it didn’t appear on the 2006 Ophir Awards shortlist, making it ineligable to compete. The Best Picture winner at Ophir Awards (to be held on September 14) will be Israel’s submission for this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Normally, the Wolgin Award gives a good head-up for Ophir, but unless No Exit somehow managed to sneak into that list, it can’t be nominated. This leaves the race for BP between “Aviva my Love”, “The Things behind the Sun”, “Crazy Land”, “Someone to Run with” and a misterious fifth nominee.
Can you provide more information on Crazy Land?
Alternative title?
Director?
Distributor?
Is it available on DVD?
Joli,
I’ve contacted the author of the “Crazy Land” comment.
When I hear from him, I’ll let you know if the film has an alternate title, etc.
I’ve contacted Aviad, who has explained that “Crazy Land” is a literal English-language translation of “Adama Meshuga’at.”
The actual English-language international title is “Sweet Mud.” That’s Israel’s submission in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the upcoming Academy Awards.
“Sweet Mud” was directed by Dror Shaul.