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Festival's Winning Films
International Feature
Films Competition
Jury Members:
Margarita Linton – Director, screenwriter, editor and lecturer
Yair Agmon – Author and filmmaker
Best Narrative Film
Director: Chiara Fleischhacker. Producers: Dietmar Güntsche, Sophie Kühne, Martin Rohé, Olivia Sieranski, Svenja Vanhoefer
Jury Statement:
Vena is a love letter to life, with all its misery and glory. The protagonist, Jenny – scarred, powerful, gentle and full of shortcomings, has carried us away to a world of hope and courage, of human weaknesses and self-destruction. The delivery scene in the last section of the film left us aghast and amazed. We have not loved like that for a long time. We have not been saddened like that for a long time. We have not felt so excited in a long time, so human, full of grace and flaws.
International Documentary
Films Competition
Jury Members:
Dr. Adi Sheffi – Film and visual culture scholar and lecturer; Head of Academic Programs at Sam Spiegel Film and Television School.
Reuven Brodsky – Documentary filmmaker, editor and photographer.
Best Documentary Film
Director: Francesca Scalisi. Producers: Chiara Galloni, Mark Olexa, Ivan Olgiati
Jury Statement:
Meticulous cinematic design and a distinct visual style join to paint an image of double and circular oppression – both external and internal, concrete and abstract. Oppression that permeates into the heart of the traditional family system, disrupting its rhythm of life. The link between the personal and political is constructed sensitively and powerfully, providing an original, complex and thought-provoking viewing experience.
Panorama
Competition
Jury Members:
Alon Garbuz – Former Director of the Cinematheque.
Amnon Zalait – Cinematographer, member of Mifal HaPais Council for the Culture and Art, lector in the Israeli film funds, and lecturer.
Best International Film
Director: Daphne Lucker. Producers: Marina Blok, Koji Nelissen, Derk-Jan Warrink
Jury Statement:
Vlam is a powerful, sensitive and precise movie, which charts the world of a girl in distress in a dysfunctional family. Exceptional acting by the young actress, great choreography and music, and effective camera work all make for an exciting and moving viewing experience.
Jury Statement:
BYE is a political movie, but also a human and moving piece. The film makes a poignant statement against the government and the judicial overhaul it is promoting out of the director’s authentic experience, having lived through dictatorship in Romania, his country of origin. Straightforward and effective cinema, fast-paced editing and superb direction that graces the film’s characters with complexity, compassion and humanity. Kudos to Tommy Lang for expressing a voice outside the mainstream and for making movies without the establishment’s support. The shadow of October 7 looms over the film, as does the agonizing realization that Tom would probably not return from the Nova music festival.
Shorts
Competition
Jury Members:
Ayelet Heller – Director of documentary films and series.
Omri Dekel-Kadosh – Director, screenwriter and lecturer.
Jury Statement:
Lucy is a beautiful film, with tender cinematic expressiveness, a unique perspective, and the ability to weave a large story out of little moments.
Solidarity Now
Competition
Collaboration between the Solidarity Film Festival and The Directors’ Guild of Israel
Jury Members:
Pini Schatz – Head of Programming at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque, documentary director, Head of the Documentary Film Track at the Israel Cinema Project – Rabinovich Foundation.
Ella Armoni – Filmmaker and actress.
Best Film
Monument
Filmmakers: Amit Gavish and Yasmine Scheft
Jury Statement:
The film presents a sharp and incisive snapshot of life. In the space of three minutes, filmmakers Yasmin Shefet and Amit Gavish manage to create an entire world with a compassionate eye. The protagonist’s question, “Where should we escape?” – after insisting on exposing the damages to the building and fighting with the neighbors – echoes as a major theme of helplessness. The final scene, where she sits all dressed up and smokes, conveys a sense of reconciliation with reality and a silent acceptance of her fate. The film is a concise discussion of the experience of place, the perceived lack of choice and thoughts about destiny, neighborliness – all distilled into three minutes with impressive precision.
Student Film
Competition
Jury Members:
Ilan Yagoda – Documentarist, lecturer and mediator of workshops on film direction in colleges in Israel and worldwide.
Chen Rachum – Feature and documentary film editor and director.
Jury Statement:
A filmmaker who manages to create a powerful cinematic experience, almost without words, through a nocturnal journey of two brothers in a gloomy city. Each frame of this movie is well-structured, conveying the strong relationship between the protagonists. At the same time, the hidden presence of the hospital hovers over the events, suggested in silent allusions to a large and painful story hidden underground. This is a fascinating and playful work of cinematic art, rich in imagination and creative freedom, which allows itself to experiment, explore and dare.
Jury Statement:
Through daily encounters on the streets of Florentin, a neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, the filmmaker, in the form of her main character, takes us back to the days immediately after October 7th. The protagonist’s reliance on the stories of others in an attempt to find validity and meaning in her disintegrating life is also expressed in the film, with impressive cinematic techniques, that dismantle and reassemble in beautiful chaos the collective experience of having the rug pulled out from under our feet, and the attempt to rediscover our story.
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