14th International Student Film Festival Tel Aviv

Closing Ceremony

A full week of cinematic celebration was closed tonight (9/6) with the end of the 14th International Student Film Festival. At the closing ceremony that took place in the Tel Aviv Cinematheque there were young filmmakers and creators, alongside leaders of the world and local cinema industry. During the festival there were screenings of around 200 student films from Israel and throughout the world, including for the first time a film of a student from Iran. 

Winners of the Israeli Competition Best Film Why Does the Sun Director: Efrat Kaufman Best Documentary/Animation/Experimental FilmThe prize was divided between two films: Best Documentary: Wedding Behind the Fence (Directors: Eilon Kotler, Waje Kabha) Best Animation: Beat (Director Or Bar-El) Best ScreenplaySalt of the EarthScreenwriter: Roni Beeri The Rariv Mor Cinematography AwardKetupa Director: Margarita Balaklav Cinematographer: Yaniv Linton Best EditingSister of Mine Director: Oshrat Meirovitch Editor: Yuval Orr The New Israel Fund Award for the Promoting of Social ChangeDocument of Identity Director: Maytal Ben Hamo Audience AwardApartment with Garden EntranceDirector: Omri Shenhar Special Mention Tateh Director: Yaniv Linton Winners of the International Competition Best FilmMy Bow Breathing (Italy)Director: Enrico Maria Artale Jury's Choice: “For its outstanding directing work and its precision and style, this made it a true short film experience”. Due to the amazing selection of documentary, animation and experimental films, the award was divided between two films: Best Documentary FilmInside a Square Circle (Russia)Director: Valeriy Shevchenko Jury's Choice: "5000 children return from a Christmas party and look for their parents. A seemingly banal premise is turned into a humorous and intelligent reflection about the archaic forces of parental love, state authority, succumbing to chaos and cell phones as the modern form of the umbilical cord”. Best AnimationMy Strange Grandfather (Russia)Director: Dina Velikovskaya Jury's Choice: “In the world controlled by dominance of 3D animation, it is rare and courageous to preserve the honesty and the beauty of stop-motion animation. "My Strange Grandfather" pays a tribute to the old masters of stop-motion, with charming story and elegant style it is a film for the heart and a preset for the soul." Best DirectorJanos Richter (Guañape Sur, Italy)Jury's Choice: "Combining craft, vision and aspiration, director Janos Richter is able to lift up the documentary form to a level of an epic story about human condition and create a truly cinematic experience that leaves an unforgettable impression on both mind and heart of the viewer." Best ScreenplayOrit Fouks (Staring Match, Israel)Jury's Choice: "For the brilliant idea of performing the movie in its entirety during the production. For compressing the script, audition, shooting, and in hindsight the finished film in a single unit. For the nightmarish reality of the director/screenwriter that takes an active (and passive) role in the film itself, and for the horror manifestation of the fictional script in the reality of the audition." Best CinematogrpahyHallvar Witzø (Tuba Atlantic, Norway)Jury's Choice: “Visual contrast between death and life, youth and old age, hot and cold, communication and estrangement, and how sound and human relations can transcend immense distances, are all masterfully and playfully depicted in the imagery of Tuba Atlantic" Best Film - Mediterranean and Middle East SpotlightThe award was divided between two films: How I Killed Rabin (Israel) Director: Michael Alalo A Portrait from Sheikh Jarrah (The Palestinian Authority)Director: Rebekah Wingert-Jabi Jury's Choice: "A man wakes up in the morning and discovers strangers are living in his house. This is not a Kafka story, this is the reality of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The film allows a peak on people, Palestinians and Israeli, who chose to stick to their humanity in the face of the brutal Occupation machine." The Ad Astra Prize was also given to How I Killed Rabin. Special MentionThe Letter (Belgium) Director: Kenneth Mercken Jury's Choice: "Can something like a letter be cinematic? While tackling a contemporary subject the director is not afraid to stray from the well walked path of a traditional narrative to presents psyche of the main character. The film delivers an intimate look at memories, feelings and reflections of the young protagonist consumed by ambitions, fears and need for acceptance." Source