# Jerusalem Film Festival

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The Jerusalem Film Festival (Hebrew: פסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים, Arabic: مهرجان القدس السينمائي) is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, It was established in 1984 by the Director of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and Israeli Film Archive, Lia Van Leer, and has since become the main Israeli event for filmmakers and enthusiasts. Over the course of ten days every summer, over 200 films from 60 countries are screened at the Festival, along with a variety of special events, panels, and meetings with prominent local and international filmmakers, as well as professional industry workshops and events.

## History

The Festival was established by Israel Prize recipient and founder of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and Israeli Film Archive, Lia Van Leer. After being invited to serve on the jury at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, Van Leer decided to create Israel's first international film festival. Already in its first year, the Festival had the honor of hosting key cinematic figures such as Jeanne Moreau, Lillian Gish, Warren Beatty and John Schlesinger.
Since 2005, the Festival has included the Pitch Point, a platform for Israeli artists to present their full-length feature projects in stages of development and production, to select members of the international film industry. This allows local filmmakers to create international networks of communication, expand financing and resources, and promote co-productions and potential collaborations.

## Festival Competitions

The Festival spotlights Israeli cinema, with competitions carrying the largest awards, exposes local art to international journalists and professionals, screens Israeli premieres along with retrospectives and new restorations of the finest Israeli films. Through these competitions, nearly 10 million dollars in prizes have been awarded to Israeli filmmakers in the fields of feature, documentary, student, and short films.

### Awards for Israeli Cinema

The Festival awards prizes for best international films. Other prizes are the In the Spirit of Freedom Award for cinematic pieces dealing with man's constant strife for justice and freedom, the Intersections prize competition for experimental film, the International Debut Award, the Jewish Experience Award for films dealing with issues of Jewish identity and history, and the Wim van Leer Award for High School Students.

### List of Wolgin / Haggiag Prize Recipients for Full-Length Feature Films

| Director | Film | Year |
| Isaac Zepel Yeshurun | Green Fields | 1989 |
| Daniel Wachsmann | The Appointed | 1990 |
| Avraham Heffner | Laura Adler's Last Love Affair | 1990 |
| Savi Gabizon | Shuru | 1991 |
| Amos Guttman | Amazing Grace | 1992 |
| Aner Preminger | Dummy in a Circle | 1993 |
| Dan Wolman | The Distance | 1994 |
| Eli Cohen | Under the Domim Tree | 1995 |
| Savi Gabizon | Lovesick on Nana Street | 1995 |
| Joseph Pichadze | Under Western Eyes | 1996 |
| Julie Schlez | Afula Express | 1997 |
| Amos Gitai | Yom Yom | 1998 |
| Arik Kaplun | Yana's Friends | 1999 |
Year :
| Joseph Pichadze | Besame Mucho | 2000 |
| Dan Wolman | Foreign Sister | 2000 |
| Dover Kosashvili | Late Marriage | 2001 |
| Nir Bergman | Broken Wings | 2002 |
| Savi Gabizon | Nina's Tragedies | 2003 |
| Taufik Abu Wael | Atash (Thirst) | 2004 |
| Keren Yedaya | Or (My Treasure) | 2004 |
| Eyal Halfon | What a Wonderful Place | 2005 |
| Dror Sabo | Dead End | 2006 |
| Eran Kolirin | The Band's Visit | 2007 |
| Shlomi Elkabetz and Ronit Elkabetz | Shiva | 2008 |
| Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti | Ajami | 2009 |
| Nir Bergman | Intimate Grammar | 2010 |
| Yossi Madmoni | Good Morning Mr. Fidelman | 2011 |
| Ami Livne | Sharqiya | 2012 |
| Tom Shoval | Youth | 2013 |
| Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz | Gett – The Trial of Viviane Amsalem | 2014 |
| Tali Shalom Ezer | Princess | 2014 |
| Avishai Sivan | Tikkun | 2015 |
| Asaf Polonsky | One Week and a Day | 2016 |
| Matan Yair | Scaffolding | 2017 |
| Yona Rozenkier | The Dive | 2018 |
| Tsivia Barkai-Yacov | Red Cow | 2018 |

## Opening Event at Sultan's Pool

The Jerusalem Film Festival holds its traditional opening event at Sultan's Pool in the presence of film enthusiasts, public dignitaries, and invited guests.
Notable Guests :
| 1984 | May 27 – June 17 | Le Bal by Ettore Scola | Warren Beatty, Lillian Gish, John Schlesinger, Jeanne Moreau, Andre Delvaux, Marianne Rosenbaum, Edna Politi, Peter Patzak, Menachem Golan, Yoram Globus, Gila Almagor, Izza Genini, Dr. Martin Peretz, Lilly Rivlin, David McLeod, Michael Childers |
| 1985 | June 1 – June 8 | Rembetiko by Costas Ferris | Vittorio Taviani, Paul Cox, Charlotte Silvera, Lindsay Kemp, Nina Rosenblum |
| 1986 | June 28 – July 5 | Ginger and Fred by Federico Fellini | Agnieszka Holland, Vera Belmont, Erika Szanto, Axel Corti, Tony Palmer, Klaus Hellwig, Izza Genini, Alain Marchand, Tuncel Kurtiz, Diana Rigg, Katalin Petenyi, Carol Polakoff, Desire Ecare, Binnie Kristal-Andersson, Seref Gur, Johanna Spector, Bengt and Irmgard von zur Muhlen |
| 1987 | June 27 – July 4 | Late Summer Blues by Renen Schorr | Marcello Mastroianni, Peter Ustinov, Jack Gold, Nagisa Oshima, Alan Arkin, Delphine Seyrig, Jorgen Leth, Marta Meszaros, Jan Nowicki, Stole Popov, Svetozar Cvetkovic, Giuseppe Rossini, Gilbert Marouani, Shiela Whitaker, Renee Lichtig, Kryzsztof Zanussi, Carl Davis |
| 1988 | June 30 – July 9 | A Tribute to Israeli Cinema | Jane Birkin, Fanny Ardant, Atom Egoyan, Arsinée Khanjian, Andraas Gervai, Jose Luis Gutierrez, Erica Szanto, Official Soviet Cultural Delegation |
| 1989 | June 29 – July 8 | Splendor, by Ettore Scola | Mona Gamal el-din, Ildiko Enyedi, Chantal Akerman, Grazyna Szapolowska, Albert Johnson, Derek Malcolm, Srdjan Karanovic, Gerhard Sceumann, Jean-Claude Brisseau, Lino Brocka, Ivan Nitchev, Marina Goldovskaya, Fiorella Infascelli, Mark Shivas |
| 1990 | July 12 – July 21 | The Appointed, by Daniel Wachsmann | Sijiri Bakaba, Ayala Bakaba, Jiri Menzel, Paulus Manker, Gianni Amelio, Herbert Kline, Lucian Pintilie, Andras Suranyi, Henry Jaglom, Vladimir Alenikov, Jim Hoberman, Derek Malcolm |
| 1991 | July 4 – July 13 | Homicide, by David Mamet | Mike Leigh, Roger Corman, Chen Kaige, Vera Belmont, Sasha Harari, Amos Poe, Deepa Mehta, Jon Jost, David Mamet |
| 1992 | July 9 – July 18 | Howards End, by James Ivory, Strictly Ballroom, by Baz Luhrmann | Chris Marker, Hal Hartley, Adrienne Shelly, Alan Corneau, Gail Singerm, Lina Wermuller, Isaac Julien, Baz Luhrmann, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Katherine Gilday, Dana Rotberg, Janis Lundman |
| 1993 | July 1 – July 10 | Much Ado About Nothing by Kenneth Branagh (International Premiere) | Robert De Niro, Arnon Milchan, Harvey Keitel, Otar Iosseliani, Ed Pressman, Henry Jaglom, Dusan Makavejev, Ingrid Caven, Michael Kalik, Sally Potter, Idrissa Ouedraogo, Sheila Whitaker, Mark Shivas, Theo van de Sande |
| 1994 | June 30 – July 9 | The Hudsucker Proxy by Joel Coen | Krzysztof Kieslowski, Zbigniew Preisner, Irene Jacob, Marin Karmitz, Elia Kazan, Mahmoud Zemmouri, Rose Troche, Guinvere Turner, Susanne Bier, Mark Langer, Mark Shivas |
| 1995 | July 6 – July 18 | The Madness of King George by Nicholas Hytner | Claude Lelouch, Michel Boujenah, Alessandra Martines, Arnon Milchan, Arthur Cohen, Bertrand Tavernier, Henry Jaglom, Xavier Beauvois, Boaz Yakin, Robert Crumb, Vadim Abdrashitov, Savva Koulish, Laura Blum, Ridha Behi, Marina Cordoni, Astrid Frank, Izza Genini |
| 1996 | July 4 – July 13 | Kansas City, by Robert Altman | Krzysztof Zanussi, Chantal Akerman, Derek Malcolm, Susanne Bier, Seymour Cassel, Pierre Chained, Danniel, Ricardo Dias, Jim Hoberman, Jose Lewgoy, Ken Lipper, David Robinson |
| 1997 | July 10 – July 19 | The Fifth Element, by Luc Besson | Alan Rudolph, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Hampton, Francesco Rosi, Clyde Jeavons, Herbert Beigel, Alan Berliner, Michael Verhoeven, Ulrike Ottinger, Becki Probst, Alexander Shpilyuk |
| 1998 | July 9 – July 18 | The Big Lebowski, by the Coen Brothers | Roberto Benigni, Manoel de Oliveira, Jeroen Krabbe, Alan Rickman, Jesse Peretz, Jeremy Thomas, Stanley Kwan, Ferzan Ozpetek, Andreas Thomopoulos, Lidia Bobrova |
| 1999 | July 8 – July 17 | All About My Mother, by Pedro Almodóvar | Terrence Malick, Ettore Scola, Vittorio and Paolo Taviani, Marisa Paredes |
The Jerusalem Film Festival opening event at the 21st Century :
| Year | Dates | Opening Film | Notable Guests |
| 2000 | July 13 – July 22 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, by Ang Lee | Ang Lee, Anna Thomson, Anthony Bregman, Errol Morris, Istvan Szabo, Jack Wolgin, James Schamus Jerzy Stuhr, Kirk Douglas, Leon Constantiner, Michael Cacoyannis, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Sabu, Wim Wenders, Volker Schlondorff |
| 2001 | July 12 – July 21 | Shrek, by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson | Stephen Frears, B.Z Goldberg, Henry Bean, Malgorzata Szumowska, Ferzan Ozpetek, Radu Gabrea, Andrei Smirnov, Veronique Cayla, David Kessler, Diane Weyerman |
| 2002 | July 18 – July 27 | Talk to Her by Pedro Almodóvar | Krzystof Zanussi,David Mamet,Anthony Bergman, Godfrey Cheshire,Amos Gitai |
| 2003 | July 10 – July 19 | Hero by Zhang Yimou | Geoffrey Gilmore, Uri Fruchtmann, David Kustow, Hany Abu-Assad, Wolfgang Becker, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Amos Kollek, Aviva Slesin, Sean Welch, Wouter Baremdrecht, Sandrine Brauer, Pierre Menahem, Michel Reilvac, Diane Weyerrmann |
| 2004 | July 8 – July 17 | Life is a Miracle by Emir Kusturica | Anthony Minghella, Emir Kusturica, Dimitri Epides, Ademir Kenovic, Chantal Akerman, Oliver Becker, Ludi Boeken, Anthony Bregman, Niv Fichman, Sam Green, Ulrike Ottinger, Sarig Peker, Jan Schuette, Prasanna Vithanage, Humbert Balsan, Marion Doring, Fabrizio Mosca, Nik Powell, Renate Roginas, Marieanne Bergmann, David Kessler |
| 2005 | July 7 – July 16 | War of the Worlds by Steven Spielberg | Karen Shakhnazarov, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Chris McDonald, Marion Dörling, Marieanne Bergmann, Sharon Rivo, Niv Fischman, Peter Forgács, Lee Kang Sheng, Victor Silakong Kriengsak, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Tsai Ming-Liang, Michèle Ohayon, David Puttnam, Pola Rapaport |
| 2006 | July 6 – July 15 | Someone to Run With by Oded Davidoff | Roman Polanski, Atom Egoyan, Robert Lantos, Debra Winger, Howard Feinstein, Catherine le Clef, Mark Anderson, Chantal Akerman, Josh Appignanesi, Wouter Barnendrecht, Ram Bergman, Alan Berliner, Doug Block, Rex Bloomstein, Andrew Brunsberg, Anthony Bregman, Mimmo Calopresti, Julie Depardieu, Marco Tuliio Giordana, Mia Goldman, Swel and Imad Noury, Michel Reilhac, Lilly Rivlin, Sharon Rivo, Ernst “Etchie” Stroh, István Szabó, Michael J. Werner, Arsinée Khanjian, Denis Robert, Daniel Louis, Marie-Josée Croze, Patricia Rozema, Simcha Jacobovici |
| 2007 | July 5 – July 14 | Ratatouille, by Brad Bird | Danny Dimbort, Avi Lerner, Azize Tan, Ulrike Ottinger, Wouter Barendrecht, Ehud Bleiberg, Susanne Bier, Jane Birkin, Phillipe Blasband, Jeffrey Blitz, Charles Burnett, Saverio Costanzo, Paul Cronin, Craig A. Emanuel, Neil Friedman, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Anders Thomas Jensen, Dieter Kosslick, David Kustow, João Moreira Salles, Fabrizio Mosca, Michele Ohayon, Jeff Pulver, Michel Reilhac, David Thompson, Marit van den Elshout, Răzvan Vasilescu, Sean Welch |
| 2008 | July 10 – July 19 | Wall-E, by Andrew Stanton | Anne Aghion, Anthoney Bergman, José Luis López-Linares, Lucia Cedrón, Molly Dineen, Peter Forgacs, Izza Genini, Huseyin Karabey, Dieter Koslik, David Kustow, Jean-Pierre Lledo, Sergei Loznitsa, Emilio Maillie, John Malkovich, David Schisgall, Michael Winterbottom, Boaz Yakin |
| 2009 | July 9 – July 18 | A Matter of Size, by Sharon Maymon and Erez Tadmor | Theo Angelopoulos, Karin Albou, Michael Verhoeven, Larry Weinstein, Jacob Wang, Marat Sarulu, Gerald Peary, Peter Rodger, Maria Victoria Menis, Marion Laine |
| 2010 | July 8 – July 17 | La Rafle, by Roselyne Bosch | Jean Reno, Ulrike Ottinger |
| 2011 | July 7 – July 16 | Super 8, by J.J. Abrams | Béla Tarr |
| 2012 | July 5 – July 14 | To Rome with Love, by Woody Allen | |
| 2013 | July 4 – July 13 | Hunting Elephants, by Reshef Levi | Richard Linklater, Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Gabbeh, Kandahar, Salaam Cinema), Ben Nabors (William and the Windmill), Pablo Berger (Snow White), Janus Merzovsky (Bad Boy), Gil Goldstein (Producer, Valentine Road), Jason Hot, Janet Tobias, Nadav Shirman, Goren Paskelievitz, George Slutzer, Neil Bersky, Rogero Gabay, Yael Melamed |
| 2014 | July 10 – July 20 | Dancing Arabs, by Eran Riklis | David Mamet, Park Chan-wook, Martina Gedeck |
| 2015 | July 9 – July 19 | Mia Madre, by Nanni Moretti | John Turturro, John Heyman, Alexander Kosta, Arend Agthe, Dennis Pals, Burhan Qurbani, Claudio Santamaria, Dietrich Brugman, Gabriel Ripstein, Gunter Jonsen, Jayro Bustamante, Mano Lokesh, Oren Shai, Philippe Lacote, Rodriger Zuchsland, Sebastian Schipper, Ulrich Seidl, David Holbrook, Avner Ben Naim |
| 2016 | July 7 – July 17 | Julieta, by Pedro Almodóvar | Quentin Tarantino, Whit Stillman, Laurie Anderson, Andreas Sinanos, Dylan Liener, Grimun Hakonarson, Anthony Bregman, Alison Thompson, Giorgio Gosetti, Remi Burah, Roberto Ula, Esther Hoffenberg, Jenovefa Bokova, Christian Krones, Roland Schrotthofer, Daniel Raim, Magnus von Horn, Daniel Leconte, Fenton Bailey, Mary Beth Minnis |
| 2017 | July 13 – July 23 | Redoubtable, by Michel Hazanavicius | Michel Hazanavicius, Louis Garrel, Serge Toubiana, Philippe Garrel, Vasilina Makovestka, Ferenc Torok, Claude Lanzmann, Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau, Clotilde Courau, Heinz Emigholz, Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa |
| 2018 | July 27 – August 5 | The Unorthodox, by Eliran Malka | Christian Petzold, Sergei Loznitsa, Marcello Fonte, Laura Benson, Valeria Golino, Charles Tesson, Marietta Riesenbik |