Restoration among the winners at Jerusalem International Film Festival

The 28th Jerusalem International Film Festival ended on Saturday (July 16), with Joseph Madmony’s Restoration named best full-length feature and Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s The Law In These Parts best documentary film.

Restoration continues a prize-winning streak which began with a screenplay award in the world cinema section at Sundance in January and continued earlier this month with the top prize in Karlovy Vary. Starring Sasson Gabai, the film is the story of a man trying to keep his antique restoration business afloat while training a mysterious young apprentice.

The NIS 100,000 best feature award was shared between director Madmony and producer Chaim Sharir. Alexandrowicz took home NIS 35,000 for The Law In These Parts, which explores the military legal system in the Occupied Territories of Palestine.
 
Other feature winners included Hagar Ben-Asher who was named best director for her film The Slut, which played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes this year, and Nadav Lapid, who won a screenplay prize for Police Man which will screen in competition at Locarno next month.
 
There was controversy in the award for best first or second feature film. Hadar Friedlich was named winner of the award for her film Beautiful Valley but the prize was later withdrawn on the grounds that one of the jury – ARTE France Cinema’s Michel Reilhac – had been indirectly involved in the film’s financing. The festival said that the remaining members of the jury, including Screen’s Mike Goodridge, will revote on this category this week.
 
The Jerusalem Pitch Point – where international industry members assess projects from Israeli film-makers, gave prizes to Zero Motivation from July August Productions, to be directed by Talya Lavie and to Three Sisters from Eran Riklis Productions, to be directed by Suha Arraf.
 
OTHER PRIZES
Best director of a documentary: Arnon Goldfinger, The Flat
Honorable Mentions go to The Dolphin, directed by Dani Menkin and Yonatan Nir and Ameer Got His Gun, directed by Naomi Levari.
Audience Choice Award: My Australia, directed by Ami Drozd
Best actor: Gur Bentwich, Off White Lies
Best actress: (tied) Nataly Attiya and Moran Rosenblatt for Lipstikka
Best cinematography: Shai Goldman, Police Man
Best editing: Ayala Bengad, Restoration
Best music: Avi Belleli, Restoration
Best student short narrative film: Golan Rise, Barriers
Best independent Israeli short film: Adi Kutner, Barbie Blues