Haifa - International Film Festival

40

40

Haifa International Film Festival

The Haifa International Film Festival, established in 1983, is Israel's first and largest film festival. Over the years, it has become a prestigious and highly regarded event in both the Israeli and international film industries. The festival's artistic program is thoughtfully curated, showcasing award winning films from leading festivals around the globe. It places a strong emphasis on cinema that champions diversity and pluralism. Set against the backdrop of Haifa, a vibrant and diverse Mediterranean city known as a symbol of coexistence, tolerance, and peace, the festival reflects the unique character of its host city. Since 2022, the festival has been part of the Oscar family, with the winner of its Best Independent Israeli Short Film Award earning eligibility for the Academy Awards competition.

THE HAIFA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS PRODUCED BY ETHOS - THE HAIFA MUNICIPALITY ART, CULTURE AND SPORTS ASSOCIATION. LTD.

2

Numbers The Featuring 12 150 days of cinematic celebration! new movies 270 screenings 70,000 spectators to its screening halls 150,000 our festival has welcomed a total of visitors and attracting

3 FILM

Contents Table of

The best movies from around the world!

The World's Most Prestigious Film Festivals Winners Israeli Cinema Premieres Classic Masterpieces and Cinematic Homages Wild and Young Cinema into the Night Animated Films Family-Friendly Movies

Television Premieres Film Industry Events

Competitions International film competitions Carmel – The International Film Competition The Golden Anchor Competition – The Debut Film Competition Israeli film competitions Best Israeli Feature Film Short Film Competitions: Animation, Student, and Independent Creators

FESTIVAL

4

Guests Many guests from the Israeli and international film industry attend the festival, participating in film screenings and industry events. These guests hail from various fields including acting, directing, production, and distribution. Among the festival celebrated guests throughout the years: Paul Schrader, Willem Dafoe, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Elliott Gould, Brian Cox, Claude Lanzmann, Theo Angelopoulos, Peter Greenaway, Alba Rohrwacher, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Paul Giamatti, Maïwenn and many more.

The Motion Pictures Industry Events

The festival's industry events have garnered international praise and recognition both locally and globally. These events include: Pitching masterclasses for feature and student films Cinemarket Haifa, a platform supporting projects in advanced production stages Masterclasses Roundtable gatherings of local and international filmmakers, with a focus on Mediterranean cinema, and aimed at fostering investments and co-productions.

FESTIVAL

5

Celebrating 40 Years December 31, 2024 – January 11, 2025 This year, the festival will open on new year's eve. Originally scheduled for Sukkot, the event has been rescheduled as a special winter edition. On December 31, 2024, coinciding with the seventh night of Hanukkah, the festival will launch with a celebratory lineup of films and events, ushering in the New Year in style. Festival Guest of Honor: Oscar-winning Jewish-French director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) will attend the festival to present his latest film, The Most Precious of Cargoes , which premiered in the official competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The Festival Openning Film And Event The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof (Winner of the Critics' Prize and a Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2024) will officially open the festifal and mark the beginning of 2025 on january 2. Israeli Cinema Premieres and New Competition Format The festival will showcase the finest in Israeli cinema, premiering 12 films in a newly introduced combined competition for both feature and documentary films . New Platform for Israeli Premieres: "First Exposure – New Israeli Cinema" will present the quality and diversity of Israeli filmmaking, offering audiences and industry professionals an exclusive look at the latest in Israeli cinema.

6

International Films by Israeli Filmmakers Three new international films by Israeli filmmakers will take center stage at the festival. Longing The festival's main international competition, Carmel, will open with an American remake of Savi Gabizon's acclaimed 2017 Israeli film Longing, starring Richard Gere and Diane Kruger. Reading Lolita in Tehran Directed by Eran Riklis and based on the global bestseller by Azar Nafisi, the film stars Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi. It won the Ensemble Cast Jury Award and the Audience Choice Award at the Rome Film Festival. Why War Directed by Amos Gitai and screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, the film will be featured as part of the festival’s special screenings of Israeli cinema. Closing Film The festival will close with the premiere of Nir Bergman's latest film, Pink Lady, which recently won the Best Directing Award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

7

The festival mirrors the essence of Haifa: A vibrant and culturally rich Mediterranean city, known for its spirit of coexistence, tolerance, and peace. Haifa The City of

8

HAIFA

10

11 WELCOME

40

40

Contact Us:

Yaron Shamir / Artistic Festival Director yaronfilm@gmail.com Hadar Shoshani / Artistic Department Coordinator

programdt@haifaff.co.il WWW.HAIFACIN.CO.IL

פרסום מכטינגר