The 39th edition of the festival will feature more than 200 films from 50 countries.
Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF) has announced its lineup of Israeli films for its 39th edition, which is scheduled to take place from July 21 to 31.
A total of eight features have been selected for the Haggiag Competition for Israeli features while seven titles make up the Diamond Competition for Israeli documentaries.
The Haggiag Competition includes the world premiere of Valeria Gets Married by Israeli filmmaker Vinik, who previously made waves internationally with her 2015 drama Blush about a relationship between two Israeli schoolgirls. Vinik’s latest feature is about a Ukrainian woman who gets cold feet about her impending marriage to an Israeli man she met online.
World premieres in the Israeli competition include Yona Rozenkier’s 35 Downhill, about a man who reluctantly sets off on a road trip across Israel on a tractor with his elderly father, which also debuts in the section. His last film The Dive won Jerusalem’s Israeli feature competition in 2018
Also set to world premiere is 35 Downhill from director Rozenkier, whose drama The Dive won best Israeli feature at JFF in 2018 before going on to play Locarno and Toronto.
Further titles include Jake Paltrow’s June Zero; Moshe Rosenthal’s Tribeca title Karaoke; Idan Haguel’s Berlinale title Concerned Citizen, and Ofir Raul Graizer’s America.
Meanwhile, the Diamond Competition for Israeli documentary films includes David Wachsmann’s Two Kids A Day; and Ruth Walk’s The Partisan with The Leica Camera.
The total sum of prizes that will be awarded across the various festival competitions amounts to nearly $300,000.
The festival also revealed its Israeli documentary competition as well as another four Israeli productions that will be given special screenings.
Documentary highlights include David Wachsmann’s Two Kids A Day; Assaf Banitt’s The Soldier’s Opinion; and Ruth Walk’s The Partisan with The Leica Camera.
The festival will also present special screenings of documentaries Je t’aime Ronit Elkabetz by Moran Ifergan and Homeboys by Tamar Goren, both world premieres, and a newly restored version of Tawfik Abu-Wael’s Thirst. It will also screen A Hole In The Moon, a parody of Israel from 1964, in tribute to director Uri Zohar who died on June 2.
Ruben Ostlund’s Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness is set to open this year’s JFF on July 21.
More than 200 films, from 50 countries, will be shown throughout the 10 days of the festival, with dozens of premieres of Israeli films.
This year’s JFF Industry Days will take place from July 21-24, including the competitive Jerusalem Pitch Point.
