The festival is a showcase of the latest Israeli cinema, which has experienced a remarkable renaissance with local audiences over the last few years. As a showcase of national cinema it’s a complex portrait of a complex nation and one that aims to increase mutual understanding between Australia and Israel.
The program is a top selection of films that the contemporary Israeli film industry has to offer. The line-up features a range of genres – romantic comedies, a Holocaust mystery, a Bedouin family drama, a Polish/Israeli horror film and several new independent movies. It’s a program that spans the old and the new – with performances from veterans of the stage and screen – Gila Almagor, Oded Teomi, Devora Keidar – to some of the new and upcoming faces and voices of the future.
The festival kicks off with drinks and canapés before a special screening of FIREBIRDS, which was nominated for 10 Israeli Academy Awards last year.
Starring Gila Almagor and a host of leading Israeli stage and screen actors – Oded Teomi, Devora Kaidar and Miriam Zohar to name a few - this mystery drama was nominated for ten Israeli Academy awards last year. With sparkling dialogue and plot twists, the story revolves around Amnon a police detective, as he sets out to solve a murder of an eighty year old man found with three stab wounds to the chest and a number tattooed along his forearm. As Amnon investigates he discovers that his victim had sought a ‘membership card’ to one of the most horrible clubs in the world: the club of Holocaust survivors. Despite his advanced years his victim was still attractive and oozing with charm as he hunted obituary columns for widows to charm, beguile and ultimately swindle.
With wit, black humour, and even a big band number, this drama is a showcase for Israel’s veteran actors, directed by a first time director and screenwriter.
Please check out IFF this year program: http://www.aice.com.au/iff-welcome-2016.php?eventID=58 and
BOOK TICKETS: http://www.cinemanova.com.au/event-v4956.php
FESTIVAL DATES: 14-25 September
Bohemian Rhapsody Club and Online Magazine is proudly covering the opening night of the festival . Please stay tuned for more posts and information.