April 24, 2012

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — An Israeli film on the police and violence won the prize for Best Film at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival, the first time an Israeli film has been recognized there.

The film’s director, Nadav Lapid, also won in the Best Director category at the 14th edition of the festival, which ended April 22.

“The Israeli film industry is growing. I enjoy the new Israeli cinema a great deal, with movies like ‘Waltz with Bashir’ for example,” Sergio Wolff, the festival’s artistic director, told JTA.

“One of the main objectives at this type of festival is to discover a brilliant film, a new outstanding director. That is exactly the case of ‘Policeman’ and Nadav Lapid,” Wolff added.

The jury of the International Official Selection was composed of Miguel Gomes (Portugal), Christoph Huber (Austria), Pilar Lopez de Ayala (Spain), Rodrigo Moreno (Argentina), and Peter Von Bagh (Finland), who had to choose between 15 movies and honored an Israeli film for first time in the 14 years of the festival. It is the first time in festival history that the award for best director and best international film went to the same movie.

“Policeman” is a “controversial film” that describes the State´s monopoly over the force and also  features a group of so-called revolutionaries. “The film denounces the autism both parties suffer in their lack of communication and disregard for the world they intend to improve with their actions,” according to the 468-page catalogue of the festival.

The Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival is one of the biggest cinema contests in Latin America. More than 230 000 tickets were sold, and 449 films were shown in 23 different venues during the eleven days of the festival.
 

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