Jewish Motifs International Film Festival () is a major Jewish-themed film festival held annually in Warsaw, Poland. The festival has been held every year since 2004.
"The biggest European festival focused on Jewish themes in contemporary cinematography"—according to the Polish Embassy in Bern.
The 15th edition is scheduled to take place in mid-September 2019. Initially the Festival dates were around the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that is why the precise dates are changing but always in same season (usually in April), since 2016 the festival takes place in late May. In September an exceptional change in dates occurred and Festival was moved for September.
Idea
The festival organizers declare as the aim and objectives: raising awareness on subjects related to "Jewish identity and experience throughout history, to the preservation of Jewish culture and tradition as a source of Judeo-Christian civilization – through the art of cinema"; promote films on Jewish culture "to reach the young audience who is confronted today with the complex problems of our times, such as terrorism, intolerance and hatred"; "Through artistic expression in the form of films we want to find ways of communicating with all religious, national and cultural communities in order to better know each other and better understand their diverse motives." especially when emphasizing common elements. "Present non-profit productions, pioneer or seeking new ways of expression, which do not clash with the universal requirement of truth in artistic work."
Special focus of the festival films is on those produced in the Central-Eastern European region. Active participation of the audience is specialty of the festival, which organizes direct meetings with the film directors after each screening. Organizers and other experts participate also in the debates and meetings accompanying the shows and post-festival shows, which gives them opportunity for direct interaction. That is why the festival is often described as direct networking meeting and not the festival of red carpets.
The festival partners with other similar Jewish film festivals in Brighton, Vienna and Stockholm.
History The Festival was organized for the first time in 2004.
According to its director, Mirek Chojecki, it was supposed to be one-time event aiming in presenting tradition of the Jewish cinema, from pre-war Yiddish movies made in Poland up to modern cinema of the 21st century. The festival received such positive attention both from international guests and Polish local audience that at the closing ceremony Chojecki said "see you next year" and this promise he keeps continuing. The "Jewish Motifs" festival became an annual event but only since 2004 as International Film Festival ("Jewish Motifs" International Film Festival).
Traditionally the opening and closing ceremonies are led by Andrzej Wajda (Polish film director) and (Polish-Jewish writer) Józef Hen.
Date From the beginning, the festival has taken place regularly in Spring, around the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 – which is celebrated as according to the Hebrew (not Julian) calendar. Festival's editionYearFestival dates1200418-27 April2200519–24 May3200611–16 May420075–10 May5200822–27 April6200928 April – 3 May7201020–25 April–2011(this year festival has not happened)8201225–29 April9201324–28 April10201423–27 April1120158–10 May12201618–22 May13201724–28 May14201823–27 May15201911–15 September
"Jewish Motifs" Association
In 2004 the group of organizers of first event has founded The Jewish Motifs Association which is a nonprofit organization responsible for organizing further editions of the festival. The Association organizes also post-festival shows and promotes festival movies at the other cultural events in Poland.
Program The program consists of the following sections: feature, documentary, experimental, animation, short.
All the films presented, regardless of the competitive or non-competitive category, are eligible for the Audience Award.
Different educational aspect is learning-through-participation: volunteership and internship program offered by the festival. Each year there were from 15 to 80 participants of volunteer and internship program editions.
In 2018, at its 14th edition, the Festival organized a Masterclass workshop in film making led by Israeli document films director and producer Barak Heymann.
Each year the festival is also accompanied by additional events: from kosher cuisine cooking workshops to expert debates on recent topics.
Guest of Honor
2006: Claude Lelouch 2007: Artur Brauner 2008: Janusz Morgenstern 2009: Adam Holender 2010: Edward Żebrowski 2011: n/a 2012: Gila Almagor 2013: Józef Hen 2014: Andrzej Wajda
Juries 2004: Miron Chernyenko, Michael Handelzalts, Kurt Weber, Leo Kantor, Edward Zebrowski. 2005: Akos Engelmayer, Aryeh Golan-Skornik, Włodek Goldkorn, Sławomir Grunberg, Tadeusz Lubelski. 2006: Izabela Cywińska, Aleksander Jochwed, Dmitriy Kabakow, Marek Rozenbaum, Witold Stok. 2007: Alona Frankel, Peter Fudakowski, Peter Mostovoy, Yoram Golan, Aleksander Kwiatkowski. 2008: Ewa Kuryluk, Tomasz Jastrun, Haim Schreiber, Andrzej Titkow, Aleksander Gutman. 2009: Andrzej Wolski, Tadeusz Sobolewski, Vita Żelakeviciute, Wanda Kościa-Rostowska, Yossi Wein. 2010: Irina Rubanova, Petruška Šustrova, Barbara Hollender, Ami Drozd, Ludwik Lewin. 2011: n/a 2012: Benjamin Freidenberg, Tatiana Kosinowa, Gabriele Lesser, Lukáš Přibyl, Andrzej Titkow. 2013: Alexandra Szacka, Danae Elon, Jacek Bławut, Olena Babiy, Rafał Listopad. 2014: Alon Garbuz, Łukasz Gutt, Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, Michał Bregant, Paweł Felis. 2015: Borys Lankosz, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz, Jacek Petrycki. 2016: Anna Kazejak, Paweł Łoziński, Łukasz Maciejewski. 2017: Joanna Kos-Krauze, fr Andrzej Luter, Anna Zamecka 2018: Beata Chmiel, Andrzej Jakimowski, Adam Bajerski. 2019: Beata Chmiel, Cezary Harasimowicz, Natalia Koryncka-Gruz.
Award winners Awards are in several categories: Warsaw Phoenix: Golden Warsaw Phoenix (Grand Prix) Warsaw Phoenix for the best feature film, for the best documentary film, for the best experimental film / best short; Audience Award (since 2005); special awards: The Ger Mandolin Orchestra Award (awarded in the years 2010–2016), Antoni Marianowicz Award for the best Polish film (funded by Association of Authors ZAiKS), Award funded by the Jewish Community of Warsaw for the best presentation of contemporary Jewish life in film.
Warsaw Phoenix award
Golden Warsaw Phoenix (Grand Prix) Year Film Original Title Director Country 2004Hiding and Seeking Oren Rudavsky, Menachem Daum 2005Rosenstrasse Margarethe von Trotta 2006Portrait PhotographerPortrecista Ireneusz Dobrowolski 2007I only wanted to live Mimmo Calopresti 2008To Die in Jerusalem Hilla Medalia 2009Po-lin Jolanta Dylewska 2010The Gift to Stalin Rustem Abdrashov 2011 2012KonserwatorBoker tov adon Fidelman Yossi Madmony 2013The Flat Arnon Goldfinger 2014Soldier on the Roof Esther Hertog 2015Gett: The Trial of Viviane AmsalemRonit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz2016The Kozalchic AffairRoni Ninio2017Bogdan's JourneyPrzy Planty 7/9Michał Jaskulski, Lawrence Loewinger2018Scarred HeartsRadu Jude 2019Jonathan Agassi Saved My LifeTomer Heymann,
Warsaw Phoenix for the best feature film Year Film Original Title Director Country2005silver statuette: Only HumanSeres queridosTeresa De Pelegri, Dominic Harrari 2013When Day BreaksGoran Paskaljević2014YouthTom Shoval2016DeamonDemonMarcin Wrona2017One Week and A Dayשבוע ויוםAsaph Polonsky2018ScaffoldingMatan Yair2019LongingגעגועSavi Gabizon
Warsaw Phoenix for the best documentary film Year Film Original Title Director Country2005silver statuette: Behind the enemy linesDov Gil-Har2005bronze statuette: No. 17No. 17David Ofek2005bronze statuette: L'Chayim, Comrade Stalin!Yale Strom 2013Hitler’s Children Chanoch Ze’evi 2014Ponevezh Time Yehonatan Indursky 2015Border LivingRonit Ifergan2015My Arab FriendNoga Nezer2016The Bentwich SyndromeGur Bentwich2017WindingAvi Belkin2018The ImpureDaniel Najenson 2019Granny ProjectBálint Révész,
Warsaw Phoenix for the best short film Year Film Original Title Director Country2005The Spoon of LifeŁyżeczka życiaMichał Nekanda-Trepka2013Catherine the Great Anna Kuntsman 2015IschlerAtilla Hartung 2016Women in SinkIris Zaki2017TransferMichael Grudsky2018An Average StoryYaniv Segalovich2019Vanity of VanitiesAlexey Shelmanov, Alexey Turkus
Warsaw Phoenix for the best experimental film Audience award Year Film Original Title Director Country 2005No. 17No. 17David Ofek 2006Portrait PhotographerPortrecista Ireneusz Dobrowolski 2007More Than 1000 Words Solo Avital 2008Souvenirs Shahar Cohen, Halil Efrat 2009Unsettled Adam Hootnick 20108 stories, that has not changed the world8 historii, które nie zmieniły świata Ivo Krankowski 2011 2012Blinky & Me Krakowiaczek ci ja…Tomasz Magierski 2013Hava Nagila Roberta Grossman 2014Dancing in Jaffa Hilla Medalia 2015In SilenceV tichuZdeněk Jiráský2016Kapo in JerusalemUri Barbash2017Bogdan's JourneyPrzy Planty 7/9Michał Jaskulski, Lawrence Loewinger20181945Ferenc Török2019The Other Storyסיפור אחרAvi Nesher
See also Warsaw Jewish Film Festival
References
External links Official website