Haifa Film Festival Unveils Israeli Competition Program

The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival, scheduled from September 26 to October 3, has announced its Israeli competition lineup. For the first time this year, feature films and documentaries will compete in a single category, featuring a total of 12 films: seven narrative and five documentary.

This change was implemented by the festival's new artistic director, Yaron Shamir. The narrative selections include "Hager - The Land" by Shmuel Beru, about an Ethiopian Jewish family's perilous journey to Israel via Sudan in 1973; "Home!" by Reut Ackerman, focusing on an adopted daughter's encounter with her biological family after her mother's death; "And Love" by the late Nitzan Giladi, starring Yael Elkana, Michael Moshonov, and Lena Fraifeld; "Blue Marks" by Dina Tsui-Riklis, based on a book by Emily Moati; "Farewell to the Dough" by Shimon Shay; and "Double Panther" by Marco Carmel, chronicling the story of criminal Yaakov Elbaz, who was infiltrated by police into the Black Panthers movement.

The documentary entries include Tomer Heyman's "I Want to Tell My Story," where Holocaust survivor Shimon Rothschild recreates life events on set before his 100th birthday; "Travel Dreams" by Mani Lozovska, following a mother and daughter's journey through war-torn Ukraine; "Children of Hebron" by Elad Goldberg and Kareem Hamad-Wilder; "A Place Called Hope" by Eitan Cohen; and "World 2030" by Uri Levi, dedicated to Maoz Inon, who lost his parents on October 7, 2023, and became a peace activist.

Additionally, the festival will host a separate competition for Israeli short films, comprising 24 entries, including ten student productions. The winner of the independent narrative short film category will be submitted to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, potentially qualifying for an Oscar shortlist.