Ethiopian Family's Journey to Israel Wins Top Prize at Haifa Film Festival

"Hagar, Land," directed by Shmuel Bero, was awarded Best Israeli Film at the Haifa Film Festival on Friday. The film chronicles the preparations for immigration to Israel by an Ethiopian Jewish family and the complications they encounter on their journey. This marks Bero's second win in this category, having previously received the award in 2008 for his debut feature film, "Zerubbabel."

Critic Oron Shamir described "Hagar, Land" in the newspaper Ha'aretz as an "epic cinematic film, a creation by a director who dreams big and achieves greatly." The jury cited the film's "exceptional cinematic cohesion, where the plot, direction, ensemble acting, filming locations, and art design merge into an emotional and powerful visual language."

The jury awarded two films the prize for Best Narrative Feature: "Double Panther," directed by Marco Carmel, which revisits the true story of an informant within the Black Panthers movement, and "Blue Signs," directed by Dina Zvi Riklis, an adaptation of Emily Moatti's novel about a young Israeli woman studying fashion in Paris.

"I Want to Tell My Story," directed by Tomer Heyman, took home the award for Best Documentary. The film features Shimon Rothschild, a Holocaust survivor who, nearing his 100th birthday, re-enacts his life story, from the gas chambers of Auschwitz and medical experiments in Sachsenhausen to the death march and post-war life.

Reut Akerman received the award for Best Debut Film for "Homa!," in which she also plays herself in a story about discovering her biological parents. Yaakov Zada Daniel was named Best Actor for his role in "Double Panther," and Noa Ohayon won Best Actress for her performance in "Blue Signs."

The award for Best International Film went to the British-American production "Lost Queen," directed by Lance Hammer. The film centers on a daughter, played by Juliette Binoche, and her stepfather, played by Tom Courtenay, as they disagree on how to care for the mother, who is battling dementia, leading to escalating family conflict.