The 28th Haifa International Film Festival will be held on 29 September - 8 October 2012. For more information visit our website at: www.haifaff.co.il
Informação Geral
FESTIVAL HISTORY
The Haifa International Film Festival, the leading cinematic even in Israel, was founded in 1983 as the first international film festival in the country. Growing steadily in both the number of screenings and attendance, The Haifa Film Festival has earned a world-wide reputation for both the quality of its program and the friendly atmosphere.
The Haifa Film Festival is held on the beautiful Mount Carmel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The festival brings together each year an ever-growing audience of 70,000 spectators along with hundreds of Israeli and foreign professionals from the film and television industries and premiers some 170 new films (280 screenings). 300,000 people in total take part in the activities of the festival, including the outdoor events, screenings, workshops and more, and dozens of journalists from both the print and broadcast media, from Israel and abroad, cover the event.
The Festival makes its home in the Mediterranean city of Haifa, a city that has become a symbol of co-existence, tolerance and peace, ideals that the Haifa Festival wholeheartedly promotes.
COMPETITIONS
Israeli Film Competition: The Israeli film program includes competitions for feature films, TV dramas, documentaries and acting. In the short film section, awards are presented to film students. The festival also offers development grants for new projects and an eco-friendly film grant.
The Golden Anchor Competition for Mediterranean Cinema: Each year the Haifa Festival is awarding the Golden Anchor Award to the best film made in a Mediterranean country.
Filmmakers of Tomorrow - FEDEORA Competition: The Haifa Int. Film Festival is proud to present, for the first time, the FEDEORA Competition. FEDEORA is the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean; founded in May 2010 in Cannes.
NON-COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS
East of the West: A program of films from Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Focus: a program which highlights new films made in a chosen country or a region.
Haifa Classics: The Haifa IFF is the only film festival in Israel to present an annual tribute to the history of world cinema with classic films in new and restored prints
The Jewish Identity: a selection of films dealing with the changing facets and expressions of Jewish identity in cinema.
Panorama: a selection of award-winning and critically acclaimed films that featured prominently in films festivals around the world during the past two years.
Doc-Talks with David D'Arcy: a selection of documentary films selected by American journalist and film critic David D'Arcy.
Gala: A chance to see quality productions that will be screened commercially in Israeli cinemas in the coming months.
PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES
Our Story - International Pitching Conference: An International gathering of film and television professionals to promote mutual development and co-production. Work procedures, marketing considerations and new cinematic ventures in a professional networking event.
Festival Honors: Recent recipients of the Haifa Festival's Award for Cinematic Excellence include Elliott Gould, Paul Schrader, Willem Dafoe, Theo Angelopoulos, and Jiri Menzel.
Masterclasses: Peter Greenaway, Elliott Gould, Paul Schrader and Theo Angelopoulos are examples of the caliber of filmmakers and innovators that the Haifa Festival audience has been privileged to hear in recent years.
Israeli Stars: Each year stars are embedded in the Festival Piazza in honor of Israeli artists.
Cinema and Poetry: this annual event celebrates the bonds between these two art forms, poetry and film
In recent years he Haifa Film Festival enriched its program with film screenings with live music, concerts of film scores, exhibitions of film posters and film animation, press conferences and more.
INTERNATIONAL GUESTS
Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Elliott Gould, Rosanna Arquette, Paul Schrader, Richard E. Grant, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Podeswa, Laurent Cantet, Nikita Mikhalkov, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Theo Angelopoulos, Peter Greenaway, Bruno Ganz, Phillip Noyce, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Brenda Blethyn, Marco Bellocchio, Jacques Gamblin, Cyd Charisse, Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Sidney Lumet, Stanley Donen, Costa-Gavras, Sophie Marceau, Christopher Lambert, Franco Zeffirelli, Werner Herzog, Pavel Lungin, Volker Schlöndorff, Bille August, Cristina Comencini, Ricardo Tozzi, Valery Todorovsky, Pyotr Todorovskiy, Marleen Gorris, Ayelet Zurer, Haim Topol, Avi Lerner, Danny Dimbort, Andras Hamori
RECEPTIONS & RED CARPETS
To complement the rich program of films and special events, the Haifa International Film Festival offers many social opportunities for mingling in a casual and friendly atmosphere.
The Haifa Festival holds gala receptions in the Festival Garden and other venues to honor gala premiers, important guests, sponsors and more. Over a glass of wine, in this pleasant surrounding, more than one venture and future co-operation was conceived.
A more formal event is the Opening Night Red Carpet, where the cream of the Israeli Film Industry arrives to meet the Festival's international guests, the Mayor of Haifa, ambassadors, cultural attaches, government officials and other dignitaries. The Opening Night Ceremony is followed by a Gala Screening of the Festival's Opening Film and the Gala Reception.
CITY OF HAIFA
The Mediterranean City of Haifa is the largest city in Northern Israel with a history dating back to Biblical times. The narrow streets of the old city, the busy commercial downtown, the coastline and beaches, the port, the historic landmarks and the panoramic neighborhoods on the slopes of Mount Carmel, all combine to create a city of unparallel beauty.
With a mixed population of Jews and Arabs, diverse religious institutions and long history, the city has become a symbol of co-existence, tolerance and peace.
