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May 14, 2004/Iyar 23 5764, Vol. 56, No. 34
Festival honors Israeli student filmmakers
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
Hadassah College Jerusalem senior Dana Yimharen won Phoenix Jewish Film Festival's first award for excellence for her film, "The Silence."
Photo courtesy of Roni Zee
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The Phoenix Jewish Film Festival, traditionally associated with its annual celebration of the best in Jewish film, will break new ground this month with its first mini-festival featuring the work of two Israeli students from Hadassah College Jerusalem.
According to Phoenix Jewish Film Festival board member Roni Zee, it is the first time any Jewish film festival in the United States has honored a film by a graduating student in Israel.
"We thought it would be wonderful to honor a student in Israel in the film department and honor them with not only a cash gift, but the opportunity to have their work shown in this country," says Zee. "It's important to support Israel, and we're supporting it in a very unique manner that has not been done before."
Phoenix Hadassah executive director Jody Goldman made the initial call to Hadassah College Jerusalem. When the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival notified the school's film department of its intention to award a prize to a student filmmaker, the college chose graduating student Dana Yimharen's film "The Silence" as the recipient.
"The Silence" takes place in a village in Ethiopia. Almo, an 8-year-old boy from a rural family, comes home from the fields suffering from acute headaches. While Almo's father favors traditional Ethiopian healing methods, his mother relies more on modern Western treatments. When Almo's condition worsens, he loses his hearing and becomes deaf. His speech is altered and his communication with the people around him is limited.
Yimharen will receive an $1,800 prize and the award of excellence for her film, which she will accept via videotape. Hadassah Valley of the Sun president Fredi Brown will accept the award at the festival on Yimharen's behalf.
"'The Silence' is being given this award for its excellence in writing, direction and cinema-tography," says Zee. "It is a beautiful film visually, with a very unique story about an Ethiopian Jewish family."
Hadassah College Jerusalem also allowed the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival to select a runner-up film from a selection of student entries.
The second film of the mini-festival is "My Dad is the Strongest" by Tal Ella, another graduating student.
The coming-of-age film is about a boy and his superhero protector, Gibor, and what happens when the boy's father wants him to give up his friend and become a man. "My Dad is the Strongest" combines traditional filmmaking and animation.
Zee says the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival hopes to screen both films at next year's annual festival. In the meantime, plans for mid-year activities such as a possible "Monday Night at the Movies" are still in the works.
Zee also notes that the mini-festival represents a collaboration with several Valley entities.
"We couldn't do this without Hadassah being a part of this," she says. "Hadassah's working with us, we're working with the college and the (Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center) is working with us, so it's not just one organization. There are four of us working to make it happen."
Details
- What: Phoenix Jewish Film Festival mini-festival with "The Silence" and "My Dad is the Strongest"
- When: 7 p.m. Monday, May 17
- Where: Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.
- Cost: $5-$6
- Call: 480-483-7121
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