Israeli doco wins prize at Canadian film festival
Critically-acclaimed 'The Law in These Parts,' which charts Israeli justice system's dealing in Palestinian territories, wins New Director's Prize at Canadian International Film Festival
A film chronicling the Israeli justice system's dealings in the Palestinian territories has snagged yet another international prize, this time in Canada.
Israeli filmmaker Ra'anan Alexandrowicz' "The Law in These Parts" has won the Special Jury Prize in the international feature category at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, which took place in Toronto and is considered North America's leading event of its kind.
Ever since it won the Best Documentary Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival last year, the film has garnered critical acclaim and prestigious prizes worldwide. One such win includes the World Cinema Jury Prize in the documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
"The Law in These Parts" features a series of interviews with the judges and officials who architected a system of long-term military jurisdiction in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as historical footage showing the enactment of these laws upon the Palestinian population.
Good weekend for Israeli films
Four other Israeli documentaries competed in the Canadian festival this year: Tamar Tal's "Life in Stills," Miri and Erez Laufer's "One Day After Peace," Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat's "Five Broken Cameras" and Silvina Landsmann's "Soldier/Citizen."
The weekend was a successful one for Israeli filmmakers abroad; in addition to Alexandrowicz' win in Canada, two Israeli directors grabbed prizes at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Nadav Lapid's "Policeman" won the New Director's Prize, while Eran Kolirin's "The Exchange" won the Fipresci Prize, which is selected by critics and aims to promote film art.
The "Policeman" film's triumph is not surprising considering its box office success in France and the fact it has been purchased for distribution in the United States. The drama, which follows the life of a member of an Israeli elite anti-terrorist squad, has also won Best Film at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival last month.
