April 24, 2012
Israeli movie, director win at Buenos Aires film fest
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Poster for Waltz with Bashir
“Policeman” was named best film at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival—the first time an Israeli film has been recognized there.
Director Nadav Lapid also won in the Best Director category at the 14th edition of the festival, which ended April 22. It was the first time in festival history that the award for best director and best film went to the same movie.
“The Israeli film industry is growing,” Sergio Wolff, the festival’s artistic director, told JTA. “I enjoy the new Israeli cinema a great deal, with movies like ‘Waltz with Bashir’ for example.
“One of the main objectives at this type of festival is to discover a brilliant film, a new outstanding director. That is exactly the case of ‘Policeman’ and Nadav Lapid.”
The five-member international jury selected “Policeman” among 15 films. The film tells the story of an officer in Israel’s counter-terrorism unit and his encounter with a group of anarchists who kidnap a billionaire.
The Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival is one of the biggest cinema contests in Latin America. More than 230,000 tickets were sold, and 449 films were shown in 23 venues during the 11 days of the festival.
