(Haipo) – The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival opened with a festive event attended by film, culture and city leaders. The evening included the traditional cocktail party, an exciting musical performance, speeches by the mayor and festival officials, and the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to director Avi Nesher, whose new film "Our Loves" was chosen to open this year's Haifa festival.
The Haifa International Film Festival is held with the support of the Israel Film Council, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Regional Cooperation and the Haifa Municipality, and is produced by Ethos under the direction of Yigal Zeevi. The festival returns this year for the 42nd time and brings Israeli and international cinema, creators, cultural figures and an audience to Haifa to watch films and participate in events held during the festival days in the city.
The traditional cocktail opened the evening's events.
Before the ceremony, the traditional cocktail party for the opening of the festival was held on the lawn next to the Haifa Auditorium. Hundreds of culture lovers, film professionals and representatives of the city's leadership met at an event that preceded the official opening. During the cocktail party, live music was played and a juggling show took place, with the gathering accompanied by wine and refreshments. After the festive gathering, the audience entered the hall, where the annual ceremony that officially and solemnly opened the Haifa International Film Festival took place.
The ICT Department Band and the Sixth Keshet in a tribute performance to Avi Nesher
Accompanied by the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eran Rami
The 42nd Haifa Film Festival ceremony opened with a joint performance by Shashi Keshet and the IDF's ICT Division Band. The performance, accompanied by the Haifa Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yoel Levy, took on special significance due to its connection to Avi Nesher's first film, "The Band," which depicted the lives of members of a military band and in which Shashi Keshet also participated.
Keshet took the stage alongside the band's young singers, Hadar Batash, Yarin Hagai, Omer Carmi (from Haifa) and Linoi Miller. The connection between Keshet and the young band members created an exciting and immersive musical moment, which also marked a kind of closing of the circle between the beginning of Nesher's cinematic career and the evening in which he received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Yona Yahav: Haifa continues to invest in culture and creators
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav welcomed the festival attendees and emphasized the film festival's place in the city's cultural life. Yahav said that this is the 42nd time that the festival has placed Haifa at the forefront of culture and cinema in Israel, and noted that over the years the festival has become one of the most important and respected cultural and cinema events in the country. He referred to the mosaic of Israeli and international films being presented this year and the arrival of creators, stories and voices from Israel and around the world.
Yahav especially congratulated director Avi Nesher on receiving the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, and described him as one of the most prominent and influential creators in Israeli cinema. According to him, his many years of work are part of the story of Israeli cinema and the story of Haifa. Yahav added that a great city is also measured by the cultural life it creates and its ability to be a home for ideas, creativity and human encounters, and made it clear that Haifa will continue to invest in culture, creators and cultural institutions in the city. In concluding his remarks, he invited the audience to come to Haifa during the Sukkot holiday, watch films, travel and enjoy the city.
Yossi Shalom: Israeli cinema at center stage
Deputy Mayor and Culture Minister Yossi Shalom said that this year the festival has chosen to place Israeli cinema at the center of the stage. He said that in the current complex period, it is especially important to embrace local creators, to make the unique voices and stories of Israeli society heard, and to draw strength from original work that brings pride, hope, and inspiration. Shalom referred to the importance of local work as part of the festival experience and the cultural activities taking place in Haifa.
Shalom also addressed the changes to the auditorium plaza, following the completion of extensive renovation work at the site. According to him, the plaza is becoming Haifa's cultural square, a center for entertainment and meeting that should be open and active throughout the week. He described a space that includes a neighborhood cafe in the morning, a wine bar in the evening, live performances, markets and fairs. Shalom added that the municipality continues to invest resources and efforts in developing the city's cultural, artistic and leisure life, and a further expansion of the activity is planned for the coming year. He thanked the Ethos team and partners in producing the festival and invited the audience to celebrate and enjoy the film events.
Yaron Shamir: Cinema that tells the Israeli story
Yaron Shamir, the artistic director of the Haifa International Film Festival and director of the Haifa Cinematheque, opened his remarks with excitement for the 42nd festival and thanked the partners in its creation and production. Shamir referred to the choice to open the festival with Avi Nesher's new film, "Our Loves," and to award Nesher the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award for cinematic excellence and his extraordinary contribution to Israeli culture.
Shamir described Avi Nesher as one of the most prominent, consistent and beloved creators in Israeli cinema, and noted that many of his films have become part of Israeli culture and classics embraced by the audience over the years. He also referred to "Our Loves," which deals with the events of October 7 and the lives of the characters before and after that day. According to him, the film touches on the pain experienced by Israeli society, but also brings with it hope, compassion and the possibility of healing. Shamir emphasized the ability of cinema to tell the Israeli story, to deal with reality, to provoke thought and to connect people, and invited the audience to enjoy the selection of films and the encounter between creators, film professionals and the general public.
Avi Nesher receives the Lifetime Achievement Award
Director Avi Nesher took the stage to accept the Haifa International Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to him for cinematic excellence and his long-standing contribution to Israeli culture. Nesher was excited about the occasion, but made it clear that for him this was not the end of his career. "I have no feelings of ending," he told the audience, adding that he is already working on a new film, indicating that for him, cinematic creation will continue even after receiving the award.
In his remarks, Nesher returned to his long-standing relationship with Israeli cinema and the audience, and to his perception of cinema as an ongoing process of creation, observation of Israeli people and society, and telling the local story through the characters on screen. The evening took on additional meaning for him when his new film "Our Loves," his 21st film, was chosen to open the 42nd Haifa International Film Festival. The film was inspired by real events and touches on the Israeli reality surrounding the events of October 7, but Nesher emphasized that for him, this is first and foremost a film about people.
Closing the circle with the military band
Avi Nesher spoke excitedly about the production of his first film, "The Band," and noted that the songs of the military band of the ICT Division, with Shashi Keshet (who participated in the film), are a closing of a circle for him.
The family, partners, and audience who accompanied Avi Nesher
During his remarks, Nesher thanked the people who accompanied him throughout his years of creation, the actors, the crew, his partners in production and the audience that continues to come to his films. The award ceremony was held in the presence of his family, including his wife Iris and his daughter, director Tom Nesher. The ceremony combined recognition for decades of creation with the continuation of Nesher's cinematic work, who also presented his new film to the festival audience that evening.
For Nesher, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award was not presented as an end point, but as another stop in a film career that has spanned decades. Even when the festival awards him an award for his entire body of work, he himself is already looking ahead to his next film. The connection between the award ceremony, the screening of "Our Loves," and the opening of the festival in Haifa gave the evening a special personal and professional significance for the director and for the audience that attended the ceremony.
In short, all the coverage was intended to promote Omer Carmi.
The ICT band. Oh, well, there was also some kind of film festival in the background.