THE 5th ANNUAL OTHER ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ON-LINE STREAMING SITE AND “AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD” COMPETITION FOR SHORT FILM ENTRIES
New York, NY (Oct. 25, 2011) – The 5th Annual Other Israel Film Festival today announced it will make its three short film entries available for free online through its recently launched Other Israel On Demand (otherisraelondemand.org) streaming service, where the public can vote for their choice to receive the festival’s “Audience Favorite Award.” The service will offer films dealing with the festival themes on demand to audiences throughout the country.
Other Israel On Demand marks the first major VOD site for streaming Israeli films in the United States. The Festival is expanding the reach of its annual showcase of the diversity of Israeli life with award-winning films, which takes place November 10-17, 2011 at various locations around Manhattan.
“As exhibition and release standards change with more access to films on demand, Other Israel is paving the way as the first niche theme festival to include films on demand,” said Isaac Zablocki, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Festival. “The site includes films from past festivals as well as several of this year's selections and other major Israeli productions.”
As part of the “Audience Favorite Award,” select New York film critics will name their picks for the honor. Three cutting-edge, award winning & engaging short films will be considered:
Lost Paradise
Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun / 2008 / Narrative / 10 min
A man and a woman are tenderly making love in a one-star hotel room. A moment later, when they are fully dressed, the idyll that seemed authentic is now gone.
Transparent Black (NYC Premiere)
Roni Geffen / 2010 / Documentary / 20 min
African refugees attending a Hebrew class receive lessons in what it means to be Israel.
Stitches (US Premiere)
Dana Keider / 2009 / Drama / 24 min
Nadine, an Arab young working fruit picker, is engaged to be married. While her mother sews her wedding dress, Nadine’s heart goes out to Shachar, her Jewish foreman. The two lead a forbidden love affair that forces Nadine to confront her reality.
ABOUT THE OTHER ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL
Founded in 2007, The Other Israel Film Festival uses film to foster social awareness and cultural understanding. The Festival presents dramatic and documentary films, as well as engaging panels about history, culture, and identity on the topic of minority populations in Israel with a focus on Arab/Palestinian citizens of Israel,who make up twenty percent of Israel’s population. Our goal is to promote awareness and appreciation of the diversity of the state of Israel, provide a dynamic and inclusive forum for exploration of, and dialog about populations in margins of Israeli society, and encourage cinematic expression and creativity dealing with these themes. Our programming is guided by our mission to showcase quality cinema that brings to the big screen the human stories and daily lives of Arab Citizens and other minorities groups in Israel, often overlooked by mainstream Israeli society and culture.
For more information contact FRANK PR
Phone 646-861-0843
Lina Plath Clare Anne Darragh
