The International Women's Film Festival to be held in Rehovot in September

'Me and You and Everyone We Know,' opens the International Women's Festival. "When one says filmmaker, the image that automatically comes to mind is that of a man. The International Women's Film Festival, running from September 6 to 10 in Rehovot, seeks to change that image and make room for more women in the film industry, behind the camera.

The association Women in Pictures indicates that women are a minority in the world of cinema and film directing, and they often have secondary roles in television and film production. The film festival, produced and directed by Na'ama Prizant-Orpaz and Anat Shperling-Cohen, offers a stage for independent female directors and producers from Israel and around the world and reflects the artists' voices and perspective in this field. "We seek to expose the Israeli public to the point of view of creative women," said the producers.

The festival ran for the first time last September. Being the only film festival of its kind in Israel, the organizers decided to make it into an annual tradition. The opening film of the festival will take place on September 7, where there will be a screening of the award-winning film Me and You and Everyone We Know, directed by Miranda July. A drama about the human struggle to belong in an alienated and sequestrated world, this foreign film won numerous awards including four during the Cannes Film Festival, an Independent Spirit award for production and a Sundance Film Festival award.

The festival also includes a contest of movies by female Israeli producers rewarding the best movie, the best documentary film, honorable mentions and others.

Tickets cost NIS 33 or NIS 27 with prior reservation. Call (08) 946-7890 or (08) 936-4979 for reservations. For further details, go to http://www.iwff.net"

Source: Hadass Ben-Ari. Women in action. JPost.com (1 August 2005) [FullText]