Scene from film 'Eyes Wide Open'
Israeli film on haredi homosexuality wins top honors in Rome
Haim Tabakman's 'Eyes Wide Open' wins main prize at MedFilm Festival. 'This film opens our eyes to a strong, sometimes uncomfortable truth,' Israeli embassy rep says
The Israeli film 'Eyes Wide Open' won the main "Eros and Psyche" prize at the 15th annual MedFilm Festival in Rome, which ended Sunday night.
The controversial film, which was directed by Haim Tabakman and stars Ran Danker and Zohar Strauss as ultra-Orthodox men in Jerusalem who become romantically involved, is a co-production of Israel, France and Germany.
"This film opens our eyes to a strong, sometimes uncomfortable truth, which speaks about homosexuality in the Orthodox community in Jerusalem," said Pamela Priori, from the Israeli embassy in Rome, who accepted the prize Saturday night on behalf of Tabakman, who was unable to attend the festival.
"This film is representative of a certain type of Israeli filmmaking, a courageous filmmaking which we see especially when they speak of war, such as (Golden Globe winner for best foreign language film) Waltz with Bashir, or Lebanon, (which won the Golden Lion award for best film)," she said.
'Eyes Wide Open' has also received awards at the Cannes Film Festival 2009 as well as the Toronto International Film Festival this year. It also won the grand prize last month at the 36th Ghent International Film Festival in Belgium.
A total of 150 films were featured at this year's MedFilm Festival, which opened on November 7.
News agencies contributed to the report
