24th Haifa International Film Festival

In the 24th edition, the Haifa International Film Festival managed to cast an eye on both the new and the old in the world of auteur cinema. Some of the cutting edge moments were special screenings — if not world premieres then regional premieres — of Paul Schrader’s Adam Resurrected, based on the novel by Yoram Kaniuk, and many Israeli productions and co-productions in both the fiction and the documentary field. The “Cinema of Tomorrow” competition assembled two handfuls of the best debuts of 2008 from around the world which the Haifa residents enjoyed as much as the critics. Amos Gitai, honorary president of the festival, showed his latest feature One Day You’ll Understand (Plus tard). Many classics were also shown. Among them a string of American films from the Golden Age of the Director from the 70’s, a series of Jeanne Moreau classics and a tribute to Israeli director Eitan Green. International guests included Paul Schrader, Laurent Cantet, Peter Greenaway, Gaylen Ross and Kornél Mundruczó. (Jacob Wendt Jensen)