New Yorkers

At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic, June 30 – July 8, 2017) the FIPRESCI Prize went to “Keep the Change” by Rachel Israel (USA, 2017, 94 mins.)

The jury writes: “A glorious first feature which tells the story of a colourful group of New Yorkers, who in any other film would be labelled as ‘outsiders’. Instead Israel lets us experience their world from the inside, and it’s a wonderous place to be. It is a tender film with a simple narrative, driven by complex emotions. By letting herself be inspired by her magnificent actors’ personal experiences of life on the autism spectrum, writer/director Rachel Israel has created a work that is inclusive, fresh and thoroughly engaging. It has also one of the funniest scripts we have ever come across, with a sense of humour that ranges from the crude jokes of conflicted protagonist David, to the no-nonsense cutoffs by its leading lady Sarah – a female character with a personal brand of vivaciousness never before seen on the cinema screen. We were deeply affected by this heartfelt story of coming of age and finding love, proving there is nothing wrong with being weird.”

Jury members were: Peter Kremski, Germany (“Filmbulletin”, “WDR”, “Deutsche Welle”), Karin Svensson, Sweden (“P1 Kultur, Sveriges Radio”, “Svenska Dagbladet”), Kaan Karsan, Turkey (“Eksi Sinema”, “Altyazi”).

Festival: www.kviff.com

Reports see here