17/08/2015 - The film by Israeli director Avishai Sivan is one of the main winners in the Swiss gathering

Avishai Sivan, with his Special Jury Prize

The 68^th Locarno International Film Festival has given out its awards last Saturday. Remaining true to form with a list of winners that supports independent and lesser-known cinema (the winners include the latest films by Hong Sang-Soo and Andrzej Żuławski – read more), the festival decided to bestow its second most prestigious award, the Special Jury Prize, upon Israeli film Tikkun, by Avishai Sivan.

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“There is a worthy elegance in Avishai Sivan, who composes a special kind of cinema in black and white images, with cacophony-like yet symphonic sounds, that extends throughout the whole story, far from men and words, so they can be locked in a sanctimonious observance”, stated the official competition jury about the film. The film also received a Special Mention for its cinematography, signed by Shai Goldman. Tikkun tells the story of Haim-Aaron, an ultra-Orthodox religious scholar from Jerusalem- whose talent and devotion are envied by all- who, one evening, following a self-imposed fast, collapses and loses consciousness. After the event, his life takes an extremely dramatic turn. The film – that had already won Best Israeli Feature Film, Best Script, Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Khalifa Natour at the Jerusalem Film Festival – is produced by Plan B Productions, The Mouth Agape and United King Films.