Haifa International Film Festival

Overview

The Haifa International Film Festival is Israel's most community-oriented film festival. Founded in 1983 and held annually in September and October in Haifa -- Israel's major northern port city on the Mediterranean coast of Mount Carmel -- the festival presents competitive international and Israeli cinema in a city renowned within Israel for its tradition of Jewish-Arab coexistence.

Haifa's identity as a city where Jewish, Arab, Christian, and Druze communities have historically maintained relatively peaceful relations -- symbolized by the Baha'i World Centre and Gardens, whose golden dome overlooks the port -- gives the festival a civic character that reflects these values. Films addressing coexistence, intercultural dialogue, and peace find a particularly engaged audience in Haifa.

The festival is the largest public film event in Israel outside the Jerusalem Film Festival, with large open-air screenings along the Carmel range attracting broad audiences.

Key Sections

• International Competition -- films competing for jury prizes
• Israeli Film Program -- new Israeli features and shorts
• Arab Cinema -- films from Arab nations and by Arab filmmakers
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs

What Filmmakers Should Know

Haifa accepts open submissions. The Arab Cinema section creates specific programming context for Arab filmmakers within the Israeli festival context. For Israeli filmmakers, the festival provides an important domestic platform complementing the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Best Israeli Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

Haifa International Film Festival was founded in 1983 and has operated as Israel's most publicly accessible film event.

See Also

For Israeli cinema, see Jerusalem Film Festival. For Middle Eastern cinema, see International Film Markets.