Jerusalem, Israel - July 30, 2019 - Recently, President Reuven Rivlin spoke at the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival, where a new prize for Israeli filmmakers in the early stages of their careers was awarded in memory of his wife Nechama Rivlin ז"ל courtesy of the Jerusalem Foundation.
Nineteen projects took part in the festival, twelve films in production track and seven in post-production. The festival, which runs until August 4th, also includes the PitchPoint competition for promising Israeli feature films. Noa Regev, the director of the Cinematheque, also spoke at the event, remembering fondly Nechama ז"ל and giving thanks to the President for his continued support.
"Happy Film Festival!" the president began his remarks. "There's a city in the heart of the world, and every summer, it blossoms. Its streets fill up, the public spaces are crowded, and we the residents of Jerusalem, receive the pilgrims, Israelis, and tourists who come to take part in the great magic. The magic that is the Jerusalem International Film Festival."
"For me, cinema has always been an urban experience," the president said. "As a child, I used to sneak in to escape violin lessons, and even when I stopped learning violin, I did not leave the cinema. Only when I met my wife Nechama did I realize that there were totally other cinematic experiences where the magic was far from the closed hall, from the velvet seats, from the heavy building."
The president told the audience about Nechama's experiences and deep love for the cinema, saying, "Where Nechama lived, on Moshav Herut, every Saturday evening the members would drag chairs to a sloped area in the center of the moshav, string up widescreen, maybe a double sheet, and sit down. Two projectors stood side by side. One projectionist was in charge of the film, another was responsible for the translation, screened separately, handwritten and on the right side of the film. Usually, by the time films arrived at the moshavim and kibbutzim, they were in a pretty bad state, and the translation never synchronized with the film. But no one cared. Under the open sky, children did not sleep, and the adults conducted lengthy discussions about the film, and of course about the actors and actresses. So while my urban memory memories were of huge buildings like the Rex and the Orion, the Zion and the Edison, Nechama saw movies in the open air, with the smell the soil all around. I was a passive observer who dreamed of looking like those indifferent and charismatic men who filled the screen in American Westerns; for a young Nechama, cinema was a big part of her life."
"We had, Nechama and me, the city boy and the village girl, a very different kind of movie experience. But we both shared our love of cinema," said the President said, adding, "This is the first year I am coming to the festival without Nechama. It isn’t easy for me, I must admit. But when I look at you, so many film lovers with your sparkling eyes, and feel your heart, I feel at home here. Thank you, and thanks to the festival and to the Jerusalem Foundation, which decided to dedicate a prize to young artists in Nechama’s name. Your gesture moves us, the entire family. Goodnight, Jerusalem and God bless you all."
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Israel Sports and Cultural Minister Miri Regev gave greetings in a short video that included scenes from the movie Exodus.
The Jerusalem Film Festival opening event attracts hundreds of Israelis to the Sultan's Pool near the walls of the Old City. The program included a special lifetime achievement award to Katriel Schori. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, known as Dr. Ruth to US audiences, came to Jerusalem for the festival as a featured guest and was in the audience to greet the President.
