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Sengedorj Janchivdorj’s Silent City Driver won the Grand Prix for Best Film at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), on an evening when several awardees referenced ongoing global conflicts in their speeches.

Mongolian feature Silent City Driver, a PÖFF world premiere in the Official Selection Competition, follows a hearse driver who tries to right the world’s wrongs by helping the daughter of a blind coffin maker.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

It is the 13th feature for Mongolian director Sengedorj, and is produced by Ganbaatar Narantsetseg, Naranbat Bayasgalan and Bold Ganbat. The director and producer share the €20,000 award,...

The subject of married gay men struggling with their sexuality in ultra-religious settings is not a new one to cinema. Among others, Jayro Bustamente’s Tremors explored the fallout in an evangelical setting and Haim Tabakman showed it playing out against an ultra-Orthodox Jewish backdrop in Eyes Wide Open.

Screenwriter Mindi Ehrlich, who drew on her own experiences within the Hasidic Jewish community for the film, brings a freshness to the subject by focusing on the female perspective of events - meaning it is a close cousin to the Morrocan-set and similarly themed Blue Caftan. It means that this is not just a film tackling the difficulties faced by a gay man to live his own truth in an environment that strictly controls everything, including sex, but also a story of female self-discovery and emancipation.

Bati (Nur Fibak) and Lazer (Uri Blufarb) appear to have a strong marriage. Their conversations are.

“This film is important, but the most important [thing] for us right now is to bring the hostages back home and for the Israel-Middle East conflict to stop as fast as possible,” says Nir Bergman, one of Israel’s most esteemed filmmakers, in a conversation with Variety about his Tallinn competition entry “Pink Lady.”

Bergman, whose credits include the multi-awarded pics “Broken Wings,” Cannes selected “Here We Are” as well as the original Israeli series “BeTipul,” later turned into HBO’s “In Treatment,” has peaceful messages of tolerance and acceptance in many of his works.

His latest drama, “Pink Lady,” running in the official selection of Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival, tackles the topic of hidden sexual desires and homosexuality in an ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem.

The story turns on Bati, a young woman seemingly happy with her husband, Lazer, and their three children. However, cracks in their relationship start...

This year’s Pitch Point includes new projects from Nir Bergman, Yona Rozenkier, Hadar Morag.

Jerusalem Film Festival has confirmed the Industry Days programme for its 40th-anniversary edition, including the 10 projects for its Pitch Point Competition for Israeli co-production features.

The Industry Days will run from July 13-15, and will also include the final pitching event of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab on July 14.

Scroll down for the full list of Pitch Point projects.

Pitch Point pitches will run on July 13, to a jury presided over by Arte Cinema France’s Olivier Pere, and including Beta Cinema’s Thorsten Ritter,...

Exclusive: Netflix has unveiled the winner of the 20,000 Israeli Series Development Award following a week in which it has deepened ties with the nation.

At a ceremony last night to mark the end of the Scripted Israel event in LA, which has been attended by Netflix top brass and senior Israeli talent, Mindi Ehrlich’s Insignificant was crowned winner by Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and her team will now receive Netflix mentoring as well as the money.

The show was described as “a powerful story with an inspiring protagonist” by a jury comprised of Andrew McQuinn, Samantha Blanco, Gregory Noveck and Max Hollman (HBO VP Drama Programing).

“The project balances a compelling personal story with an engaging narrative and a global appeal, while bringing an untold story to light,” they added. Efrat Dror is producer.