Amidst the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas, Henrika Kull's profound drama, Salty Water (Südsee), weaves a tender tale of a German woman, Anne, and an Israeli man, Nuri, who spend a weekend of intimate discovery at Nuri's family home nestled between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem's verdant mountains. Unveiled at the prestigious 30th Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg (JFFB), Germany's grandest Jewish film extravaganza, this moving work of cinema was awarded the prestigious Gershon-Klein prize for Best Feature Film on Thursday evening in Berlin.
The film, which premiered globally at the Munich Film Festival last year, captures the evolving bond between Anne and Nuri as the Israeli army and Hamas clash in the distance, their intimacy shielded by the Iron Dome missile defense system. The JFFB jury aptly described it as "an afternoon nap in the Israeli sun," noting that "it portrays an erotic relationship between an Israeli and a German, sizzling in a way that only such a union can. Aesthetically compelling and innovative without pretense, Salty Water flirts beautifully even amidst the fall of bombs from a clear blue sky."
Additionally, the documentary Vishniac, helmed by US director Laura Bialis, was honored with the Gershon-Klein Best Documentary Award for its profound portrait of the legendary photographer Roman Vishniac, whose lens captured the essence of Jewish life from pre-war Berlin cafes to the shtetls of Eastern Europe. The jury praised the film for its "complex themes of historical relevance that resonate in our time, highlighting the fragmented history of the Vishniac family from Eastern Europe through Germany to the United States post-war. It speaks to the importance of memory and the preservation of images and archival material as witnesses to lost history, brilliantly crafted and leaving us with profound questions."
Noé Debré's French comedy A Good Jewish Boy received a special mention from the jury, offering a humorous glimpse into the life of Bellisha, a Jewish man living with his mother, Giselle, in a French suburb on the verge of losing its Jewish identity. Assaf Lapid's documentary The Return From the Other Planet, a poignant look at Jewish Holocaust survivor and writer Yehiel De-Nur, also garnered a special mention, providing a fresh perspective on a man who dubbed Auschwitz "the other planet."
The Geshon-Klein awards, named in honor of the German-Jewish cinema legend Gershon (Gerhard) Klein, are accompanied by a generous bursary of $3,200 (€3,000), generously sponsored by Klein's daughters, Madeleine Budde and Jacqueline Hopp. The 30th JFFB continues through June 24, offering a rich tapestry of Jewish cinema for film enthusiasts to enjoy.
