Harsh reality: A scene from Foul Gesture, which will be shown during Israeli film week in the capital.Israeli director Tzahi Grad will attend the opening of Israel Film Week in Ha Noi tomorrow.

Israel Film Week, hosted by the Israeli Embassy in Ha Noi, will run from February 21-25 and introduce five films – Foul Gesture, Aviva My Love, Kadosh, Pick a Card and Passover Fever – to local audiences.

Prior to the first screening, director Grad will introduce his movie Foul Gesture. The film won the best picture award at the 2006 Haifa International Film Festival in Israel.

Born in 1962, Grad is a well-known movie producer and actor, who has appeared in dozens of plays, television dramas and films. He won the Ofir Oscar for best supporting actor in Someone to Run With in 2006, and again for best television actor in the 2009 film Mommy.

Foul Gesture follows a week in the life of Michael Klienhouse. He and his wife have trouble with a man named Dreyfus on Holocaust Memorial Day. Michael hopes to resolve the situation with the help of the authorities, only to find out that Dreyfus, an old war hero, is a violent man with connections and friends in high places. Struggling with a personal crisis, Michael finds it difficult to give up to the "power", and the days following become his own personal nightmare. However, dealing with the harsh and corrupt reality that endangers his life and liberty gives him a new sense of being.

Made in 2006, the movie debuted at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 2007. It was later distributed in the US, Spain, Portugal, Brazil and others.

Foul Gesture won the FIPRESCI (Federation Internationale de la Presse Cinematographique) award and Special Mention at the Miami International Film Festival. It was also awarded with an Outstanding Award in the Third Eye Asian Film Festival of Mumbai.

The movie will be shown at 7pm tomorrow by invitation only and on Tuesday to the general public. The director will talk with the audience after the Tuesday screening.

He plans to visit and work with students at the Cinema and Theatre College during his stay in Viet Nam.

The other films will be shown at 7pm and 9pm at Cinematheque 22A Hai Ba Trung Street, Ha Noi during the week. Entrance is free.

Israel Film Week has been held biennially since 2007. 

Source: VNS