Israeli film wins audience award at Brooklyn festival

Pini Tavger's short film 'Pinchas,' about a nine-year-old Russian boy coping with life in Israel wins prize at Brooklyn International Film Festival

Published: July 01, 2009, 3:00PM

The film "Pinchas," which was written and directed by young Israeli actor and director Pini Tavger, won the audience award for short subject at the 12th Brooklyn International Film festival that was held this week.

Tavger, a graduate of the Department of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University, is mostly known for his acting roles in the daily drama, "Hashir Shelanu" ("Our Song") and the 2005 movie "Sweet Mud."

"Pinchas" tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who recently immigrated to Israel from Russia with his mother, Irina, who works night shifts as a cashier to provide for herself and her son.

Feeling lonely, the boy turns to the upstairs neighbors, the Amzaleg family, for warmth and support. The film stars Yvgenia Dudinya, Yonatan Rosen and Michael Coresh.

The 32-minute film premiered at the Jerusalem International Film Festival last year. In May it made it to the list of five finalists competing for the Student Academy Awards and in November it is scheduled to be screened at the Jewish Film Festival in Britain.