The Israeli Embassy in Belgium took part in the Brussels International Jewish Film Festival that was held this past March. As part of the festival, four Israeli films were screened – “Let it be morning,” “You had to be there,” Greener Pastures” and “The Adventures of Saul Bellow.” The films were screened in two large movie theaters in the city and attracted large audiences and considerable media interest.
As part of the festival, the Embassy assisted in bringing director Asaf Galay to the Festival, who participated in the screening of his film “The Adventures of Saul Bellow,” with a Q&A session following. During his stay in the city, the Embassy organized a master workshop by Assaf for the students of the SAE Film School. The workshop dealt with the topic of ‘How not to make a Wiki-Docu,’ in which Asaf spoke about the importance of telling a story within a documentary instead of just conveying dry information about the film’s subject. The students were fascinated by the lecture that was accompanied by selected excerpts from his films and said they had learned a great deal from it.
The festival was a great success, the representation of Israeli films and artists was noticeable and we are proud!
Asaf Galay said, “It was my pleasure to present the film at the premiere of the Brussels Jewish Film Festival.” In his book, “To Jerusalem and Back,” Saul Bellow wrote how he was impressed with Israeli society. I was similarly impressed with the Jewish community here and with the embassy staff.”
Noi Shaked Daniely, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Israel in Belgium added, “We were thrilled to take part in such an important and large-scale event as the Jewish Film Festival in Brussels. It was our honor to facilitate the screening of Israeli films to the Belgian public, who had the opportunity to enjoy these excellent Israeli films.”