ROME (JTA) — A film about same-sex love in Jerusalem’s haredi community took first prize at a film festival in Rome.
"Eyes Wide Open," an Israeli-German-French co-production, won the main"Eros and Psyche prize at the 15th MedFilm festival in Rome.
The first feature-length film by Israeli director Haim Tabakman, "Eyes Wide Open" recounts the doomed attraction between a kosher butcher and a young outsider in Jerusalem’s fervently Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood. Medfilm, held Nov. 7-14, showcased 130 films from countries all over the Mediterranean region.
"Eyes Wide Open" won the grand prize last month at the 36th Ghent International Film Festival in Belgium.