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Film on US dancer in Israeli company wins at Tribeca

Jury praises ‘Bobbi Jene’ documentary at NY festival for ‘pushing non-fiction intimacy to bold new places’

By AP and ToI Staff 28 April 2017, 1:54 pm

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Bobbi Jene Smith (C) accpets the Best Documentary Cinematography Award on behalf of Elvira Lind from Jurors David Wilson (L) and Barbara Kopple (R) during Awards Night during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival at BMCC Tribeca PAC on April 27, 2017 in New York City. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival/AFP)

A documentary about an American dancer in the Israeli Batsheva dance company was among the top winners at the 16th Tribeca Film Festival.

In the awards, announced in a ceremony Thursday night, “Bobbi Jene,” which follows the dancer Bobbi Jene Smith as she moved back to the US, took the best documentary award and honors for its cinematography and editing. The jury praised director Elvira Lind’s film for “pushing nonfiction intimacy to bold new places.”

The film focuses on Smith, who spent 10 years as the star of the famous Israeli dance company, and her decision to uproot her life, move to San Francisco, and launch a solo choreography career.

Rachel Israel’s debut feature, “Keep the Change,” a romance about a couple who meet at a community for people on the autistic spectrum, won the Founders Award for best narrative feature. The jury called it “a heartwarming, hilarious and consistently surprising reinvention of the New York romantic comedy, which opens a door to a world of vibrant characters not commonly seen on film.”

Batsheva's Ensemble dancers in 'Decal'e,' the shortened version of 'Decadance' (photo credit: Gadi Dagon) — Batsheva’s Ensemble dancers in ‘Decal’e,’ the shortened version of ‘Decadance’ (photo credit: Gadi Dagon)

Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal happily noted that all five feature film awards went to movies directed by women. The festival also gives an award, named after Nora Ephron, to a female director. That prize went to Petra Volpe, writer-director of “The Divine Order,” a drama about women’s suffrage in Switzerland.

Best international feature went to Elina Psykou’s Greek drama “Son of Sofia.”

The director of the best narrative short, Kaveh Mazaheri, for “Retouch,” said he was unable to attend the festival because of Republican President Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban. Mazaheri, an Iranian filmmaker, said in a video message that he and his crew were unable to get visas for Tribeca. He said his absence was “a pity” due to Trump’s “fascinating decisions.”

Courts have halted Trump’s bid to stop immigration from six predominantly Muslim counties: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Trump has appealed the courts’ rulings, saying he’s trying to keep the United States safe.