Festivals are going crazy for 'Mister Gaga'

The Heymann Brothers’ documentary about choreographer Ohad Naharin is a winner

By Jessica Steinberg

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20 March 2016, 1:14 pm Edit

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

They loved “Mister Gaga” at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

The Heymann Brothers’ documentary about famed Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin won the audience favorite award in the Documentary Spotlight category at the Austin-based South by Southwest festival, which also served as the North American premiere of the film.

It’s been a roll of screenings, premieres and awards for the sibling pair who directed and produced “Mister Gaga,” about the life and times of Naharin. The documentary also won First Prize for Best Documentary at Bulgaria’s Sofia International Film Festival last week.

The film’s title comes from the name of Naharin’s free-style dance movement he created for his dancers, and which is also practiced widely by non-dancers.

Dancing to the groove of Gaga at a gathering with its creator, Ohad Naharin (Courtesy Gadi Dagon) — Dancing to the groove of Gaga at a gathering with its creator, Ohad Naharin (in the blue slate t-shirt in the upper right hand corner) (Courtesy Gadi Dagon)

The week prior, “Mister Gaga” swept the award for Best International Documentary in Sweden’s Tempo Documentary Festival, following awards and screenings at festivals in Amsterdam, Italy and London. (The Heymann Brothers also won the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlinale Festival in mid-March for their latest documentary, “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now” about a gay Israeli expatriate living in London.

Upcoming screenings of “Mister Gaga” will take place at Durham, North Carolina’s Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in April; at FilmIsReal in Amsterdam in mid-April and at the Vilnius, Lithuania International Film Festival, also in early April. For more information about dates and times, go to the Heymann Brothers website.