Israeli drama ‘The Lesson’ win top prize at Canneseries film festival
Festival’s artistic director says show presents ‘a social phenomenon’ in Israel; Maya Landsmann, who plays the heroine, wins prize for best performance
“The Lesson,” an Israeli drama highlighting political and educational tensions in Israel, on Wednesday received the Best Series award at this year’s Canneseries festival in France.
Maya Landsmann, who plays the heroine in the show and attended the last Canneseries event for her appearance in “Sad City Girls,” received the prize for best performance.
The show, created by the Kan public broadcaster, was described by Albin Lewi, the festival’s artistic director, as presenting “a social phenomenon” in Israel.
He added that the list of winners exemplified the “great variety” of the participating contestants.
The Israeli drama traces the repercussions of a political discussion that quickly escalates between a teacher and his student, at a time when social networks and disinformation exacerbate the tensions.
In 2018, the Israeli show “When Heroes Fly” was crowned best series at the prestigious festival.
Other titles honored in this year’s festival include the touching Canadian drama “Audrey’s Back” about a woman emerging from a 16-year-old coma. The show received the runner-up Dior Grand Award.
The German science fiction series “Souls” won prizes for best screenplay and for best music.
Belgium’s “Hacked,” which tackles the theme of cyber-harassment in the school environment, took the top prize in the short-form series category.
???? Le Prix de la Meilleure Série pour cette saison 5 de @CANNESERIES est décerné à … ????
The Lesson (Israël)#CANNESERIES pic.twitter.com/kk1K1klMhg
— Cannes (@villecannes) April 6, 2022
