The Haifa International Film Festival, which kicked off last Friday in Haifa, Israel, and will draw to a close on Saturday 18 October, has so far proven to be a very popular event, which has exceeded all expectations. At the moment, most of the screenings are sold out, and the film industry events at the festival have attracted many professionals from the Israeli and international film scenes.

The buzz in the international screening section is currently surrounding Andrey Zvyagintsev's Leviathan [+lee también:
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Another international guest is Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, who came to present her latest film, Red Rose [+lee también:
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One of the more pleasant surprises in the Israeli film competition is Sophie Artus' Valley [+lee también:
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The top prize at the International Pitching Conference went to Gan De Langa and Gal Greenspan's Yaga Is a Witch. Other prizes went to Amikam Kobner and Assaf Snir's Echoes, and to Broken Hearts Club by Guilhad Emilio Schenker and Marek Rozenbaum.