The American Sephardi Federation Announces the Pomegranate Award 2023 Recipients
The American Sephardi Federation is pleased to announce the names of the Recipients of the 2023 Pomegranate Awards, and which will be awarded in conjunction with the 25th ASF New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, May 7th – 11th at the Center for Jewish History.
The beautiful and prestigious Pomegranate Award, sculpted by renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy, recognizes extraordinary achievements in the arts.
“Sephardic artists, film actors/directors, writers and other personalities are having an ever-greater impact on the Israeli, as well as the international, cultural arena. They are importantly also bringing forward an increasing awareness and appreciation for the very rich Sephardic Jewish culture and heritage. The American Sephardi Federation is proud to award this year’s well deserving recipients,” says David E. R. Dangoor, President.
The 2023 Pomegranate Recipients are:
- Hélène Cixous, the Algerian-born, French writer and novelist, who will be the first woman to receive the “Pomegranate Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature.”
- Yasmin Levy, the world’s most popular contemporary Ladino singer-songwriter, will receive the “Pomegranate Award for Music.”
- Shlomi Elkabetz, the Israeli-born Moroccan screenwriter/director/producer/actor, will receive the “Pomegranate Award for Filmmaking.”
- Ghiora Aharoni, the Israeli-born Yemenite artist and designer, will receive the first “Pomegranate Award for Art, Design, and Architecture.”
We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these exceptional individuals during the Film Festival! And don’t miss our tribute series to Ronit Elkabetz, A”H at the Festival’s Retrospective Day on Sunday, May 7th, and stay tuned for more! The tribute will start with a screening of GETT on Sunday night followed by the North American premiere of JE T’AIME on Tuesday. The program will also include special components that have yet to be revealed.
Past recipients of the ASF’s Pomegranate Award include André Aciman, André Azoulay, Lisa Azuelos, Erez Biton, Élie Chouraqui, Yair Dalal, Dan Hedaya, Neta Elkayam, Sassoon Gabay, Enrico Macias, Albert Memmi, Saïd Ben Saïd, Ema Shah, & Elie Tahari.
Biographies of the Pomegranate Recipients
Hélène Cixous, the Algeria-born French intellectual, novelist, playwright, memoirist, prose poet, and feminist, is a phenomenon and literary star with an international following. With approximately 87 books and countless essays to her name, she is widely regarded as a major postmodern author and a pivotal figure in contemporary discourse. Her “life writing” comprises poetic fiction and autobiography, literary and feminist theory, art criticism, and theatrical works. In 1974 she created the first doctoral program in women’s studies in Europe at the University of Paris VIII. In the United States, she is best known for works that analyze and take issue with traditional Western notions about masculine and feminine gender. In honor of her 80th birthday in 2017, NYU hosted a three-day symposium: “Cixousversaire, A Celebration of Hélène Cixous.”
Yasmin Levy, the world-renowned Ladino music singer-songwriter, has earned widespread recognition for her deep spiritual singing and passionate vocal delivery. Levy’s parents both made significant contributions to Sephardic history and culture: her father, Yitzhak, was a cantor, editor of Aki Yerushalayim, and Director of Ladino Programming on Kol Yisrael Radio, and her mother, Kohava, was an early pioneer of Judeo-Spanish music in Israel. Winner of the International Song Writing Competition and Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Award for cross-cultural collaboration, Yasmin Levy has over 150 million combined YouTube views. Her eight critically acclaimed albums in Ladino, Spanish, and Hebrew, as well as tours have received high praise from top music critics worldwide, with performances at iconic venues like the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. Levy is a Goodwill Ambassador for Children of Peace. She will present a special performance during the Festival’s Opening Night.
Shlomi Elkabetz is a ground-breaking Moroccan Screenwriter, Director, Producer, and Actor, who has made extraordinary contributions to Israeli and world cinema. In 2004, he co-wrote and co-directed TO TAKE A WIFE with his sister, actress Ronit Elkabetz, the first ASF Pomegranate Award recipient (2011). The film was awarded the Critics’ Prize and Audience Prize at the Venice Film Festival. They continued working together on the trilogy that also includes THE SEVEN DAYS (2008) and GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM (2014), which was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best International Film. Elkabetz made his acting debut in the HBO TV mini-series OUR BOYS (2019), as one of the leading roles. Ronit starred in all his films, including CAHIERS NOIRS [BLACK NOTEBOOKS] (2021), her final film before she tragically passed away. The film premiered at Cannes as an Official Selection and won an Ophir Award for Best Documentary. Elkabetz’s past recognitions include the Israel Ministry of Culture’s prestigious Landau Award and Variety’s Directors to Watch Award.
Ghiora Aharoni is a world-renowned Israeli-born artist and designer from Yemenite decent. He founded his multi-disciplinary studio for art and design in New York City in 2004. Through his work, he challenges social norms and explores dualities, such as the intersection of religion and science, and relationships between disparate cultures. His pieces are held in remarkable collections worldwide, including The Pompidou Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Vatican. Aharoni’s work, and installations have been exhibited internationally in institutions, galleries and museums in the U.S., Europe, India, and Israel. Aharoni is a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, which he attended on a full scholarship and as an ISEF International Fellow.
This 25th edition of the NYSJFF is dedicated to Ike, Molly and Steven Elias
Book Your Passes & Tickets
VIP Festival Pass – $600
(includes Opening Night, Closing Night, All Screenings and After Parties at the ASF – Center for Jewish History)
Opening Night and Pomegranate Awards Ceremony – $225
Film Pass – $225
(includes Closing Night and All Screenings at the ASF – Center for Jewish History)
Parties – $125
Single Screening – $18
All Access Online – $225
(includes films selected from the Festival and online exclusives streaming from Sunday May 14th to Thursday May 18th)
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