Showtime

New music festival to take place in Mtzpe Ramon covering wide range of styles, genres; Haifa to hold 7th annual puppet exhibition.

By BARRY DAVIS
puppets 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
puppets 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Getting intimate at Mitzpe Ramon A new music festival, IntiMidbar, will take place at Mitzpe Ramon this Thursday to Saturday. The event will be held in the Negev town’s Spice Route Quarter and was initiated by musician Asi Zigadon and Gadi Lybrock, owner of the local Ramon Jazz Club.
The organizers hope the event, which is supported by the Merage Foundations Israel, the Mitzpe Ramon Local Council, the Negev Development Authority and the Keshet Association, becomes an annual occurrence and they have lined up some big names, along with some lesser-known artists.
The three-day program features stellar rockers Berry Sakharof and Amir Lev, who will perform their acoustic Two Guitars in the Desert production, and other top draws include veteran pop acts Nikmat Hatractor and Mika Karni.
The musical lineup covers a wide range of styles and genres, including seasoned Chicago-born bluesman Mark Rashkow, while Uzi Feinerman and Dudu Kochav will spearhead a free jazz jam session into the wee hours. Elsewhere over the three days you can catch young pop vocalists Shani Peleg and Boaz Haimowitz, while The Angelcy will offer up a highly eclectic folkie repertoire.
In addition to the stage shows there will be an arts and crafts fair, street acts, farmers market and art installations.
For tickets and more information: 058-588-4883 and www.intimidbar.co.il
Haifa puppet magic The seventh annual Kesem Habubot (The Magic of Puppets) exhibition will open at Beit Hecht in Haifa on Thursday, running until August 19. Over the four days visitors will be able to get an eyeful of a wide variety of items made by some of the country’s leading puppeteers, of all sizes and materials. The exhibits will include porcelain and theater puppets, marionettes and figures made from papier mâché, beads, sponge and balloons.
The theme of this year’s display is based on the Psalms quote “wine gladdens the heart of man,” with each puppet creator offering his or her own take on the phrase. The show will include works by leading puppet builders such as Guy Elkayam, Nili Pardes and Emmanuel Zohar.
In addition to the displays, Beit Hecht will host a program of free activities for all the family. The event is sponsored by Atos and the Haifa Art, Culture and Sport Company Ltd. operated by the municipality.
For tickets and more information: (04) 836-2667 and www.haifacity.com Sporting north The Sportfilm Festival will take place, for the first time, at the Haifa Cinematheque from Wednesday to Saturday.
Over the four days members of the public will be able to watch a rich program of international sports-based documentaries, with offerings by documentarians from countries across the globe, including Sweden, Korea, the US, China, Japan and Israel.
The film program includes an indepth look at the highly colorful Real Madrid soccer supremo, titled José Mourinho – The Best Coach in the World; a work based on one of the most famous heavyweight boxers, Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears; and Winning Time, about retired Indiana Pacers basketball star Reggie Miller.
In addition to the documentaries about the rich and famous, the festival lineup features some moving personal stories, including Blind Football Boy, about a Chinese soccer player who lost his eyesight but continued playing the game; Miguel’s Haka, about an autistic rugby player; My Greatest Story, about a youngster with cerebral palsy who is an inspiring professional equestrian; and a locally-based story – God Went Surfing with the Devil – about of how a bunch of Israeli surfers extended a helping hand to some of their Palestinian counterparts. There will also be a screening of The Eleventh Day: The Survivors of Munich ’72, to mark the 40th anniversary of the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
For more information: (04) 835- 3529, www.haifacin.co.il and www.sportfilm.org.il
Jaffa street art The 2012 Jaffa graffiti exhibition opens on August 21 at the Museums of Bat Yam, and will run until September 8. The show was devised by the museum and the Arab-Jewish Center in Jaffa.
The exhibition features photographs, sketches and documentation of graffiti created by a group of young Arab and Jewish artists on walls all over Jaffa, including at the Arab-Jewish Center, the local Democratic School and other sites around the city.
For more information: (03) 659- 1140 and www.moby.org.il