A Tale of Love and Darkness», Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, will become the opening film of the 1st Ekaterinburg Jewish Film Festival.

The 1st Ekaterinburg Jewish Film Festival will open with a screening of «A Tale of Love and Darkness», the directorial debut of a renowned actor Natalie Portman. The picture originally premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and its premiere in Jerusalem was attended by the film’s cast, the major of Jerusalem Nir Barkat, and Shimon Peres, former president of Israel. 
 
The story of  "A Tale of Love and Darkness" is set in Jerusalem in the 1940s. It is based on childhood memories of Amos Oz, the celebrated Israeli author, who years later (in 1967)  would become one of the first voices advocating for a two-state solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 
 
At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival the picture was one of the contenders for the Palme d’Or.
«A Tale of Love and Darkness» was a huge success at the Moscow Jewish Film Festival, but there was no previous opportunity to watch it beyond the capital. This is rather unfortunate, because the story of Amos Oz is exceptionally significant, and Portman’s directorial work is, at the very least, interesting to look at. We have decided to fix the injustice by bringing the film to Ekaterinburg, 

— says Rusina Lekukh, the Festival program director.