Poster for ‘On the Beach at Night Alone’ (Contents Panda)

Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone” won the top prize in the international film category at the Jerusalem Film Festival on Friday.

“Using the simplest of cinematic tools, Hong Sang-soo creates a mysterious magic, rooted in the heart of daily life,” said a jury consisting of Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, actress Evgenia Dodina and journalist Deborah Young on awarding the film, according to ScreenDaily.

“Love, hatred, affection, rage, sexuality, loneliness and deep pain are reflected in the face and body of a young woman, the main character, one of the deepest descriptions of a human being we’ve seen in cinema in recent years.”

The film received prize money of $20,000.

“On the Beach” competed and premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February, where its lead actress Kim Min-hee won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award.

“Scaffolding,” the debut feature from director Matan Yair, won the best Israeli feature film prize.

The film fest’s 34th edition runs from July 13-23.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)