Hanna Laslo and Natalie Portman

Israeli actress Hanna Laslo won Best Actress award at the 58th Cannes Film Festival in France Saturday for her starring role in the movie Free Zone by director Amos Gitai.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Laslo told Ynet after winning the award. “I am simply walking on cloud nine.”

She said she had some idea she would win the award.
 
“People were dropping hints yesterday,” she said, “and (Shabbat) morning I was interviewed by media from around the world, except Israel. I definitely understand the magnitude of this honor. The public and media here are embracing me with warmth.”

She said she wishes to share her prize with Gitai, the movies’ director,  who provided her with a chance to prove herself as a dramatic actress - Laslo is well-known for her comical performances. 

“I would also like to share this prize with my mother, who is a Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz," she said upon receiving the award. “I have a special thought for Holocaust survivors everywhere and victims in general, notably Arabs and Palestinians. It's high time we come together and try to work out solutions to this problem."
 
“When the only thing certain in Israel is the Intifada, the sad truth is that each side does all it can to survive and that’s the film’s message,” she said. “In my opinion it’s the best possible explanation for Israel.”

Gitai’s Free Zone , starring Hanna Laslo, American actress Natalie Portman and Hiam Abbass, tells the tale of the reality of the Middle East conflict through the eyes of three women living on both sides of the border.

This is the second time an Israel actor has taken home the Best Actor award. In 1967, Oded Kotler won best actor for his role in Uri Zohar's film “Three days and a child.”

In addition, Israeli director Maya Dreifuss won second place for her short film, Bikur Holim (Visiting Hours) in the Cinéfondation student film category, a section aimed at promoting the discovery of the new generation of filmmakers.

Reproduced with permission and copyright: Ynetnnews