Story of Judas

French-Algerian director-actor Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche boldly renders the final days of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of Judas Iscariot in this utterly novel reenvisioning of the key biblical tale. The director himself stars as Judas, Jesus’s closest disciple, as the two men find themselves swept up in political tumult amid tensions between the Jews and the Romans over the escalating popularity of the man who claims to be the Son of God. Story of Judas is both strikingly stylized (with shimmering, physical cinematography by Irina Lubtchansky, daughter of the late, legendary DP William) and compelling in its engagement with the myth of Judas, interweaving recent revelations about the role he may or may not have played in the real-life Passion story. The result is a ravishing and genuinely new addition to the Jesus film canon. Winner of a Jury Prize in the Forum section at last year’s Berlinale.