A-Z List
2 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HIM
Dir. Malte Ludin
(85min, Germany, 2005) Documentary
The filmmaker breaks 60 years of silence and repression, investigating his father’s dark deeds as the Third Reich’s ambassador to Slovakia.
24 DAYS
Dir. Alexandre Arcady
(108min, France, 2013) Narrative
In 2006, Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Parisian Jew of Moroccan descent gave his phone number to a pretty young woman. Later, when his kidnappers demanded ransom from his family, it became clear that she actually lured Ilan to his capture.
7 DAY GIG
Dir. Kate Marks
(9min, USA, 2014) Narrative Short
A punk, an old man, and a chicken gather round for a makeshift shiva after Jay (a Romanian/Guamanian/Catholic/Jew) puts an ad on Craigslist looking for mourners to join him.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Dir. Roberta Grossman
(89min, USA, 2014) Documentary
In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish-American pilots answered a call for help – this film celebrates the pilots who formed the Israeli Air Force.
ALEX’S LETTERS
Dir.Yael Luttwak
(25min, USA, 2015) Documentary
A work-in-progress screening of Yael Luttwak’s Alex’s Letters, based on the book Alex: Building a Life, the story of Alex Singer, a 25-year-old American who died while serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
ALMOST FRIENDS
Dir. Nitzan Ofir and Barak Heymann
(60min, Israel, 2014) Documentary
Samar, an Arab girl from Lod and Linor, a Jewish settler who lived in Gush Katif, forge an instant connection online; when the two girls finally meet, their families enter into a profound and complex experience.
AMERICAN MATCHMAKER
Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
(87min, USA, 1940) Narrative
Leo Fuchs, known on Second Avenue as “the Yiddish Fred Astaire,” plays an elegant and eligible bachelor who can never seem to close the marriage deal.
ANYWHERE ELSE
Dir. Ester Amrami
(85min, Germany, 2014) Narrative
When Jörg goes out of town for a few days, Noa takes the opportunity to spontaneously fly back to Israel, determined this trip will do her good! Her lovable but dysfunctional family can’t keep old conflicts from arising, however, and soon her homeland begins to feel just like the Berlin she sought to escape.
APPLES FROM THE DESERT
Dir. Arik Lubetzky, Matti Harari
(90min, Israel, 2014) Narrative
Rebecca Abravanel is the only daughter of an Orthodox family living in Jerusalem. Unhappy with her strict upbringing, Rebecca secretly opens herself to the secular world, with unexpected consequences – both for her family and herself.
AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS
Dir. Louis Malle
(105min, France, 1987) Narrative
A heartbreaking story of friendship and loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie — until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Louis Malle’s own childhood.
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
Dir. Nicolas Vanier
(104min, France, 2014) Narrative
Sebastian, lonely and dreaming of the day his mother will return from America, befriends “the beast” the local farmers are convinced is killing their sheep – an enormous yet gentle sheepdog who quickly becomes the boy’s best friend. Recommended for ages 10+
BREAKING HOME TIES
Dir. Frank N. Seltzer and George K. Rowlands
(78min, USA, 1922) Narrative
Thinking he has killed his friend Paul in a jealous rage, David Bergmann flees pre-revolutionary Russia for New York. While there, he becomes a successful lawyer and woos smart, independent Rose, the boss’ daughter. With live original score!
BRUNDIBAR
Dir. Douglas Wolfsperger
(85min, Germany, 2014) Documentary
Holocaust? Again? That’s the reaction of the youth theater company at the Berliner Schaubühne to their newest project: Brundibar, the children’s opera, originally performed at Theresienstadt.
CASTING OUT
Shorts Program
(96min, Canada/Israel/Germany/USA, 2014)
A series of films that examine extremities, those that dare push beyond them, and the very nature of being an outsider. Some are cast out by birth or circumstance; others choose to cast out on their own. Here we celebrate those who challenge norms of all kinds – of religion; family; sexual orientation; dress code and society’s expectations at large
CHERRIES
Dir. Noa Osheroff
(14min, Israel, 2014) Narrative Short
Yuli, 17, is in love with her classmate Daniel, but is too shy to admit it. Tamara, her best friend, is anything but shy. Tonight at Daniel’s party, she will compel Yuli to make the move, whether she’s ready or not.
DANCING ARABS
Dir. Eran Riklis
(104min, Israel/Germany/France, 2014) Narrative
First love, school bullies, British New Wave … and SCUD missiles. This bittersweet 80s coming-of-age drama from the director of The Syrian Bride and Lemon Tree adapts two autobiographical novels by popular Israeli-Arab writer Sayed Kashua.
DEAR GOD
Dir. Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor
(13min, Israel, 2014) Narrative Short
A romantic Jerusalem, seen through the eyes of Aaron, a simple man who guards the historic Wailing Wall. One day a beautiful, mysterious woman puts a note in one of the holy drones, and Aaron decides to fulfill her deepest wish, while learning that love is all about communication.
THE DECENT ONE
Dir. Vanessa Lapa
(94min, Israel/Austria/Germany, 2014) Documentary
Through previously undiscovered private letters, photos and diaries that were found in Heinrich Himmler’s home in 1945, The Decent One gives unique, and at times uncomfortable, access to the life and mind of the merciless “Architect of the Final Solution.”
DELI MAN
Dir. Erik Greenberg Anjou
(90min, USA, 2014) Documentary
In Houston, Texas, third-generation deli man Ziggy Gruber has built arguably the finest delicatessen restaurant in U.S. history – building on the contributions of iconic delis such as Katz’s, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate ‘n Al, Carnegie, and the Stage.
DIVIDED WE FALL
Dir. Jan Hrebejk
(117min, Czech Republic, 2000) Narrative
Set in a small Czech town under German occupation, Jan Hrebejk’s Oscar nominated film explores “not only the banality of evil, but also the banality of goodness, and the ridiculousness, as well as the tragedy, of their collision.”
THE DOVE FLYER
Dir. Nissim Dayan
(108min, Israel, 2014) Narrative
Based on the autobiographical blockbuster novel by Eli Amir, this sweeping epic recalls a lost and cherished time when over 125,000 Jews lived in Iraq. We follow the teenage Kabi as he navigates the final years of the community’s existence in Iraq, before their expulsion and resettlement to 1950s Israel.
EAST JERUSALEM, WEST JERUSALEM
Dir. Erez Miller and Henrique Cymerman
(80min, Israel, 2014) Documentary
Legendary singer-songwriter David Broza journeys to East Jerusalem to record his latest album with Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians.
END OF SEASON SALE
Dir. Eli Glazer
(35min, Israel, 2014) Narrative Short
Late at night two aging strangers fail to obtain Viagra for a one-night stand. This turns out to be a blessing in disguise as the two men get a chance to exchange the pleasures of the flesh with the pleasures of the heart.
THE FAREWELL PARTY
Dir. Tal Granit, Sharon Maymon
(93min, Israel, 2014) Narrative
A group at a Jerusalem retirement home builds a machine for self-euthanasia in order to help their terminally ill friend. When rumors of the machine begin to spread, more and more people ask for their help, the creators are faced with an emotional dilemma.
FELIX AND MEIRA
Dir. Maxime Giroux (105min, Canada, 2014)
Narrative
French, English and Yiddish with English Subtitles
Félix, an eccentric and penniless francophone whose wealthy father is dying, meets Meira, a Hasidic Jewish woman who is married with a child, and in search of something new.
FIRSTBORN
Dir. Leah Tonic
(13min, Israel, 2014) Narrative Short
Sheri, a free-spirited 21-year old, has her own apartment, an older boyfriend, and works in a bar to make her living. One morning, a surprise phone call brings her face to face with her past, making it impossible to hide from it any longer.
FLUTTERING HEARTS & LONGING BELLIES
Shorts Program
(96min, Canada/Israel/Germany/USA, 2014)
This collection of quirky originals deals with hungry hearts and emotional stomachs. Deep and primitive desires for good food and steamy romance are tackled alongside loftier pursuits for meaning, belonging and true love. A wonderful mix of animation, magical realism, and truly unique modes of visual storytelling.
FRAGILE
Dir. Vidi Bilu
(104min, Israel, 2013) Narrative
Jerusalem, 1966 – the year before the Six Day War, after which everything will change forever. A small family lives a quirky, but somewhat boring, regular life in the center of the city. One day, the apparent peace and serenity of their house is violated.
GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIAN AMSALEM
Dir. Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz
(115min, Israel/Germany/France, 2014 ) Narrative
Viviane has been applying to the rabbinical court for a divorce for three years. Her husband continually refuses. In Israel, where neither civil marriage nor civil divorce exist, only an Orthodox rabbi can legalize a union or its dissolution with consent from the husband.
GLOOMY SABBATH
Dir. Amit Epstein
(15min, Germany, 2013) Narrative Short
At his grandmother’s deathbed Christian travels back in time and reveals the dark secret behind a painting which seemingly has always been part of the family’s property.
THE GO-GO BOYS
Dir. Hilla Medalia
(86min, Israel, 2014) Documentary
The inside story of two Israeli-born cousins, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who in pursuit of the American Dream turned the Hollywood power structure upside down, producing over 300 films and forming Cannon – at its apex, the most powerful independent film company in the world.
GOLEM
Dir. Carl Boese and Paul Wegener
(91min, Germany, 1920) Narrative
Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas presents one of his most beloved original scores: the 1920 German silent horror-fantasy expressionist film Golem, the tale of a 16th century rabbi who made a man out of clay to save the Jewish community of Prague from annihilation.
HEARTS MELT AND KNEES TREMBLE
Dir. Ofeq Shemer and Ada Rimon
(12min, Israeli, 2014) Narrative Short
A satirical, lyrical and wild animatied short about the experience of life in modern-day Israel, as seen from a sinkhole near the Dead Sea.
HESTER STREET
Dir. Joan Micklin Silver
(90min, USA, 1975) Narrative
A traditional Jewish woman (Carol Kane) who arrives with her son to America in the 1890s, only to discover that her cheating husband has assimilated and resents his wife’s old-fashioned ways.
HOLLOW LAND
Dir. Michelle Kranot and Uri Kranot
(14min, Israel, 2013) Narrative Short
A story about the eternal human search for home, Hollow Land begins, as all such searches must, with the dream of utopia. Solomon and Berta are two seekers who arrive—their treasured bathtub improbably in tow—in a land that promises respite from their many journeys.
IN SILENCE
Dir. Zdeněk Jiráský
(84min, Slovak Republic/Czech Republic/Germany, 2014) Narrative
A vibrant, sound-rich and brilliantly inventive ode to the lives of Jewish musicians during the era of National Socialism in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany. Based on true stories of artists who achieved great musical success – Alice Flachová, Karol Ebert, Edith Kraus, and Arthur Chitz.
INVISIBLES
Dir. Mushon Salmona
(80min, Israel, 2014) Narrative
From the director of Vasermil comes the story of Raid, a young Bedouin recently discharged from the army. Despite all his problems, he tries to fulfill his dream of taking over the family’s herd of sheep. While minding the herd, he meets Nofar, his cousin’s Jewish girlfriend.
IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY
Dir. Robert Hamer
(92min, UK, 1947) Narrative
With an atmosphere redolent of pre-war French “poetic realism,” this recently rediscovered film is a Brueghelian slice of post-war British life: a feckless trio of thieves try to unload a truckload of hot roller skates; a music store owner chases one shiksa too many; and a pipe smoking inspector wiles away the day.
JEWISH GIRLS ARE EASY
Dir. Charlotte Glynn (14min, USA, 2013)
Narrative Short
Tova scrambles to pull off her first Passover Seder without a hitch, but her brother Sol and his brisket are nowhere to be found.
THE LAST METRO
Dir. François Truffaut
(131min, France, 1980) Narrative
Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve star as members of a French theater company living under German occupation during World War II in François Truffaut’s gripping, humanist character study.
LIONEL BART: REVIEWING THE SITUATION
Dir. Mick Conefrey
(60min, UK, 2014) Documentary
The rise and fall of Lionel Bart–the songwriter behind Oliver!, the most successful English musical of all time–told with wit and panache. The trajectory of Bart’s life is the “stuff of Greek tragedy, but with tighter trousers and catchier tunes.”
LITTLE WHITE LIE
Dir. Lacey Schwartz
(65min, USA, 2014) Documentary
Lacey Schwartz, who tells her remarkable story, grew up in a typical upper-middle-class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her Jewish identity – despite the open questions from those around her about how a white girl could have such dark skin.
LOST EMBRACE
Dir. Daniel Burman
(100min, Argentina, 2004) Narrative
Ariel, a young man in his twenties, is our guide through a community mostly made up of Jewish business owners struggling to stay afloat in a Buenos Aires shopping mall. Fed up with the grind, he seeks Polish citizenship so he can become “European.”
MAGIC MEN
Dir. Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor
(100min, Israel, 2014) Narrative
In the latest feature from the directors of Mabul, A Matter of Size, and Strangers, a Greek-born atheist and his estranged Hasidic rapper son travel from Israel to Greece searching for the magician who saved his father’s life during World War II.
MR. KAPLAN
Dir. Alvaro Brechner
(98min, Uruguay/Germany/Spain, 2014) Narrative
Becoming convinced that his German neighbor is a runaway Nazi, 76-year-old Jacob Kaplan secretly takes on the role of a spy - only he is no match for the forces of age.
THE MUSES OF ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER
Dir. Asaf Galay
(72min, Israel, 2014) Documentary
This film uncovers a previously unknown and eccentric chapter in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s life: in the mid 1960’s he established an army of female translators – more than forty women – who helped spread his work. He was inspired by their presence, and often fell in love with them. For the first time, we hear their voices.