By Anthony DeAngelis
Correspondent
November 02, 2008 01:00 am IF YOU GO What: Boston Jewish Film Festival When: Wednesday, Nov. 5 through Sunday, Nov. 16 Where: Various theaters throughout the Boston area How: $12 general admission, $10 BJFF, CCT, ICA, MFA, WGBH members, students, and seniors. Opening Night and Closing Night Films at the Museum of Fine Arts (11/5 and 11/16): $25 general admission, $20 BJFF, CCT, ICA, MFA, WGBH members, students, and seniors. MOVIE CAPSULES: "The Deal" Director: Steven Schachter Country: USA/Canada released 2007 Duration: 98 min. Language: English Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nov. 13, 7 p.m. Kendall Square Cinema Actor William H. Macy shows his leading man and screenwriter chops in this riotous Hollywood send-up. A serious script about the life of Jewish British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli morphs into an action flick with an African American star (LL Cool J) recently converted to Judaism. Macy plays a cynical producer. Meg Ryan as a studio "suit" is Hepburn to his Tracy. Also starring Jason Ritter, and, as an unforgettable Hollywood rabbi, Elliott Gould. "The Woman of the Thousand Voices: Ha'isha Shel Elef Ha'kolot" Director: Amram Jacoby Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 66 min. Language: English/Hebrew with subtitles Nov. 9, 11 a.m. Institute of Contemporary Art The Woman of the Thousand Voices is the title of a beautiful and exquisitely painful poem about mothers who have lost their children by Israeli poet and artist Ruth Dorrit Jacoby. Amram Jacoby's experimental documentary of the artist at work is an equally beautiful and unsparing work that gives voice to the children sacrificed on the altar of war. "Bon-papa, a man under German occupation" Director: Leila FĂ©rault Country: France released 2007 Duration: 69 min. Language: French with subtitles Nov. 9, 1 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art When director Leila FĂ©rault sets out to uncover the obscure history of her non-Jewish paternal grandfather, her efforts are met with stubborn silence. A French counterpart to Anna Rosmus, Germany's "Nasty Girl," she exhumes facts about the Vichy regime that many would prefer stay buried. This surprisingly beautiful work, created out of darkness, honors her maternal grandparents, Jewish victims of the Holocaust. "Three Times Divorced" Director: Ebtisam Mara'ana Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 75 min. Language: Arabic/Hebrew with subtitles Nov. 9, 1 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Khitam, a Gaza-born Palestinian woman, was married off to an Arab Israeli. When he divorces her, in absentia, the Sharia (Muslim) court grants him custody of their six children. Although married to an Israeli, she does not have Israeli citizenship. Powerless in the eyes of both the Sharia court and the Israeli state, Khitam bravely battles one for custody of her children and the other for a temporary permit to stay in a shelter for abused women. "Pauwels Circus" Director: Agnes Bensimon Country: Belgium released 2008 Duration: 51 min. Language: French with subtitles Nov. 9, 1:30 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Pauwels are a Belgian-Jewish circus dynasty that can be traced back 125 years to the Netherlands' theatrical Cohen circus. Today, Marquis Pauwels is the small family circus' proprietor, clown and musician, and son Samuel is its brilliant juggler. This unusual family's priorities are clear: the art of the circus, survival of the family business, and preservation of their Jewish heritage. "Bloodlines" Director: Cynthia Connup Country: Australia released 2008 Duration: 52 min. Language: English Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art Two remarkable women — Bettina Goering, the grandniece of Nazi war criminal Herman Goering and Australian painter Ruth Rich, daughter of Holocaust survivors — meet for a series of extraordinary encounters. As they journey toward an authentic reconciliation, Bettina must face not only Ruth's rage over her family's suffering but also her own guilt and fear that evil runs in the blood. "Miss Universe 1929 — Lisl Goldarbeiter. A Queen in Wien." Director: PĂ©ter ForgĂ°cs Country: Austria released 2006 Duration: 70 min. Language: German/Hungarian/English with subtitles Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art In 1929, Lisl Goldarbeiter, a beautiful Jewish girl from Vienna, was crowned Miss Universe in Texas after her adoring Hungarian cousin Martiz (Marci) Tenczer secretly submitted her application to the pageant. Marci's love for and obsession with filming Lisl never diminished. Hungarian filmmaker PĂ©ter ForgĂ°cs applied his genius for working with archival footage to Tenczer's treasury of home movies, fashioning an exquisite, timeless love story. "Rabin-Peres: Everything Is Personal" Director: Arik Henig Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 64 min. Language: Hebrew/English with subtitles Nov. 6, 6 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art Nov. 13, 3:30 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Director and political insider Arik Henig tells the truth about the life long rivalry between the late Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres and its consequences for Israel and the Middle East. Fast paced and gripping, the documentary is a fascinating lesson in Israeli history and Israeli archetypes. Rabin, a sabra and a general, is the Israeli prince. Peres, a European immigrant with a formal manner who speaks Hebrew with a Polish accent, is the greenhorn. "To See if I'm Smiling" Director: Tamar Yarom Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 59 min. Language: Hebrew with subtitles Nov. 6, 6:15 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Six young Israeli women speak frankly about their experiences as combat soldiers stationed in Gaza and the West Bank. Like their male counterparts, they became intimate with violence as victims, witnesses, and perpetrators. Now, as civilians, they are dealing with its aftermath. The film, a disturbing but timely study of the effects of combat experience and an illuminating exploration of the psychology of violence, won the award for Best Documentary at the 2007 Haifa International Film Festival and the 2008 HotDocs Film Festival Special Jury Prize. "Max Minsky and Me" Director: Anna Justice Country: Germany released 2007 Duration: 94 min. Language: German with subtitles Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Nov. 11, 2 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Nov. 15, 7 p.m. Arlington Capitol Theatre Nelly is a brainy 13-year-old Berlin schoolgirl with a gigantic crush on handsome Prince Edouard of Luxembourg. Her only hope for royal romance is to make the school basketball team before it leaves for Luxembourg. And her only hope for making the team is ace Max Minsky, 15. Then there's the matter of her approaching bat mitzvah... Based upon a novel by Holly-Jane Rahlens that earned the prestigious 2003 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis as the best young adult novel published in Germany. "Good Morning Israel: Boker Tov Israel" Director: Amir Har-Gil Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 60 min. Language: Hebrew/English with subtitles Nov. 6, 7:45 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art Twenty years ago, Amir Har-Gil first documented the lives of five Israeli teenagers from widely differing backgrounds. In an approach reminiscent of British director Michael Apted's 7 Up series, he revisits them at 10 year intervals. The result: an illuminating profile of Israelis, now in their thirties, and Israeli society then and now. While still deeply immersed in his homeland, Har-Gil receives a tempting academic offer from England. What begins as a career opportunity becomes an engrossing exploration of the meaning of "home." "Two Ladies Dans la vie" Director: Philippe Faucon Country: France released 2007 Duration: 73 min. Language: French/Arabic with subtitles Nov. 6, 8:30 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Set in contemporary France, the film first introduces us to a young Arab nurse whose daily rounds are filled with racist comments. Fed up with that treatment, SĂ©lima begins working as a private duty nurse to elderly Jewish Esther. At home, the atmosphere is anything but friendly toward Jews, as SĂ©lima's mother is angered by the Israeli military actions she watches on TV. In this compelling story, director Phillipe Faucon offers hope that both religious and generational conflicts can be overlooked when needed. "Gift to Stalin, The Podarok Stalinu" Director: Rustem Abdrashev Country: Poland/Israel/Russia/Kazakhstan released 2008 Duration: 97 min. Language: Russian/Kazakh with subtitles Nov. 6, 9 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m. West Newton Cinema In 1949, soon after Joseph Stalin unleashes another wave of repression, a little Jewish boy is found alive in a railroad car full of dead bodies. Rescued by a Kazakh railroad worker, the boy grows up loved and free, yet dreams of finding his exiled parents. Panoramas of the vast steppes of Kazakhstan dazzle the eyes as the story of Sasha and the people who care for him touches the heart. This film is a true gem and a real find. "Avanti Popolo" Director: Rafi Bukaee Country: Israel released 1986 Duration: 84 min. Language: Arabic/English/Hebrew with subtitles Nov. 8, 7 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art One of the great anti-war films, Avanti Popolo features the brilliant, Chaplinesque performance of Arab Israeli actor Salim Daw. Daw ("Arab Labor," James' Journey to Jerusalem) plays an Egyptian soldier who wanders through a surreal Negev at the end of the Six Day War in search of the Egyptian border. Voted one of the most significant films in Israeli history at this year's Jerusalem Film Festival, the film was also a hit at the 1999 Boston Jewish Film Festival. "Noodle" Director: Ayelet Menahemi Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 95 min. Language: Hebrew / Mandarin Nov. 8, 7 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Nov. 10, 7 p.m. Hollywood Hits Premiere Theatre Nov. 15, 9 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Mili Avital plays Miri, a twice-widowed El Al flight attendant whose life is upended when her Chinese housekeeper disappears and leaves behind her little boy. Miri's efforts to reunite the two take her and the boy, whom she dubs "Noodle," on an amazing journey. Ayelet Menahemi directed this irresistible, award-winning feature film with a light hand and a firm touch. "Arab Labor" Director: Roni Ninio Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 75 min. Language: Hebrew/Arabic with subtitles Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m. (Episodes: 1, 2, 3) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nov. 9, 11 a.m. (Episodes 4,5,6) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nov. 9, 3 p.m. (Episodes 7,8,9,10) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. (Episodes 7, 8, 9) Coolidge Corner Theatre Don't miss this groundbreaking and wildly funny prime-time Israeli TV show, created by Dani Faran and Arab Israeli Sayed Kashua, and the first ever to feature an Arab Israeli family. Amjad is a reporter for a Hebrew-language newspaper whose hilarious attempts to assimilate into mainstream Israeli society expose prejudices and stereotypes on both sides of the country's Jewish-Arab divide. Stars Salim Daw (Avanti Popolo, James' Journey to Jerusalem) and Clara Khoury (Syrian Bride), among others. See all the episodes — in or out of order. Strangers Director: Guy Nattiv, Erez Tadmor Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 81 min. Language: English/French/Hebrew/Arabic with subtitles Nov. 8, 9 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nov. 13, 9 p.m. Kendall Square Cinema He's Israeli, she's Palestinian. They meet in Berlin during the frenzy of the World Cup finals where relief at running into somebody from "home" quickly turns to desire. Can love trump politics? Sexy, brave, and provocative, Strangers is a true high wire act. Working without a script, directors Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv shot on location on the fly and actors Lubna Azabel and Liron Levo improvised. Wondrously, the story emerged. Winner of Wolgin Award at the 2007 Jerusalem Film Festival and a Grand Jury Prize nominee at this year's Sundance Film Festival. One Day You'll Understand Director: Amos GitaĂØ Country: France released 2008 Duration: 89 min. Language: French with subtitles Nov. 8, 9:15 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art Nov. 9, 8:15 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre The great Jeanne Moreau stars in this latest feature film by director Amos GitaĂØ, arguably Israel's most prolific, internationally acclaimed, and profound filmmaker. It is Paris, 1987, and as the televised trial of the "Butcher of Lyon" Gestapo leader Klaus Barbie grips the nation, a son (Hippolyte Girardot from Rashevski's Tango) tries to persuade his Jewish mother (Moreau) to recount her wartime experiences. Also starring Emmanuelle Devos (Two Lives Plus One, Read My Lips) as Moreau's daughter-in-law. Two Lives Plus One: Deux Vies Plus Une Director: Idit CĂ©bula Country: France released 2007 Duration: 86 min. Language: French with subtitles Nov. 8, 9:15 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Nov. 16, 4 p.m. West Newton Cinema When Eliane Weiss (the marvelous Emmanuelle Devos) begins to take herself and her writing seriously, her family and friends become concerned. Mon dieu! What is happening to the attentive mother, selfless teacher, devoted wife, friend, and good Jewish daughter? This touching tale of female fulfillment is told with Gallic charm and Jewish heart. Director Idit CĂ©bula was represented by her short film, Warsaw-Paris, in the 2006 Festival. The Beetle Director: Yishai Orian Country: Israel released 2008 Duration: 70 min. Language: English/Hebrew/Arabic with subtitles Nov. 15, 7 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Director Yishai Orian's wife, pregnant with their first child, insists he scrap his beloved VW Beetle for a safe family car. Yishai's comic struggles with his inner Peter Pan take him to Jordan in a last -ditch effort to salvage the relic before his son arrives. Along the way, former owners of his Beetle tell remarkable life stories involving the car. A 2008 HotDocs Film Festival Audience Top Ten choice. Good Director: Vicente Amorim Country: UK released 2007 Duration: 91 min. Language: English Nov. 9, 3 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art Nov. 15, 9:15 p.m. Arlington Capitol Theatre Viggo Mortensen plays German literature professor John Halder whose novel about compassionate euthanasia attracts the attention of Nazi officials and draws him into the Party circles. Halder is but one of millions of "good," ordinary Germans living in a society spiralling out of moral control under the Nazi regime, and his story is both profound and damning. Its impact can be seen in the fate of his Jewish friend, Maurice, played by Jason Isaacs ("Bloodlines," Harry Potter). Bridge Over the Wadi Director: Barak Heymann, Tomer Heymann Country: Israel released 2006 Duration: 55 min. Language: Arabic/Hebrew with subtitles Nov. 13, 7 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Talented directors and brothers Barak and Tomer Heymann depict a year at Bridge Over the Wadi school, one of Israel's three Hand-in-Hand school projects designed to promote mutual understanding and cooperation by educating Israeli and Arab children together in jointly run schools. Progress is real, but hard won; even the most mundane daily activity exposes cultural rifts. Citizen Nawi Director: Nissim Mossek Country: Israel/Palestinian Authority released 2007 Duration: 82 min. Language: Hebrew/Arabic with subtitles Nov. 12, 8:15 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Citizen Nawi documents the tumultuous life and struggles of charismatic gay social activist Ezra Nawi. An Iraqi Jew living in Jerusalem, Ezra illegally shelters his long-time Palestinian partner, and tries to protect Palestinian farmers and villagers from Israeli settlers and military bulldozers. This controversial film premiered at the 2007 Jerusalem Film Festival, where it received a special jury mention. Emotional Arithmetic Director: Paolo Barzman Country: Canada released 2007 Duration: 95 min. Language: English Nov. 12, 7 p.m. Showcase Cinemas Randolph As a child Melanie was sent to the Drancy transit camp outside Paris during World War II. Now a wife and mother, living in Canada, the door to her past blows open with the arrival of two visitors. The extraordinary cast includes Susan Sarandon as Melanie, Gabriel Byrne as her childhood love, Christopher Plummer, and Max von Sydow. The Wave Director: Dennis Gansel Country: Germany released 2008 Duration: 102 min. Language: German w/ subtitles Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. West Newton Cinema As an experiment in social dynamics, an idealistic teacher and his 30 students use the classroom to simulate a dictatorship. A fictional retelling of an actual 1967 experiment conducted by a California high school history teacher, this searing and chilling drama set in contemporary Germany raises and answers the question: is a Third Reich-style regime a possibility? Based upon the novel of the same name by Todd Strasser. Love and Dance Director: Eitan Anner Country: Israel released 2006 Duration: 90 min. Language: Hebrew/Russian with subtitles Nov. 11, 7 p.m. Showcase Cinemas Randolph Thirteen year-old Chen takes up ballroom dancing with a passion after glimpsing a beautiful Russian girl in a young people's dance class. The reactions of the boy's gruff Israeli father and his Russian-born mother highlight the couple's cultural differences. An irresistible coming-of-age film, Love and Dance is Israel's twist on Mad Hot Ballroom and Billy Elliot. Waves of Freedom Director: Alan Rosenthal Country: Israel/USA released 2008 Duration: 52 min. Language: English Nov. 11, 4 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Recruited in 1947 by the Haganah to break the British naval blockade of Palestine, Paul Kaye and twenty-five other American recruits set sail in a dilapidated ship, pick up 1,500 displaced persons in the dead of night, and engage in a naval battle with three British warships. And that is just the beginning of their astounding true story. Dancing Alfonso Director: Barak Heymann Country: Israel released 2007 Duration: 50 min. Language: Hebrew/Spanish/French with subtitles Nov. 10, 8:45 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre As the documentary Dancing Alfonso so perfectly demonstrates, dance, like love, transcends age. Alfonso is the dynamic lead in a Tel Aviv troupe of older flamenco dancers (the average age is 75!). A widower, he searches for a new life-and-dance partner despite his children's disapproval and the mounting tension of an upcoming performance. Four Seasons Lodge Director: Andrew Jacobs Country: USA released 2007 Duration: 100 min. Language: English/Hebrew/Polish/Yiddish with subtitles Nov. 10, 6:15 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre In 1979, nearly 100 German and Polish Jews, survivors of the Nazi death camps, created a sprawling retreat in New York's Catskill Mountains, calling it the Four Seasons Lodge. Members of this unique community still gather to celebrate with good food, all-night dancing, raucous poker games, and a toast: L'chaim. Holy Land Hardball Director: Brett Rapkin, Erik Kesten Country: USA released 2008 Duration: 84 min. Language: English Nov. 11, 7 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre Nov. 12, 2 p.m. Coolidge Corner Theatre After 5,767 years, is Israel ready for baseball? Bostonian Larry Baras thinks so, certain that if he builds it, they will come. Documenting the formation of Israel's first professional baseball league from tryouts to the selection of 120 hardball hopefuls to the scheduled first game in June 2007, the film is marvelously entertaining from the first pitch through the bottom of the ninth. Features a number of figures well-known to Red Sox Nation, including Dan Duquette, the league's director of baseball operations and former Red Sox GM and Kevin Youkilis, one of the few Jewish major league players. Budapest to Gettysburg: A Journey to America Director: Jake Boritt Country: USA released 2007 Duration: 73 min. Language: English Nov. 16, 12:50 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston An authority on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, Dr. Gabor Boritt resists probing into his own traumatic history. A Hungarian Jew, now a U.S. citizen, he lived through the Nazi invasion, the Holocaust, Soviet tyranny, and the 1956 Revolution. Director Jake Boritt prevails upon his father to return to Budapest and explore the past that transformed him into a world-renowned American historian. Gabor's sister Judith, a psychiatrist, joins him on this journey. Phyllis and Harold Director: Cindy Kleine Country: USA released 2008 Duration: 85 min. Language: English Nov. 16, 3 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Filmmaker Ken Burns ("Jazz") calls Cindy Kleine's frank and fearless chronicle of her parents' disastrous 59 year marriage "a masterpiece." Drawing on a lifetime of family home movies and 12 years' worth of interviews, Kleine uncovers family secrets and tells a story that could not be shown publicly when her father was still alive. The film reflects years of work on Kleine's part, beginning with her short film, 'Til Death Do Us Part, shown in our 2001 Festival. Cycles Murs Porteurs, Les Director: Cyril Gelblat Country: France/Switzerland/Germany released 2008 Duration: 92 min. Language: French with subtitles Nov. 16, 7:45 p.m. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston This exceptional dramatic comedy about life's passages and family dynamics over time is set in Paris and features an all-star cast. Frida (Shulamit Adar) is a 75-year old Ashkenazi Jewish widow whose memory is failing. Her children, played by Miou-Miou and Charles Berling, are caught between two generations — their children's and their mother's - and stand at life's crossroads. Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno (The Last Kiss, Facing Windows) also stars. The Boston Jewish Film Festival is all grown up. The critically acclaimed festival, now in its 20th year, is New England's largest Jewish cultural event, featuring 46 independently produced films showing in nine locations throughout greater Boston. From Nov. 5 through Nov. 16, moviegoers will be treated to some of the best in cinema, as they explore issues such as the Holocaust, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and what it means to be Jewish in a non-Jewish world. "This is totally different from watching Netflix in your living room," said Sara Rubin, executive director of the festival. "Most of these movies you aren't going to see outside of Boston." This year's event opens Wednesday with the premiere of the Steven Schachter film "The Deal," starring William H. Macy and Meg Ryan. Other major showings include "Holy Land Hardball," a film documenting the formation of Israel's first professional baseball league, and the festival's closing night premiere of "Cycles," a dramatic comedy about life's passages and family dynamics. "There are a lot of fun films that are great to see with friends," Rubin said. "In particular, the opening night movie has great talent and a lot of comedy." This year's festival will also feature the film "Strangers," the story of an Israeli man and a Palestinian woman who fall in love. Another highlight is the premiere of Roni Ninio's "Arab Labor," an Israeli TV show based on a reporter for a Hebrew-language newspaper who tries to assimilate into mainstream Israeli society. "We have a full smorgasbord of films," said Judy Ganz, chair of the board of directors for the festival. "Anyone that is a real film buff would really like our festival." The Boston Jewish Film Festival features the work of film artists from 16 countries, and its films are featured in 13 languages. Highlights include three North American and U.S. premieres, two East Coast premieres and 18 New England premieres. Attendees will get a chance to interact with more than 35 filmmakers, actors, film subjects, musicians and panelists, all of whom will participate in this year's festivities as special guests. The festival will also include history pieces, documentaries and a range of short comedy films. "This experience is totally communal, and I think that is one of the hallmarks of our festival," Rubin said. "There is a real sense of engagement." This year's festival screens at nine locations, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Kendall Square Cinema, AMC Framingham 16, Arlington Capitol Theatre, Hollywood Hits Premiere Theatres, Showcase Cinemas Randolph, and the West Newton Cinema. All tickets and passes for the Boston Jewish Film Festival can be purchased online at http://ticketweb.com, by calling 1-866-468-7619, or at each participating location's box office.
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