4th Annual Columbus Jewish Film Festival brings
drama, comedy and 'docs' to town March 8-13

The JCC will present six days of gripping drama, thought-provoking documentaries, and heartwarming comedies during its 4th Annual Columbus Jewish Film Festival from March 8 to 13. This year's festival features 11 features and documentaries from Argentina, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico and the United States, to be shown at six venues throughout the city.

"One of the highlights of this year's film festival will be an entire day of documentaries at the Drexel Gateway on Sunday, March 9," said Melva Schottenstein, film festival co-chair.

"In addition, Block's Bagels will be serving complimentary bagels during the event, which we are calling 'Block's and Docs.' The documentaries range from a father-son road trip to boxing, and from female comics to the eviction of Jewish settlers from their Gaza homes," said Marjie Coopersmith, film festival co-chair.

Additional special events taking place during the film festival include an Opening Night Party on Saturday, March 8, at the Columbus Museum of Art, during which the Distinguished Arts Award will be given; a pre-screening reception at Bexley's Michael Garcia salon on Monday, March 10; an Educational Symposium, "Can Confronting the Past Heal a Community?," in tribute to the late Benson A. Wolman, on Tuesday, March 11, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and a special appearance by Oded Gur Arie, son of The Champagne Spy, on Wednesday, March 12.

The films - many of them produced independently outside of the U.S. - do not adhere to the movie rating system as we know it," said Schuss. "However, the majority of the films we show would be the equivalent of a PG-13 movie, with a few exceptions. We have tried to determine what these films would be rated, had they been produced in the U.S., and then made sure to let our filmgoers know - either through print publicity or on our website."

Films to be shown, venues, and event details during the Columbus Jewish Film Festival are as follows.

Opening night - Saturday, March 8, at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St., downtown:

• My Mexican Shiva - a dramatic comedy about how the death of a man results in the celebration of his life. Directed by Alejandro Springall, this feature was produced in Mexico in 2006. The 102-minute film is in Spanish, Hebrew and Yiddish, with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7:30 p.m.
• The Opening Night Party - complete with Mexican food and drinks - will begin after the first film ends at approximately 9 p.m. During the party, this year's Distinguished Arts Award will be given to Dr. Wayne P. Lawson, Director Emeritus of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) and an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University's College of the Arts.

  
  Dr. Wayne Lawson

  Under Dr. Lawson's direction, the OAC became one of the foremost state arts agencies in the nation in terms of funding, both public and private, long-range planning and evaluation, support for individual artists and innovative services to constituents in all arts disciplines. He helped stimulate an arts climate in Ohio that gives artists, arts administrators and the public access to the Ohio Arts Council. Dr. Lawson has served on many program panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and has been chairman of the NEA State Programs Advisory Panel. He served as chair of the Arts in Underserved Communities Panel of the NEA's State and Regional Programs and coordinated private fundraising efforts for the NEA's Challenge III program, which provided funding to individual artists in seven states. He also serves on the evaluation team of Young Audiences, New York City, and is a member of the boards of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass.; the Columbus AIDS Task Force; and the Music-Theatre Group, New York.
• The Bubble - a drama about three young Israelis who share an apartment in Tel Aviv's hippest neighborhood; when one of the men falls in love with a Palestinian man, he and his roommates conspire to help his lover stay on in Tel Aviv illegally. Directed by Eytan Fox, the feature was produced in Israel in 2006. The 117-minute film - most recently selected for both New York's Tribeca and Berlin International film festivals - is in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is R for graphic sexuality. Film starts at 10:15 p.m. (Audiences may remember Eytan Fox's film, Yossi & Jagger, which was shown at the Columbus Jewish Film Festival in 2005.)

"Blocks and Docs" - Sunday, March 9, at the Gateway Drexel Theater, 1550 N. High St., on the OSU campus:

• Souvenirs - A documentary about a father and son who take a road trip to retrace the father's trail with the Jewish Brigade, with which he served during World War II and the "souvenirs" he may have left behind with the local girls. Directed by Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat, the documentary was produced in Israel in 2006 and won an Israeli Academy Award for Best Documentary. The 75-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 11 a.m.
• Orthodox Stance - A documentary about Dmitriy Salita, a champion boxer and an uncompromising Orthodox Jew. Directed by Jason Hutt, the documentary was produced in the United States in 2006. The 82-minute film is in English and rated PG-13. Film starts at 1 p.m.
• Making Trouble - A documentary that tells the story of six of the greatest female comic performers of the last century - Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein. Directed by Rachel Talbot, the film also was produced in the United States in 2006. At 85-minutes, the film is in English and rated PG-13. Film starts at 3 p.m.
• 5 Days - A gripping documentary that captured history being made when the Israeli Defense Force moved to evict the 8,000 remaining Jewish settlers from their Gaza homes. Directed by Yoav Shamir, the film was produced in Israel in 2005. The 94-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 5 p.m.

On Monday, March 10, at the Drexel Theater, 2254 E. Main St., Bexley:

• Gorgeous! (Comme Ty Es Belle) - A snappy romantic comedy set in Paris that celebrates the au courant Parisian woman, with tons of wit, smarts and not an insignificant amount of sexiness. Directed by Lisa Azuelos, the feature was produced in France in 2006. The 84-minute film is in French with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7:30 p.m.
• A pre-film reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Michael Garcia's A Salon, 2440 E. Main St., Bexley.

On Tuesday, March 11, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St., on the OSU campus:

• Greensboro: Closer to the Truth - A documentary about the Nov. 3, 1979 murders of five Communist Workers Party members by the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazis in Greensboro, N.C., and how - 25 years later - the horrific event has changed the lives of witnesses, spouses, and the murderers themselves. Directed by Adam Zucker, the 83-minute film in English was produced in the United States in 2007. Rated PG-13. Film starts at 6 p.m.
• Following the film, a light dinner will be served at 7 p.m., with discussion leaders facilitating small group conversations based upon the evening's theme "Can Confronting the Past Heal a Community?" At 7:45 p.m., Greensboro director Adam Zucker will give a keynote presentation, followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session at 8 p.m. Panel members include Prof. David Goldberger of the OSU Moritz College of Law, OSU Prof. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.

On Wednesday, March 12, at the JCC of Greater Columbus, 1125 College Ave., Bexley:

• The Champagne Spy - A documentary about Major Ze'ev Gur Arie, a Mossad operative drafted in 1960 to penetrate the circle of German scientists developing weapons of mass destruction in Egypt. While his father was away, his son, Oded, was told that he must never speak about this secret because his father's life depended on it. He didn't - until now. Directed by Nadav Schirman, the film was produced in Israel and Germany in 2007 and won an Israeli Academy Award for Best Documentary. The 90-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7:30 p.m.
• Following the film, Oded Gur Arie will be on hand to greet filmgoers during a dessert reception.

On Thursday, March 13, at the Arena Grand, 175 W. Nationwide Blvd., downtown:

• Sweet Mud - A feature about a 12-year-old boy, Dvir Avni, who lives on a kibbutz in southern Israel in the 1970s with his mentally ill mother, Miri. In this closed, unique society, bound by rigid rules, Dvir navigates between the kibbutz motto of equality and the stinging reality that his mother has, in effect, been abandoned by their collective community. Directed by Dror Shaul, the feature was produced in Israel and Germany in 2006. The 100-minute film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is PG-13. Film starts at 7 p.m.
• Only Human - A wonderfully twisted Spanish comedy about the unfolding comedy of errors that occurs when a hyperactive Jewish family's elder daughter brings home her Palestinian fiance. Directed by Dominic Harari and Teresa de Pelegri, the feature was produced in Argentina in 2004. The 85-minute film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Rating equivalency is R for some sexual content, nudity and language. Film starts at 7:30 p.m.

To see a complete film and event schedule, order tickets, or view film trailers, visit the film festival website at www.cjfilmfest.org.

For more information on films and festival events, click here.