My Best Enemy
Sunday, November 4, 7:00 pm, Columbus Museum of Art
Featured as the Opening Night event. The screening will be followed by a champagne/dessert reception.
Directed by Wolfgang Murnberger, 2011; 109 min.;Austria; German with subtitles
This WWII thriller is packed with humor, entertaining plot twists and non-stop action. The brash son of a wealthy Jewish Viennese art dealer turns the tables on Nazi antagonists. As Hitler’s army invadesAustria, Victor Kaufman is betrayed by lifelong friend Rudi Smekal, now a Third Reich stooge. Despite promising to protect Viktor and his family from the Nazis, Rudi betrays them, condemning the family to the camps. In an audacious plot, the Jewish prisoner and aspiring Nazi swap identities while vying to recover a priceless Michelangelo drawing intended as a gift from the Führer to Mussolini. With intrigue, drama and humor, this action packed thriller kicks off the 2012 Columbus Jewish Film Festival in great style.
Opening Night Tickets: $20
Remembrance
Wednesday, November 7, 7:00 pm, Drexel Theater
Directed by Anna Justice; 2010; 105 min.;Germany; English, German, Polish and Russian with subtitles
Inspired by actual events, Remembrance depicts a remarkable love story that blossomed amidst the terror of a German concentration camp in 1944. In this epic romance spanning three decades, Tomasz, a young Polish prisoner rescues his Jewish lover, Hannah, in a daring escape. But during the chaos of the end of the war, they are forcibly separated and each is convinced that the other has died. The events of 1944Poland are crosscut with 1976Brooklyn, where an older, married Hannah believes she has seen her Tomasz in a television interview. The stunning realization that her lost love may still be alive triggers a spiral of complicated emotions and moral ambiguities as she must now confront her unresolved past. Presented in partnership with Jewish Family Services, The Jewish Education and Identity Department of the Columbus Jewish Federation and the Melton Center for Jewish Studies.
Advance Tickets: $ 8 JCC members, seniors, students $10 Non-members.
All Tickets $10 at the door.
Kaddish For a Friend
Thursday, November 8, 7:00 pm, JCC
Directed by Leo Khasin; 2011; 95 min.;Germany; Arabic and German with subtitles
A Russian Jewish WWII veteran and Palestinian teen form an unlikely friendship in this coming of age story. Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp, 14 year-old Ali learned to hate Jews at an early age. After his family escapes to a new life in Berlin, Ali tries to gain acceptance among his Arab peers by targeting his elderly Jewish neighbor, Alexander, vandalizing the old man’s apartment and defacing the walls with anti-semitic graffiti. Threatened with deportation, the teen is forced to apologize, sparking a feisty relationship, which evolves from mutual distrust to friendship. Kaddish for a Friend is based on actual events and embodies the spirit of building bridges of understanding.
Advance Tickets: $8 JCC members, seniors, students $10 Non-members
All Tickets $10 at the door.
DOC SUNDAY
Standing Silent
Sunday, November 11, 11:00 am, Drexel Theater
Directed by Scott Rosenfelt; 2011; 84 min.;USA
Phil Jacobs, editor of the Washington Jewish Week, former editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times, and observant Jew, uncovered a scandalous story in his community when a well-known rabbi and his son were accused of sexual abuse. Standing Silent explores how Jacobs went against the pressure of his neighbors and the silence of a community to break a story he felt compelled to write. As a result, he was ostracized by his peers and received death threats. Presented in partnership with Jewish Family Services and National Council of Jewish Woman.
Note: This film contains strong subject matter.
Q & A with Phil Jacobs following the film.
Advance Tickets: $ 8 JCC members, seniors, students $10 Non-members.
All Tickets $10 at the door.
DOC SUNDAY
Article of Hope
Sunday, November 11, 1:30 pm, Drexel Theater
Directed by Dan Cohen, 2011; 54 min.;USA
On Feb. 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up as it was returning from an earth orbit. The entire crew— including Col. Ilan Ramon,Israel’s first astronaut—perished. Also lost was a tiny Torah scroll carried into space by Col. Ramon, as a reminder of the ongoing history of the Jewish people. The scroll had been smuggled into a concentration camp during the Holocaust and safeguarded by a survivor. This inspiring film tells the story ofIsrael’s first astronaut and the fascinating journey of this Torah, travelling from pre-World War II Europe toIsraeland then into space. Presented in partnership with Congregation Tifereth Israel Men’s Club.
Q & A with director Dan Cohen following the film.
Dan Cohen is a six-time Emmy Award winning veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the founder of the West Street Productions, a documentary and film production company. His thirty year career has taken him around the world, to the launch of American’s Space Shuttle, the presidential trail and the polar ice caps. An Article of Hope was a labor of love. The seven year journey to make the documentary included location filming in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Northern Israel, Houston Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Advance Tickets: $ 8 JCC members, seniors, students $10 Non-members
All Tickets $10 at the door.
DOC SUNDAY
The Flat
Sunday, November 11, 3:30 pm, Drexel Theater
Directed by Arnon Goldfinger, 2011; 97 min.;Israel; Hebrew, German and English with subtitles
Since they have immigrated toPalestinein the 1930s, the filmmaker’s grandparents live in a flat on the third floor of a Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv. The film begins when the family is cleaning out the flat after their grandmother’s death and finds Nazi propaganda and indications of a relationship between their grandparents and a Nazi official. This riveting adventure involves national interests, a friendship that crosses enemy lines, and deeply repressed family emotions. Presented in partnership with Jewish Family Services
Advance Tickets: $8 JCC members, seniors, students $10 Non-members.
All Tickets $10 at the door.
A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Tuesday, November 13, 7:00 pm, Drexel Theater
Directed by Thierry Binisti, 2011; 99 min.; France/Canada/Israel; Hebrew and French with subtitles
Traumatized after witnessing a deadly terrorist attack at a local Tel Aviv café, Tal, a French-Israeli teenager refuses to succumb to hatred and blame. She optimistically slips a message of peace in a bottle that she asks her brother, who is in the Israeli army, to throw into the sea while he is on patrol nearGaza. The bottle arrives in the hands of several youngGazamen who scoff at her innocence when asking about the real lives of Palestinians. Eventually, one of the young men emails Tal and signs the message “Gazaman.” Though they live less than 65 miles apart, they find it impossible to meet, communicating only through emails, texts and letters. Though Tal lives in relative comfort and Naïm in comparable poverty, they are both trapped by circumstances. The growing sense of confinement makes it that much more satisfying when they each find paths to freedom in this gripping drama. Supported in part by The Leventhal Fund of the Columbus Jewish Foundation and The Consulate General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Advance Tickets: $8 JCC members, seniors, students $10 Non-members
All Tickets $10 at the door.
MID-WEEK MATINEE
Esther and Me
Wednesday, November 14, 1:00 pm, JCC
Directed by Lisa Geduldig; 2012; 30 min.;USA
A touching and humorous portrait of San Francisco Jewish nursing home resident, Esther Weintraub, a funny, feisty, politically-minded, former model and stand up comedian and her friendship with lesbian, comedian/comedy producer Lisa Geduldig. This short film traces Esther’s life from the age of 15 as a professional violinist to her life as a nursing home resident. Presented in partnership with Tifereth Israel Sisterhood.
Through the Eye of the Needle
Wednesday, November 14, 1:30 pm, JCC
Directed by Nina Shapiro-Perl; 2011; 30 min.;USA; English and Yiddish
Years after surviving the trauma of the Holocaust, Esther Krinitz decides to share her story of survival. Through a series of 36 large fabric collages, Esther’s history is conveyed in intricate detail.
Tickets: $ 7 Price includes both films.
The Day I Saw Your Heart
Thursday, November 15, 7:30 pm, Drexel Theater
Directed by Jennifer Devoldere; 2011; 98 min.;France; French with subtitles
Families are complicated. Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Bastards) stars as Justine, a twenty something struggling with commitment issues in this touching French comedy-melodrama that tackles thorny father-daughter relationships. After a trail of boyfriends, Justine thinks she has found her soul mate. But her temporary happiness is thrown when her neurotic 60 year-old Jewish father suffers a delayed mid-life crisis and announces that his young second wife is expecting a baby. The film follows Justine as she attempts to deal with the looming pregnancy and the torturous route to reconciliation. Co-sponsored by Barrel 44.
“Schmmmovie” (Schmooze, Munch, and Movie)
6:00 pm Barrel 44, followed by film at the Drexel 7:30 pm
“Schmmmovie” Tickets: 1 for $25, 2 for $45 (each ticket includes one drink, appetizers, film)
Film only: $8 JCC member, senior, students $10 Non-members
All Film Tickets $10 at the door.
Space is limited at Barrel 44 RSVP by November 8
David
Sunday, November 18, 4:30 pm, JCC
Directed by Joel Fendelman; 2011; 80 min.;USA
A lonely Muslim boy growing up inBrooklynis inadvertently immersed in the world of Orthodox Judaism in this drama that bridges culture and religion. The only son of a devout imam, 11 year-old Daud juggles the high expectations of his father against feelings of isolation. There is no time for playmates, until one day Daud is mistaken for a Yeshiva student and befriended by a group of Jewish boys. Unable to resist a newfound camaraderie and freedom, Daud become David and is drawn into a complicated dilemma inspired by youthful zest and the best of intentions. This is a story of faith, friendship and family.
Q & A with Director Joel Fendelman following the film
Advance Tickets: $ 8 JCC member, seniors, students $10 Non-members
All Tickets $10 at the door.
Hava Nagila (The Movie)
Sunday, November 18, 7:45 pm, JCC
Directed by Roberta Grossman; 2012; 73 min.;USA
With humor and wit, this documentary is a foot-tapping celebration of 100 years of Jewish culture and spirituality. Romp through the history, meaning and mystery of this great standard with a brilliant cast of characters that includes Connie Francis, Harry Belafonte, Leonard Nimoy and Glenn Campbell. Travel with “Hava” around the world on its fascinating journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to the kibbutzim ofPalestine to the cul-de-sacs ofAmerica. The film deals with universal themes about the importance of joy, the power of music, and the resilient spirit of a people. Sponsored by the David Genshaft Foundation.
Advance Tickets: $8 JCC member, seniors, students $10 Non-member
All Tickets $10 at the door.
Enjoy an Israeli dinner in between the films at 6:15 pm
Dinner: $15.00
Please RSVP for dinner by November 11
