Hartford Jewish Film Festival The spotlight will shine on thirty films - plus live music and a children's opera - when the curtain is raised on the 14th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival March 13 - 23. Here is a wrap-up of tickets info, schedules and film descriptions. Presented by the Mandell Jewish Community Center with the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies and The Hartt School, University of Hartford Mark Slitt and Ruthan Wein, Festival co-chairs Harriet Dobin, Festival director
OPENING NIGHT SATURDAY, MARCH 13 Wadsworth Atheneum 8 p.m. Gefilte Fish Israel, 2008, 10 minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles A charming Jewish bride torn between her family's pre-nuptial tradition of killing and cooking gefilte fish versus her growing sympathy for the live carp splashing around in her bathtub. Humor, romance and fun. Hello Goodbye France, 2008, 95 minutes, French and Hebrew with English subtitles Immediately following Gefilte Fish French actors Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant in a romantic comedy about the misadventures of a Jewish Parisian couple who enjoy a comfortable life - until their only son announces plans to marry a Catholic girl. Facing an empty nest and midlife crisis, they leave their posh home in Paris and travel to Israel in search of their neglected Jewish roots.
SUNDAY, MARCH 14 Mandell JCC 3 p.m. Something From Nothing Film and live children's opera USA, 1999, 23 minutes, English, Animated film based on the book by Phoebe Gilman This animated tale is based on PJ Library selection "Something From Nothing" and tells the story of a young boy, his grandfather, a magic blanket, and a lucky mouse. A celebration of Jewish culture and tradition. Some-thing from No-thing A new opera for children immediately following film Based upon the beloved Yiddish folk tale "Epes fun Gornisht." Featuring orchestrations of popular Yiddish melodies by Dr. Jody Rockmaker of Arizona State University School of Music; humorous original English dialogue by playwright Amy Fellner Dominy and the performances of four actor/singers from Arizona State University.
SUNDAY, MARCH 14 K & G Theatres, Bloomfield 8, Bloomfield 12 noon Voices From El Sayed Israel, 2009, 75 minutes, Hebrew, Arabic, Sign language with English subtitles In the Bedouin village of El-Sayed in Israel's Negev lives the largest percentage of deaf people in the world whose unique sign language has evolved making it the most popular language in this rare society that accepts deafness as natural as life itself. The village`s tranquility is interrupted by one man's decision to make his deaf son a hearing person using the Cochlear Implant Operation provided by Israeli doctors. 3 p.m. Refusenik USA, 2007, 120 minutes, English, Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles A documentary chronicling the 30-year international campaign to free Soviet Jews.Exclusive interviews, clandestine photographs, and archival footage help tell this inspiring true story of freedom-seeking ordinary people who cracked the wall of Soviet Communism. 5 p.m. Bruriah Israel, 2008, 90 Minutes, Hebrew with English subtitles Bruriah, the outspoken controversial wife of Rabbi Meir from the second century CE, finds her contemporary counterpart in another strong-willed Bruriah who, against her husband's wishes, searches for a banned book written about the legendary woman by her father. The ancient Bruriah met her downfall when seduced by a student, prompting generations of rabbis to teach that "women are light-headed." Will history repeat? 9:15 p.m. Lemon Tree Israel, Germany, France, 2008, 106 minutes, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles Salma, a Palestinian widow finds her family's beloved lemon grove threatened when the country's new Defense Minister moves next door and deems the trees a security risk that must be torn down. This award-winning film turns a minor backyard skirmish into an effective parable of a politicized region. * Audience Award, 2008, Berlin International Film Festival *Lemon Tree will also be screened on Wednesday, March 17, 9:15 p.m. at Criterion Cinema, Blue Back Square.
MONDAY, MARCH 15 Beth El Temple, West Hartford 7 p.m. Love and Dance Israel, 2006, 90 minutes, Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles Israel's answer to Billy Elliot, this coming-of-age film finds young Chen caught in the clashing crossroads between his lively Russian-born mother and opinionated Israeli father. While strolling the halls of the Ashdod community center, he stumbles upon a children's ballroom dance class. With a little help from the Cha Cha and the Tango, Chen bridges the culture gap of his fractured family.
TUESDAY, MARCH 16 Herbert Gilman Theater, Mandell JCC 7 p.m. No. 4 Street of Our Lady USA, 2008, 90 minutes, English, Hebrew and Polish with English subtitles "Reel Talk" Immediately following film with film directors Barbara Bird, Judy Maltz and Richie Sherman, and Grace Kuzcharzyk and Jolanta Staron, , granddaughters of Francisca Halamajowa. The story of Righteous Gentile Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish-Catholic woman who rescued 16 of her Jewish neighbors in the small Eastern Polish town of Sokal during the Holocaust. *Grand Prize, Best Feature Documentary, Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2009 *CINE Golden Eagle Award, 2009 *Silver Palm Award, Mexico International Film Festival, 2009
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17 4:30 p.m. Hebrew Health Care Close Harmony USA, 1981, 28 minutes, English; Free for seniors by advance reservation only; limited seating. A documentary about a group of fourth and fifth graders who form an intergenera-tional chorus with a group of older adults. *Best Short Documentary, Academy Awards, 1981 *EMMY Award, 1982 From Shtetl To Swing USA, 2005, 52 minutes, English and Yiddish with English subtitles Immediately following Close Harmony Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million Jews fled persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe and migrated to America. From Yiddish theater to musical extravaganza, from klezmer to ragtime, from symphonic jazz to swing - all the way from the Bowery to Tin Pan Alley to Broadway to Hollywood, this film tells the story of a musical metamorphosis born in darkest Russia and nurtured on the Great White Way. 7 p.m. Criterion Cinema, Blue Back Square For My Father Israel, 2008, 102 minutes, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles "Reel Talk" Immediately following film with Dr. Donna Robinson Divine. professor of Jewish studies and government, Smith College.; Dr. Moises Salinas, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Central Connecticut State University Tarek, a young Palestinian sent on a suicide bombing mission inside Israel, is given a second chance when the switch fails to detonate on his explosive vest. Stranded in Tel Aviv for 48 hours awaiting its repair, Tarek develops profound connections with three Israelis whose lives intersect with his. * Winner, Moscow International Film Festival 2008 * Best Film, Sofia Film Festival, Bulgaria, 2009 * Winner, Audience Award, Cinequest Film Festival * Grand Prix Award, Best Feature Film 9:15 p.m. Lemon Tree Encore presentation. See Sunday, March 14 *Best Actress, Israeli Film Academy *Audience Award, 2008, Berlin International Film Festival
THURSDAY, MARCH 18 Criterion Cinema, Blue Back Square 7 p.m. La Camera Obscura Argentina and France, 2008, 86 minutes. Spanish and Yiddish with English subtitles Marked as "ugly" and made virtually invisible by her family, Gertrudis, who lives in an agrarian Argentinean Jewish colony in the late 1800s, retreats into her inner world. Finally married off to a wealthy but indifferent husband, she raises a family, shielding her face from group photos - until one soulful itinerant photographer recognizes her rich imagination and unleashes the beautiful woman inside. *Nominated for 8 Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards *Grand Prize, Pays de Caux International Latin Film Festival, 2009 9:15 p.m. The Debt Israel, 2007, 93 minutes, Hebrew and German with English subtitles Rachel, a former Mossad agent, was part of a trio of spies hailed for hunting down and killing Max Rainer, the Nazi surgeon of Birkenau in 1964. She is drawn back to her past when a man claiming to be the real Rainer surfaces in Kiev three decades later. A tangled web of lies unravels, threatening to expose the truth.
SATURDAY, MARCH 20 Aetna Theater, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art 8:30 p.m. Meeskeit USA, 2009, 7 Minutes, English The poignant animated short story of two ugly people ("meeskeits," in Yiddish) and the beautiful relationship they never had. A Matter of Size Israel, 2009, 92 minutes, Hebrew and Japanese with English subtitles Immediately following Meeskeit Herzl, a 340-pound chef who lives with his mother in Ramle, is fed up with rigid diet regimes and abusive weight loss clubs. Just as he seems defeated, Herzl meets a Sushi restaurant owner, and discovers the one place where big guys can become rock stars: Japanese sumo wrestling. *Winner, four 2009 Ophir Awards, Israeli Film and Television Academy
SUNDAY, MARCH 21 K & G Theatres, Bloomfield 8 12 noon The First Basket USA, 86 minutes, English For nearly three decades, basketball was dominated by Jewish players - and coaches who found the sport an ideal vehicle for assimilation in the United States. The First Basket rounds up many Jewish veterans, some now deceased, to tell stories of a sporting tradition that continues in Israel today. Pride, Honor & Courage: Jewish Women Remember World War II USA, 2009, 35 minutes, English Immediately following The First Basket Greater Hartford Jewish women who served in the military and on the home front during World War II tell their stories of friendship, adventure and sacrifice and opportunity. 3 p.m. Eli and Ben Israel, 2008, 90 minutes, Hebrew with English titles Ben is the city architect of the Tel Aviv suburb, Herzliya. Ben's father, also an architect, is about to win the Israel Prize. Ben's son, Eli, is 12. Watching the police take his father into custody changes everything for Eli. When the police question him about his father's actions, Eli begins to feel like a double agent. 5 p.m. Letters For Jenny Argentina, Israel, Spain, 2007, 96 minutes, Spanish & Hebrew with English subtitles Having lost her mother to a terminal illness, Jenny enters her teenage years after a bittersweet bat mitzvah. Despite a caring father, a series of letters from her late mother are Jenny's only comfort in times of crisis. Traveling to Israel, Jenny reconnects with her Jewish identity and a handsome childhood friend now serving in the IDF. Appropriate for ages 13+ 7 p.m. Saviors in the Night Germany and France, 2009, 100 minutes, German and French with English subtitles Adapted from Marge Spiegel's stirring memoir, this is the true story of Westphalian German farmers who risked their own lives and sheltered Jewish friends from the Nazis.
MONDAY, MARCH 22 Wilde Auditorium, University of Hartford TRIBUTE: Observations on Survival and Spirit: Lessons from the Holocaust 7 p.m. Screening of eight short films followed by Reel Talk, led by Professor Avinoam Patt of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, University of Hartford. Reception follows screenings. Holding Leah -Germany and USA, 2005, 7 minutes, English Pigeon -Canada, 2007, 11 minutes, German with English subtitles *Special Jury Award, Houston World Fest Sarah and Hayah -Israel, 2008, Animated short, 2 minutes, English The Next Harvest -USA, 2009, 12 minutes, English A work in progress The Wall -USA, 2008, 7 minutes *Best Use of Music: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Award, 2008 *Best Graduate Student Film: Rhode Island Film Festival, 2008 Torte Bluma -USA 2005, 18 minutes, English *Best Drama, Los Angeles International Short Film Festival *Best Film, Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films *Official Selection, Edinburgh International Film Festival Toyland -Germany, 13 minutes, German with English subtitles *Best Live Action Short, Academy Awards 2008 Writing Dachau -United Kingdom, 2008, 7 minutes, English *Audience Award, The Imperial War Museum's Student Film Festival, 2006 *Los Angeles Holocaust Memorial Museum Award, 2009
TUESDAY, MARCH 23 Herbert Gilman Theater, Mandell JCC 7 p.m. Hungry Hearts USA,1922, 80 minutes, Silent with English Intertitles Restored by the National Center for Jewish Film, Brandeis University. Featuring original score composed and performed live by student musicians from The Hartt School. Closing Reception, Chase Family Gallery following film and concert This classic Jewish silent film is a Hollywood adaptation of the short stories of Anzia Yezierska, the first writer to bring stories of American Jewish women to a mainstream audience.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION: Individual tickets to most films are $10 general admission. Tickets for Saturday, March 13, opening night gala reception and film are $50 per person. Monday, March 15 screening of "Love and Dance" is free for students. Free tickets for Senior Screen Wednesday, March 17 are available by advance reservation. Tickets for the Tuesday, March 23 "Hungry Hearts" film and closing night concert are $25 per person including a dessert reception. Patron passes are on sale at the box office. $1 discount is offered for students, Wadsworth Atheneum Film Buffs and Let's Go Arts card-holders. Tickets for all shows are on sale at the Mandell JCC in person, via phone and by mail. Seating is limited, advance purchase is recommended. Tickets will be sold at the door subject to availability (except opening night film). All events are under Hartford Kashrut Commission supervision. For tickets, more information, directions, and a Film Festival brochure contact the Mandell JCC, (860) 231-6316 or visit the festival website, www.hjff.org.