Baltimore Jewish Film Festival – April 8-May 17
I have heard wonderful things in years past about the Jewish Film Festival, which will be starting this year on April 8th. The festival runs for about 5 weeks and includes ten films from different countries around the world. The details are below for each of the films. For more information, you can visit the Film Festival’s website.
The 2010 William and Irene Weinberg Family
Baltimore Jewish Film Festival
April 8- May 17
Gordon Center For Performing Arts
Baltimore premieres from around the world you won’t want to miss! All films are followed by eminent guest speakers.
Matter of Size
Thursday, April 8; 7:30p
Israel, Germany, France 2009
Directors: Sharon Maymon and Erez TadmorHerzl joins a diet club with his friends but is sacked after gaining 28lbs in 2 months! To make matters worse the overweight and lovable cook loses his job because of his looks. Determined to overcome their misfortunes, Herzl and his three hefty friends discover sumo wrestling, where being oversized is not only accepted but revered. They start training with a reluctant Zionistic Japanese coach. Will they gain his respect and beat the odds? This film is a story of sheer love and unlikely heroes and the winner of four Ophir Awards
Guest Speakers: Steven Luxenberg, Washington Post Associated Editor & author of “Annie’s Ghost” and John Eisenberg, author & sports writer.
Co-Sponsored by the Embassy of Israel
Eichmann
Sunday, April 11; 3:00pm
England/Hungary 2008
Director: Robert Young
For mature audiences
Based on the actual transcripts , this spellbinding film uncovers the incredible power struggle that took place between Israeli interrogator Avner Less and Adolf Eichmann after his capture. It fell upon the young Avner to break the will of this formidable and cunning opponent, within the strict guidance of the law. Due to the lack of evidence and in order to assemble a winning case for the upcoming trial, the task was crucial. Avner’s faces an untenable situation that affects his emotional and personal life. Political and social pressures mount for him to extract Eichmann’s darkest secrets and an admission of guilt. You may be shocked by what led to the infallible evidence. This is not the Eichmann story you knew. The stellar cast includes Troy Garrity, Thomas Kretschmann and Stephen Fry.Guest Speaker: The Honorable Ben Cardin, United States Senator
The Gift To Stalin
Tuesday, April 13; 7:30pm
Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Israel 2008
Director: Rustem AbdrashevHow does Sashka, a Jewish boy in 1949 obtain an audience with Stalin in the hope of being reunited with his family? This wondrous and fascinating tale of what happens to the child as he crosses the Kazakh steppes with his grandfather after the ethnic purges is a wondrous and fascinating tale. The stubborn little fighter is rescued by an odd Muslim railroad worker named Kasym who renames the boy Sabyr. Kasym cares for him while preserving his Jewish identity. The welcoming Kazakh village has the poetic charm of distant beauty, a common thread in this unforgettable film. Sabyr encounters difficult times but knows who he is. When he learns about a contest for Stalin’s birthday he also knows what to do.
Guest Speaker: Michael Scammell, author of “Koestler”
Co-sponsored by the Embassy of Kazakhstan
Nora’s Will
Thursday, April 15; 7:30pm
Mexico 2008
Director: Mariana ChenilloThis multi-award winning film story starts with a suicide of Nora just before Passover. Her willful power is very much alive and reigning from the moment her ex-husband José discovers her body. In Nora’s apartment, the Passover table is set meticulously with elaborate instructions for preparing the Seder meal. The family gathers and relives memories and conflicts as they face an absurd situation. Did Nora know that Jewish law forbids burial during Passover and that the body has to be watched continuously? For four long days, they all must eat. The penetrating and ironic psychology of the characters intersects with juicy and dark humor in this very smart Jewish comedy.
Guest Speaker: Jonathan L. Schorr, Executive Director, Professor, School of Communications Design, University of Baltimore
Co-sponsored by the Embassy of Mexico
Saviors in the Night
Wednesday, April 28; 7:30pm
Germany/France 2009
Director: Ludi BoekenIn 1943, Menne Spiegel is a horse trader and a decorated veteran of WWI in Westphalia, Germany. He is desperate to find a hiding place for his family to escape deportation to the death camps. He asked Heinrich Aschoff who used to be his good friend but is now a member of the Nazi Party to help him. Heinrich surprisingly agrees, figuring that no one comes back from the camps. He hides Menne’s wife Marga and their young daughter. We follow Menne on the run for two years while his family tries to escape with one close call after another. In this real-life thriller, Menne and his family discover that loyalty and trust bear many unexpected faces…
Guest Speaker: Joe Fab, filmmaker of “Paper Clips”
Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt with Nazis
Sunday, May 2; 3:00pm
U.S. 2008
Director: Gaylen RossThe Kasztner trial and the scandal that ripped Israel are worthy of a Shakespearian plot. Rezso Kasztner’s negotiations with none other than Adolf Eichmann saved nearly 1,700 Hungarian Jews . Kasztner, in Israel and working for Ben Gurion’s government, was accused of protecting his family and the wealthy and sacrificing everyone else. To clear his name, the government of Israel sued for libel. This trial backfired and inflamed public opinion and political factions, dividing the country. He was condemned in a verdict that he “Sold His Soul to the Devil”. Ultimately, this led to Kasztner’s murder by a Jewish right wing extremist in 1957. The first chilling interview on film with the assassin startles with new revelations. Director, Gaylen Ross places the case and the dilemma in our hands – was Katzner a hero, a traitor, or simply an ordinary man?
Guest Speakers: Gaylen Ross, filmmaker and director, Robert O. Freedman, author and political science professor, Johns Hopkins University
Lost Islands
Tuesday, May 4; 7:30pm
Israel 2008
Director: Resehef LevyEzer and his twin brother grow up a small Israeli town in the 1980’s in a family of eight. Life is good, noisy and funny. The boys chase after girls, their father loves his garden and their mother does it all. Then every thing changes. The brothers fall in love with the same girl and a family secret is discovered that deeply affects long-time dreams. What are Ezer’s true motives when he joins the army’s command unit? The sounds of the 80’s reflect the moods of the time and of the protagonists. This absorbing and intriguing film is.the winner of 4 OPHIR Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor
Co-sponsored by the Embassy of Israel
Guest Speaker: Dr. Eyal Bor, Director of Education, Beth El
Congregation, Professor of Hebrew Language, Towson University
Wedding Song
Tuesday, May 11; 7:30pm
France/Tunisia 2008
Director: Karin Albou
For mature audienceMyriam, a Jew, and Nour, a Muslim, are inseparable. They live in the same house in a modest and harmonious Tunisian neighborhood . It’s 1942 and at the age of 16 they share the same dreams of love and happiness. Nour has a steady boyfriend, which is something Myriam yearns to have as well. Nour however, wants to go to school like her friend. While a wedding is arranged for Nour, the Nazis enter and occupy Tunisia. Bitterness grows when Nour’s fiancé is unable to find work and the wedding is postponed. The Muslim population begins to side with the Vichy regime while the Jews are stripped of their rights and possessions. When Myriam’s mother runs out of money, she promises her young and beautiful daughter to a wealthy doctor. This film paints a magnificent and sensual portrait of the friends and of intimate and religious rituals. In the midst of these conflicts, Myriam and Nour are reminded of how much they each still need a true friend.
Guest Speaker: Sarah Schenk, producer of “No Job for a Woman” & NY filmmaker
Co-sponsored by the Embassy of France
Brothers
Thursday, May 14; 7:30pm
Switzerland 2008
Director: Igaal NiddamNothing could be more joyful than the reunion of brothers after years of silence. Aaron, a prominent lawyer, arrives in Israel from New York to represent Yeshiva students who refuse military service. Dan, a secular Zionist, lives on a kibbutz with his family. Now that they are meeting again, they are strangers of opposite political adherences and convictions. Aaron expected a simple and expedient trial but instead it explodes in waves of anger on both sides of the issue. The sudden and violent rift that occurs does not spare the rediscovered relationship between the brothers. Old grudges resurface. The re-opened debate of which convictions are the right ones to further the good of Israel subtly mirrors the painful conflict between Aaron and Dan. Beneath the ache and animosity they search for reassurance of brotherly love.
Guest Speaker: Igaal Niddam, filmmaker and director, and panelist Rabbi Jay Goldstein, Beth Israel Congregation
Co-sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe (*not part of the STAR Series)
Monday, May 17; 7:00pm
*At Chizuk Amuno Congregation
United States 2009
Directors and filmmakers: Emily and Sarah KunstlerCelebrated and highly controversial, the grand civil rights lawyer of the 60’s and 70’s changed the face of American justice. Anger and hate followed Kunstler everywhere. It erupted when he fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King, because of the Attica trial, the Chicago Eight and because he represented rapists and murderers alike. This provocative and mesmerizing film by his daughters Emily and Sarah, looks back at the tumultuous times and at the groundbreaking trials with newly found facts and in a new context. What drove the young man, born Jewish, to take on the legal system in defense of unpopular causes? Brilliant and undeterred, he won cases and gave new relevance to social justice and civil rights.
Guest Speaker: Emily Kunstler, filmmaker and director, Stephen H. Sachs, former Attorney General of Maryland, Catonsville Nine Federal Prosecutor, William M. Kunstler, defense
Become a STAR For only $180 and ensure your two tickets for eight films at the Gordon Center. Hurry, as films will sell out.
For tickets or more information , Contact Claudine Davison at cdavison@jcc.org
Tickets: $10 at both JCC locations’ cashier’s desk.
For details: www.baltimorejff.com
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