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closer to one another through their shared grief. Panorama
HIMMO
Lev Smadar
(Canada) Film Sales, New York. 89mins. Dir: Alan Zweig. “We’re the same people. We complain, we eat, and we’re funny. That’s what being Jewish is all about” (Judy Gold). We all know Jewish jokes, but what is it about Jewish humour that makes it so unique? Is it the mamalochen? Is it the rhythm? The kvetching? The selfobsession? After all, as comedian Modi Rosenfeld reminds us, what goy is running around talking about being Christian? Acclaimed documentary film-maker Alan Zweig sets out on a journey into the heart of Jewish humour, offering 80-plus minutes of interviews with some of the greatest Jewish comedians today.
(Israel) Ehud Bleiberg, Tel Aviv. 87mins. Dir: Amos Guttman. Key cast: Icho Avital, Yossi Graber, Shai Kapon. It is 1948. Jerusalem is under siege. Hamutal, a beautiful young nurse whose boyfriend was killed in battle arrives at an abandoned monastery serving as a temporary hospital for wounded soldiers. She is sent to work in the bell tower, populated by cynical casualties. Himmo arrives, very severely wounded, despondent because of his condition, and wishing for death. Himmo and Hamutal develop a perverse yet passionate relationship that tests the boundaries between attraction and rejection, mercy and pain, the strength of life and longing for death — a conflict expressed in dialogues replete with macabre humour.
The Jewish Experience Cinematheque4
JFF Special Cinematheque2
12:15 WHEN JEWS WERE FUNNY
FRIDAY JULY 11 11:30 CANOPY
(Australia, Singapore) Odin’s Eye Entertainment, Brighton Le Sands. 84mins. Dir: Aaron Wilson. Singapore, February 9, 1942. The height of the Second World War. A downed Australian fighter pilot wakes up
protective of Clemence (his 20-year-old daughter whom he raised alone following his divorce), believes that in friendship and love everything has to be in the open, and he does not tolerate lies. When Clemence falls in love with Paul, despite their 30-year difference, they worry about Walter’s reaction. While many in their circle learn of the affair and come to accept it, they decide not to tell Walter right away, and so the lying begins. Gala Lev Smadar
10:15 OSCARS SHORTS Cinematheque4
11:30 CANOPY See box, above
to find himself dangling between heaven and earth, his parachute caught in the treetops. As night eats away at the daylight he must make his way through the thick jungle, trying to escape the Japanese forces and find shelter. Debuts Competition Cinematheque1
Angeles. 95mins. Dir: Cao Guimaraes, Marcelo Gomes. Key cast: Paulo Andre, Silvia Lourenco, Jean-Claude Bernardet. Juvenal is a train driver in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte. He lives in a modest apartment and his social life consists of wandering through the city as one of the crowd. Gradually a relationship develops between him and a station controller named Margo. Margo’s social life is comprised primarily of her relationship with her computer and the people she meets through it, including her fiance. When Margo asks Juvenal to be a witness at her wedding, he finds himself compelled to open up a little more. Carte Blanche Cinematheque2
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THE MAN OF THE CROWD
ALIZA
(Brazil) Figa Films, Los
(Israel) Heymann
Brothers Films. 58mins. Dir: Tomer Heymann. In 1995, mythological actress Aliza Rosen met Tomer Heymann, a young film director, just as he was starting his career. After close to 20 years of film-making and 15 documentary films, Tomer returns to the materials and edits them, creating an intimate portrait — filled with sadness and humour — of a woman whose diverse career on the stage, television, and film did not prepare her for the most difficult role of all: exposing her private persona and life story to the camera.
Cambodian who barely speaks English, scarcely hides her dislike for Richard. To communicate with her, he hires a young translator. The mismatched pair attempt to carry on a dialogue and bridge cultural and linguistic gaps through memories of the man who was so dear to them both. A drama about two strangers who are unable to communicate but draw
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(UK, Ireland) Lev Films,
The Van Leer Awards for Israeli Cinema — Documentary Film Cinematheque3
LILTING
(UK) Protagonist Pictures, London. 91mins. Dir: Hong Khaou. Key cast: Ben Whishaw, Pei-pei Cheng, Andrew Leung. The sudden death of Kai, a young Londoner, comes as a blow to his mother Joan and immerses her in grief. It also shatters Richard, Kai’s partner, who feels responsible for the bereaved mother. He arrives at the house where she is staying and attempts to comfort her, but the mother, a Chinese-
FRIDAY JULY 11 13:30 TIMBUKTU
(France, Mauritania) Le Pacte, Paris. 100mins. Dir: Abderrahmane Sissako. Key cast: Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara, Hichem Yacoubi. The death of a cow in a bloody conflict between a shepherd and a fisherman encompasses the grim story of Mali, a West African country torn between
religious factions. The cow, nicknamed GPS, serves as a metaphor for a country held hostage by armed religious bulliess. Under the theocratic regime it is forbidden to listen to Western music, wear immodest clothing, or even play football. A disturbing and fascinating portrait of a nation robbed of its cultural property. In the Spirit of Freedom in Memory of Wim van Leer Cinematheque1
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July 10, 2014 Screen International at Jerusalem 15 ■