J E WI SH
F ILM
FE ST I V AL
2022
EDMONTON
MAY 10–18
AT H O M E A N D AROUND TOWN
Neighbours, our Opening Night film, written & directed by Mano Khalil
Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Thank you
to our major sponsors
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Welcome
from the Jewish Federation of Edmonton
It is my pleasure to offer a welcome message on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton. Year after year, the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival (EJFF) brings us together to share our culture, history, and identity with one another. There are ample opportunities to connect with people throughout our Jewish community, while also linking us to the wider Edmonton community and even beyond. The EJFF is made possible through the generous financial support of our sponsors, advertisers, and donors. This support enables us to deliver this festival free of charge and is the primary source of funding for Partnership 2Gether. P2G is the Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s bridge-building partnership with the communities of the Galilee panhandle in Northern Israel. A sincere thank you to the EJFF Committee, chaired by the enthusiastic and dedicated Sam Koplowicz. The committee members devote great time and effort to film selection and festival organization. We are immensely grateful for the tireless dedication of our EJFF coordinator Susan Schiffman and other Federation staff: Tammy Vineberg, Stacey Leavitt-Wright, and Jennifer Magalnick, who all work hard to make the EJFF great. Thank you to all other Jewish Federation board members and volunteers who work hard to bring you this festival. Whether you join us in person at the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library or tune in from home, I hope you watch and enjoy our many films!
Faren Hochman
Member, Executive Committee of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton 3
Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Thank you
to our film sponsors
Opening Night Sponsor
Catherine Miller, Len Dolgoy and Family, Francie Ratner, Mark Dolgoy and family
Film Sponsors The Last Chapter of AB Yehoshua Corey Johnson of Scotia Private Investment Counsel Plan A Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen Servus Credit Union Persian Lessons The Holocaust Education Committee of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton What If? Ehud Barak on War and Peace Friends of the Galilee Panhandle Tiger Within Cynthia and Wayne Pertman
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Welcome
from the Festival chair
Welcome to the 2022 Edmonton Jewish Film Festival, our 26th anniversary and our third virtual event, except that this time we are going hybrid with two in-person programs. We are looking forward to another interesting, enjoyable and fulfilling festival. Please do take advantage of the several live Zoom talks that have been arranged with outstanding presenters. Experience has shown these sessions to be greatly informative, engrossing, and, above all, fun.
As usual, our mandate is to present to Edmonton audiences a unique line-up of contemporary Jewishthemed films from around the world. This year we feature seven carefully selected films not previously available in Edmonton, all of which provide a fascinating and inspiring mix of dramas and documentaries from sources as varied as Israel, the USA, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Belarus. In addition, we are offering four excellent short subjects of various lengths to complement the features. We are sincerely grateful to all our sponsors, program advertisers, corporate supporters, hard-working volunteers, and dedicated Federation staff, who all combine their time and efforts to make this festival possible. Special thanks to Stacey Leavitt-Wright, Susan Schiffman, Tammy Vineberg, and all the participants of the Film Festival Committee for their invaluable assistance in curating the selection of films, and especially to Valda Levin, again, for her outstanding efforts at obtaining sponsorship support. Gather around your computer or smart TV, with popcorn and favourite beverage in hand, relax and enjoy. Join us in person if you can on opening night, Tuesday, May 10, at the downtown Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library theatre, again on Sunday, May 15, and virtually at the Zoom talks. We have booked some very interesting and entertaining people to present and interact with. I hope to see you at the movies!
Sam Koplowicz
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival chair
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Your support of the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival helps our partners in Israel Through Partnership 2Gether (P2G), the relationship between a consortium of smaller Jewish communities of Canada (Atlantic, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver), we have collectively established a relationship with our counterparts in Etzbah HaGalil, Israel’s northeast. The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival is the primary funding source for Edmonton P2G, the single-most visible connection our community has with Israel. This year we are funding projects in Metulla and Yesod Hama’ala. Building bridges in Metulla In Israel’s northernmost municipality, surrounded on three sides by Lebanon, the province’s Jewish and Arab residents have largely lived peacefully—though separately. “We live in a small place named Metulla, and we don’t really meet our cultures,” says 13-year-old Ori. “That’s why we need to meet Tuba Zangariya’s teens.” Tuba Zangariya, one of several Arab villages in the area, will be the town that sends some of its teens to Metulla at the end of May for the first of three gatherings where the teens will meet, congregate, and collaborate on community-building projects with the hope of creating bonds and greater understanding of each others’ lives and cultures. In light of last year’s armed conflict, where violence erupted and homes and land on both sides were vandalized and torched, Metulla’s leaders embarked 6
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
upon an effort to bring the youth from all populations together by transforming its existing community centre into a place where the teens can get to know one another. We’re excited that the EJFF and the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, through P2G, can foster these relationships to humanize each group’s little-known neighbours and build bridges for a brighter future for everyone in the Metulla region. Engaging Yesod Hama’ala’s teens Until early March, the youth of the northern Galilee town of Yesod Hama’ala didn’t have much to do. That changed as the local community centre began renovations—with the help of the teens—that gave students from the region’s three different schools a place to hang out. What the former daycare didn’t have, and was a barrier for the 150 or so kids intended to use the facility, was any kind of equipment to keep them occupied. With the help of EJFF and the Federation through P2G, staff are now holding four activities each week 7
Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Partnership 2Gether, cont. from page 7 and installing both indoor and outdoor equipment for the kids to exercise, play games, make food, and just hang out in three different club spaces. “This really created a place for youth to meet, have a good time, and enjoy each other,” says Ben Friedman, one of the kids who uses the invigorated facility each week. The indoor space has a community kitchen, game tables like foosball, pool and ping-pong, and a cozy seating area. The vast, tree-filled outdoor space, however, has yet to be built out with equipment where the students can exercise and have more physical activity. No similar facilities currently exist in the town. That’s an exciting prospect for Ben, who’s a triathlete. He can’t wait to see what gets installed to augment his training: “Mostly different things to build up muscles, something that I don’t necessarily get while training for the triathlon but are also really important for triathletes,” he says. The program staffers like how the Yesod Hama’ala community centre has already brought kids together in such a short time. “It’s really good,” says one. “They really need it and they like it. This is their place.”
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
MESSAGE FROM THE PREMIER OF ALBERTA On behalf of the Government of Alberta, it is my pleasure to send greetings to everyone attending the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival, presented by the Jewish Federation of Edmonton. Our province is made stronger by the many faiths and cultures of those who call it home. Edmonton’s Jewish community is a vibrant part of Alberta’s multicultural mosaic, and events like these give Albertans of all backgrounds a chance to immerse themselves in world-class films and gain a better understanding of Jewish experiences. Since 1996, this film festival has celebrated Jewish culture, identity, religion, and history through a variety of Jewish-themed dramas, comedies, mysteries, and documentaries from all over the world. I’m pleased that proceeds from the festival will support Partnership 2Gether, the Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s bridgebuilding partnership with the communities of the Galilee panhandle. Many thanks to the volunteers and sponsors who make the EJFF possible. Best wishes for continued success!
Hon Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta Hon 9
Jewish Federation of Edmonton
ALBERTA CULTURE
Office of the Minister
Message from Honourable Ron Orr Minister of Culture
As Minister of Culture, it is my pleasure to welcome everyone to the 2022 Edmonton Jewish Film Festival. Seeing the curtain go up on this fantastic event proves that Alberta is back and well on its way to recovery. Diversity and inclusion is a priority of this government. That's why this festival, which features Jewish-themed films from around the world that showcase stories about politics, history, love, identity and more, is so important. I want to thank the board, staff, and especially the volunteers for organizing such a fantastic event and donating so much of your time. I also thank you, the audience; your patronage means this showcase can go on.
Ron Orr Minister
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Message from the leader of the Official Opposition After two very challenging years, it’s important for Edmontonians to have the opportunity to re-engage with our vibrant cultural events. For 26 years, the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival has shared the rich Jewish culture, traditions and ideas through the widely accessible medium of film. These stories from around the world can take us to places we’ve never been and expose us to new experiences and ideas. On behalf of our entire caucus, I want to thank the organizers of the EJFF for their dedication to making this event possible and I wish you a very successful Film Festival.
Rachel Notley Leader Alberta’s NDP Caucus
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Message from His Worship Mayor Amarjeet Sohi On behalf of City Council and the people of Edmonton, welcome to the 26th Annual Edmonton Jewish Film Festival! Edmonton is a city shaped by diverse backgrounds and cultures, which solidifies the importance of understanding our different views. For over 20 years, the Jewish community has shared moving stories through the Jewish Film Festival. These films help Edmontonians to learn more about this faith, its traditions and values. Artistic Edmontonians have helped to create outstanding forms of art that showcase the talent and openness of our city. Cinema and movies have a long legacy of uniting people to enjoy watching together, making film festivals a unique form of artistic expression. Thank you to the Jewish Federation of Edmonton for bringing this festival to life. Your work is directly contributing to our city’s reputation as an arts and culture hub. Enjoy the film festival!
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Message from Councillor Sarah Hamilton As the City Councillor for Ward sipiwiyiniwak, it’s my pleasure to welcome everyone to the 26th Annual Edmonton Jewish Film Festival! Edmonton is home to cultures and ethnicities from around the world, and this results in our city’s beautiful mosaic of artistic communities. The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival is an exciting celebration of Jewish films and people from around the world, and a wonderful opportunity to introduce all generations of Edmontonians to Jewish culture and history. Through the creation and enjoyment of art, we come together to learn more about one another — and ourselves — as people. This is especially true in cinema. I thank the organizers and volunteers of the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival for their continued commitment in showcasing the work of Jewish filmmakers. Your efforts make Edmonton a more vibrant, inclusive and welcoming place to call home. Enjoy the film festival!
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Message from Councillor Andrew Knack
It is my pleasure to provide greetings on behalf of our Edmonton City Council to welcome you to the 26th Annual Edmonton Jewish Film Festival. From their variety of online and in-person films of the very best in Jewish-themed cinema from around the world, as a city and community we are incredibly lucky to witness this tapestry of unique and diverse storytelling. A big thank you and congratulations to all those involved in putting together this fantastic event, from the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, to all the creatives, film makers and volunteers.
Councillor Andrew Knack Ward Nakota Isga
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
The Earl Parker Award for Jewish Film 2022 Award Winner
Congratulations to KlezKanada
for their award-winning film project
The Klezmer Kitchen Party — Creating a New Canadian Jewish Tradition! Coming from Celtic culture, the kitchen party—an informal gathering of music, food, and dance—is a Canadian folk tradition known especially in Newfoundland, Quebec, and New Brunswick. KlezKanada will create and premiere a short film documenting The Klezmer Kitchen Party, a new project to see what happens when Jewish culture is given a seat at the table for this distinctively Canadian custom. The film will bring together musicians, culinary artists, and dancers from Yiddish, Quebecois, Newfoundland, and Irish Canadian communities who will play together, hold literary readings and sing in Yiddish, English, and French. KlezKanada will work with Montreal-based Hungarian Jewish filmmaker Tamás Wormser, filming in kitchens around Quebec. The film will be livestreamed to a virtual audience as the closing event of the digital component of KlezKanada’s summer festival, in August 2022. The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival will also screen The Klezmer Kitchen Party in 2023. 16
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Thank you
to our Festival Committee
The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival appreciates the hard work of our dedicated committee! Sam Koplowicz, Festival Chair Lauren Baram Mark Dolgoy Karen Farkas Neil Grahn Karen Hering Valda Levin
Cynthia Pertman Sari Schiff Dasha Skamlova Pauline Uretsky Theresa Wynnyk
Stacey Leavitt-Wright , CEO, Jewish Federation of Edmonton Susan Schiffman, Festival Coordinator Tammy Vineberg, Marketing and Communications We are grateful to these dedicated and talented individuals who devote countless hours to selecting films and delivering the festival. They are the hearts and souls of this festival. Thanks also to the members of the Federation’s P2G committee. We also give our warmest thanks to the Earl Parker Award committee: Mark Dolgoy, Len Dolgoy, Esther Viragh, and Neil Grahn for adjudicating this year’s prize.
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Thank you
to our 2022 Sponsors & Supporters
Major Festival Sponsors Consulate General of Israel in Toronto & Western Canada Edmonton Community Foundation Global Edmonton Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Film Sponsors Catherine Miller and Len Dolgoy and Family, Francie Ratner and Mark Dolgoy and Family Friends of the Galilee Panhandle Holocaust Education Committee of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton Jewish Archives & Historical Society of Edmonton & Northern Alberta Corey Johnson of Scotia Private Investment Counsel Cynthia and Wayne Pertman Servus Credit Union
Special Event Sponsors Edmonton Downtown Business Association
Free Films for All Sponsors Jeannette Hoffman
Short Sponsors Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association Edmonton Screen Industries Office Judy and Benaron Gleiberman on behalf of Alliance Technical Services National Council of Jewish Women of Canada 18
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Producers Lemore Alima & Grant Vogel Debbie Anson Rebecca & Shane Asbell Karen Farkas & Clyde Hurtig Cheryl Goldstein & Justin Pertman Roberta & Norm Hanson Valda Levin Lynn & Stephen Mandel Debbie & Leon Miller Michele & Josh Miller Francie & Jon Nobleman Carol & Ron Ritch Sari Schiff & Abe Peliowski Elexis & Eric Schloss Anita Sky & Howard Davidow Debbie & Howie Sniderman Pauline Uretsky
Suzanne Davis & Ted Croll Michelle Dinner Penny & Phil Hardin Karen & Abe Hering Gillian & Billie Horwitz Avi & Mati Isackson Lesley Jacobson Susan & Leon Kagan Miriam & Jerry Katz Samuel Koplowicz Sandy & Moe Litman Nora & Lawrie Lyman Reesa Margolis & Daphne Carreiro Marla Miller Yossi Ovics Reeva Parker Lauren Gayle Pearson Lisa Redmond & Ron Sorokin Elaine & Ram Romanovsky Alison & Anthony Russell Susan Schiffman & Chris Pestre Perry Segal Miriam Sheckter Kayla Shoctor
Associate Producers Lauren Baram & Lawrence Rodnunsky Mor Barzel & Gary Wolch Marcia Bercov Susan & Glen Binnington Jack Chetner
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton
Thank you
to our 2022 Sponsors & Supporters
Natalie & Ken Soroka Heather & David Vickar Stacey & Erin Wright Connie & Danny Zalmanowitz
Alexia Ferrari K. Foisy Tema Frank Tobey Freedman Felix Fridman Osi Goldsand Sandra Goldsmith Marnie Gomez Maureen Gottschlich David Hargrave Debra Hathaway Rona Hollander Stewart Holmes Mettannah Jacobson Jim Kinnaird Shawn Knight Sandra Konrad Freida Koplowicz Toby Korytko Rayna Lew Brianna Lewis Debra Lieberman Lena Linetsky Mary Locke Laurie MacFayden Jennifer & Joel Magalnick Robin Marcus Sharon Marcus
Supporters Sharon Abbott Sylvia Alpern Jerry Aulenbach Florie & David Axler David Balcon Susan Baram Maria Basaraba Marina Belostotsky Michelle Berndtsson Beth Israel Synagogue Milton Bogoch Aurica Bondoc Michael Bull Dorothy Caeser Mira Campbell Brent Christopherson Judith Chrystal Bev Clark Guy Coates Frances Cyngiser Alicia Epstein Svetlana Ershov 20
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022
Mike Stern Lauren Tankel Paul Teworte Bridget Toms Janet Wees Kathy Williams Terry Willock Larry Witten Pamela Wolfman Sheri Woo
Beth McNaughton Arliss Miller Lisa Miller Marla Miller Arlene Morin Karen Morse Meirav Or Aaron Oshry Renee Raff Yonatan Reshef Mona Rosenberg Jeff Rubin Ruth Salmon Laura Schechter Amy Schiffman Claire Schiffman Naamah Segura Steven Shafir Sheila Shand Yakov Shapiro Esther Shatz Marilyn Sheckter Reisa Sheckter Riva & Howard Shein Debby & Marshall Shoctor Esther Sklofsky Cheryl Sokoloff Lauren Sorkins
The EJFF also extends thanks to all those whose names do not appear here because their donations were received after this program was completed.
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 10
Neighbours (7 p.m. at the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library and online)
Wednesday, May 11
The Last Chapter of A.B. Yehoshua (online) Masel Tov Cocktail (short film, online) Q&A featuring Neighbours director Mano Khalil, moderated by Sheba Birhanu, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (12 p.m. on Zoom)
Thursday, May 12 Plan A (online)
Sunday, May 15
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen (7 p.m., the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library & online) Space Torah (short film, 7 p.m., the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library & online)
All tickets are free! Online films will be available from noon to 10 p.m. on their screening dates. Register online at jewishedmonton.org.
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Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Monday, May 16
Persian Lessons (online) Q&A with Daniel Raim, director of Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen, moderated by Neil Grahn, director and writer (12 p.m. on Zoom)
Tuesday, May 17
What If? Ehud Barak on War and Peace (online) Holy Holocaust (short film, online) Q&A with Vadim Perelman, director of Persian Lessons, moderated by Sam Koplowicz, EJFF Chair (12 p.m. on Zoom)
Wednesday, May 18 Tiger Within (online)
The Schnoz (short film, online) Q&A with Tiger Within screenwriter Gina Wendkos and actress Margot Josefsohn. Moderated by Becca Cogan-Grahn and Neil Grahn (8:30 p.m. on Zoom)
All tickets are free! Online films will be available from noon to 10 p.m. on their screening dates. Register online at jewishedmonton.org.
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Jewish Federation of Edmonton Tuesday, May 10 • 7 p.m.
Neighbours Switzerland, France, 2021
Drama
Director: Mano Khalil
Languages: Kurdish, Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish
124 minutes
In a Syrian border village in the early 1980s, little Sero goes to school for the first time. A new teacher has arrived in the village and is determined to make Pan Arabic comrades out of the Kurdish children. The teacher forbids the Kurdish language, orders veneration of Syria’s brutal despot, preaches violence and hate towards the Zionist enemy, and uses his rod easily on the children to drive home his vicious messages. Sero is upset and confused by these teachings, because his long-time neighbors are a lovable Jewish family. With a fine sense of humor and satire, the film, inspired by the director’s personal experiences, depicts a childhood which manages to find light and laughter between dictatorship and dark drama.
Q&A DMIT A ADMIT E N NE
Join Mano Khalil, director of Neighbours, at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 11 on Zoom. Moderated by Sheba Birhanu, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. At the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library and online
Sponsored by Catherine Miller, Len Dolgoy and Family, Francie Ratner, Mark Dolgoy and Family with additional support from the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. 24
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022 Wednesday, May 11
The Last Chapter of A.B. Yehoshua Israel, 2021
Documentary
Director: Yair Qedar
Language: Hebrew
58 minutes The story of A.B. Yehoshua, the greatest Israeli writer living today, who is dealing with serious illness, widowhood and loneliness, but chooses love and embarks on his final journey. A rare and fascinating look at one of Israel’s most beloved writers.
Sponsored by Corey Johnson of Scotia Private Investment Counsel. 25
Jewish Federation of Edmonton Wednesday, May 11
Masel Tov Cocktail Germany, 2020
Drama
Directors: Arkadij Khaet, Michey Paatzsch
Languages: German, Russian
30 minutes As the son of Russian immigrants to Germany, 19-year-old Dimitrij has had enough of adapting to other people’s expectations of him as a token Jew. In this innovative and unsettling film, our protagonist exposes, unpacks, and throws back in our faces everything we ever thought we knew about Jews living in Germany today.
Sponsored by Judy and Benaron Gleiberman on behalf of Alliance Technical Services. 26
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022 Thursday, May 12
Plan A Germany, Israel, 2021
Drama
Directors: Yoav Paz, Doron Paz
Languages: German, English
109 minutes Germany 1945, Max, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, meets a radical group of Jewish resistance fighters, who, like him, lost all hope for their future after they were robbed of their existence and their entire families were killed by the Nazis. They dream of retaliation on an epic scale for the Jewish people. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Max starts identifying with the group’s monstrous plans....
Sponsored by the Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta. 27
Jewish Federation of Edmonton Sunday, May 15 • 7 p.m.
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen United States, 2022
Documentary
Director: Daniel Raim
Language: English
88 minutes 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of Fiddler on the Roof, the film Pauline Kael (The New Yorker) called “the most powerful movie musical ever made.” Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen captures the humor and drama of director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim puts us in the director’s chair and in Jewison’s heart and mind, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Jewison, Topol (Tevye), production designer Robert F. Boyle, film critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and actresses Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, and Neva Small (Tevye’s daughters). The film explores how the experience of making Fiddler deepened Jewison as an artist and revived his soul.
Q&A DMIT A ADMIT E N NE
With director Daniel Raim, Monday, May 16 at 12 p.m. on Zoom. Moderated by Neil Grahn, director, writer and EJFF committee member. At the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library and online
Sponsored by Servus Credit Union. 28
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022 Sunday, May 15 • 7 p.m.
Space Torah United States, 2020
Documentary
Director: Rob Cooper
Language: English
24 minutes Dr. Jeff Hoffman became a NASA Astronaut in 1978 and participated in five space missions, becoming the first astronaut to log 1,000 hours of flights aboard the space shuttle. Dr. Hoffman has performed four spacewalks, including the first unplanned contingency spacewalk in NASA’s history and the initial repair/ rescue mission for the Hubble Space Telescope. He was the first Jewish American male to fly into space. Over five space missions, he chose to bring numerous Jewish objects, the highlight being a small and light Torah scroll (the Space Torah) that he took with him on his fifth and last mission. Rabbi Shaul Osadchey, Jeff’s spiritual leader, was instrumental in making it possible for Jeff to bring the scroll. Jeff saw the act of bringing religious objects into space as part of carrying his own tradition with him, but bringing the Torah had the added symbolic meaning and significance of adding the holiness of human life into space. Made by Verissima Productions. DMIT A ADMIT E N NE
At the Stanley A. Milner Edmonton Public Library and online
Sponsored by the Edmonton Screen Industries Office. 29
Jewish Federation of Edmonton Monday, May 16
Persian Lessons Belarus, Germany, Russian Federation, 2020 Director: Vadim Perelman
Drama Languages: German, French, English, Italian, Persian
127 minutes Occupied France, 1942. Gilles is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. Through an ingenious trick, Gilles manages to survive by inventing words of “Farsi” every day and teaching them to Koch.
Q&A
With Persian Lessons director Vadim Perelman, Tuesday, May 17 at 12 p.m. on Zoom. Moderated by Sam Koplowicz, Chair, EJFF.
Sponsored by The Holocaust Education Committee of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton. 30
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022 Tuesday, May 17
What If? Ehud Barak on War and Peace Israel, 2020
Documentary
Director: Ran Tal
Language: Hebrew
85 minutes Can a leader succeed in influencing the world? Or is he, as any other human being, only a nutshell tossed to the waves of history with no ability to affect it? Tolstoy pondered this question in War and Peace. Ehud Barak, controversial former prime minister and a decorated commander on the battlefield, contemplates these questions in this film. Twenty years after he was forced to resign from the premiership due to the failure of the 2000 Camp David summit, 78-yearold Barak observes his own history and the history of the State of Israel with disillusioned clarity, while trying to figure it all out — “What if?”
Sponsored by the Friends of the Galilee Panhandle. 31
Jewish Federation of Edmonton Tuesday, May 17
Holy Holocaust Israel, 2021
Drama, Animated
Director: Noa Berman-Hertzberg, Language: English Osi Wald 17 minutes A dark family secret from the past is revealed unexpectedly and opens an abyss between two close friends: Jennifer, a black German woman, discovers that she is the granddaughter of a notorious Nazi commander and her life is turned upside down, while her longtime Israeli friend Noa is doing whatever she can to protect her life from upheaval.
Sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada. 32
Edmonton Jewish Film Festival 2022 Wednesday, May 18
Tiger Within United States, 2020
Drama
Director: Rafal Zielinsky
Language: English
99 minutes A story featuring an unlikely friendship between a homeless teen and a Holocaust survivor, sparking larger questions of fear, forgiveness, healing and world peace, starring multiple Emmy Award-winning actor, Ed Asner.
Q&A
With Tiger Within screenwriter Gina Wendkos and actress Margot Josefsohn, 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. Moderated by Becca Cogan-Grahn and Neil Grahn.
Sponsored by Cynthia and Wayne Pertman. 33
Jewish Federation of Edmonton Wednesday, Wed, May 18May 18
The Schnoz United Kingdom, 2020
Drama
Director: Justine Priestley
Language: English
12 minutes When Lydia’s grandma bestows a precious gift upon her, she knows it’s going to be memorable – “This is something to treasure your whole life. Happy 21st birthday, bubelah.” And with that, Grandma hands her a big cheque — for a nose job.
Sponsored by Aviv Israeli Folk Dance Association. 34
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where past and future meet
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS • SUMMER PROGRAMS • GRADUATE PROGRAMS
780-444-0809 • www.cfhu.org • scholarships@cfhu.org 36
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Sit back, get comfy and enjoy the festival! ALBERTA
albertajewishnews.com albertajewishnews@shaw.ca 780-421-7966
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AS MY FATHER PLANTED BEFORE I WAS BORN, SO DO I PLANT FOR THOSE WHO WILL COME AFTER ME THE TALMUD
AS MY FATHER PLANTED BEFORE I WAS BORN, SO DO I PLANT FOR THOSE WHO WILL COME AFTER ME THE TALMUD AS MY FATHER PLANTED BEFORE I WAS BORN, SO DO I PLANT FOR THOSE WHO WILL COME AFTER ME THE TALMUD
THE EDMONTON JEWISH COMMUNITY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ENABLES DONORS TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ENDOWMENTS THE EDMONTON JEWISH COMMUNITY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ENABLES DONORS TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ENDOWMENTS THE EDMONTON JEWISH COMMUNITY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ENABLES DONORS TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ENDOWMENTS (780) 487-0585 Ext. 203
ejccfoundation@gmail.com
(780) 487-0585 Ext. 203
ejccfoundation@gmail.com
(780) 487-0585 Ext. 203
ejccfoundation@gmail.com
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`V
T H U R S D A Y, A U G U S T 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 - 7 P M M D T
JNF EDMONTON
NEGEV GALA ROBIN & DAVID MARCUS HONOURING
Outstanding volunteers committed to building strong community and a love for Israel
In support of the Clore Center for the Performing Arts Join us from the comfort of your home Co-Chairs: Gaylene Soifer and Jeff Rubin jnf.ca | edm@jnf.ca | 780.481.7881
Pleased to support the
EDMONTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL on 26 years of promoting Jewish cinematography and Jewish film achievements in Edmonton
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IVAL JEWISH FILM FEST
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FROM TED POWER AND YOUR FRIENDS AT
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