21 minute read
Films
GOLDEN VOICES
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 | 8 PM EST | ONE NIGHT ONLY VIRTUAL SCREENING Accessible to PA Residents Only
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Directed by Evgeny Ruman Narrative Feature Israel | 2019 | 88 min Russian and Hebrew with English subtitles
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Boston Jewish Film Festival | Haifa International Film Festival | Seattle Jewish Film Festival
AWARDS: Honorable Mention Evgeny Ruman at Haifa International Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Assimilation; immigration; Israel; Israeli cinema; rom-coms; Russian cinema; Russian culture; Soviet Jewry
TREE #3 Screening with GOLDEN VOICES+ Directed by Omer Ben-Shachar Narrative Short | USA | 2019 | 20 min | English and Hebrew with English subtitles This charming Student Academy Award winning short follows a vivacious Israeli immigrant boy who refuses to allow his teacherÕs shoddy casting interfere with him and his new friends performing on stage.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
With a perfect mix of poignancy, levity and heart, GOLDEN VOICES offers an intimate glimpse into the experience of Soviet Jews during the single largest wave of immigration in Israel's history. GPJFF is thrilled to present alumnus director Evgeny Ruman's (Igor & the CranesÕ Journey) latest film on Opening Night of Fall Fest 2020.
Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, Raya (Maria Belkin) and Victor Frenkel (Vladimir Friedman), famed for dubbing the finest films of the 20th century for Soviet audiences, make aliyah and begin their life anew in Israel. Realizing their unique brand has no market in the holy land, they are forced to use their talents in unexpected ways, leading them to wildly absurd predicaments and an adventure of a lifetime.
Nominated for four Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards)
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THEY AINÕT READY FOR ME Shared Stories Encore Screening SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 | 10 AM EST | Available 48 Hours Accessible to PA, NJ & DE Residents Only
Directed by Brad Rothschild Documentary Feature USA | 2020 | 89 min English
OFFICIAL SELECTION: New York Jewish Film Festival | San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Black-Jewish identity; Chicago; civil rights; community activism; documentaries; fighting racial inequity; grassroots activism; justice for black lives; race relations; social justice; strong female voices; Tikkun Olam
In THEY AINÕT READY FOR ME, Tamar Manasseh, founder of MASK (Mothers Against Senseless Killings) believes she can do anything! A mother and rabbinical student who dreams of becoming a rabbi someday, Tamar is not only emerging as an important voice within Chicago's black community, she is on her way to becoming a national symbol of what can be achieved as a grassroots activist.
The work Tamar has been doing for over three years to reduce gun violence in one South Side Chicago neighborhood has taught her that if you have the will, you can make a difference. From the first day of summer through Labor Day, she and her fellow MASK volunteers occupy the corner of 75th and Stuart to assure that kids in the neighborhood have a safe place to play, people have a safe place to meet, and no one is left hungry. With her magnetic, self-assured energy, Tamar credits Judaism for instilling in her this sense of civic duty. In Judaism, Tikkun Olam is demonstrated through acts of kindness, activism, and charity. In a moving moment in the film, Tamar explains that Jews see problems in the world as Òcracks,Ó and her work with MASK is born out of her desire to repair Òthe crack that is called gun violence.Ó
Timely and inspirational, THEY AIN'T READY FOR ME also shows the challenges Tamar faces in her black and Jewish worlds. While she is grateful for the support she receives from the Jewish community, she does not appreciate having to validate her claim to Judaism because of her skin color.
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FROM CAIRO TO THE CLOUD: THE WORLD OF THE CAIRO GENIZA
Directed by Michelle Paymar Documentary Feature Canada/USA/Egypt/France/Israel/UK 2018 | 94 min English
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival | Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival | Miami Jewish Film Festival | New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival | Washington Jewish Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Ancient relics; documentaries; Egypt; historical archives; Jewish history; Jewish diaspora; Sephardic culture; world history
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PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
In 1896, Solomon Schechter enters the sacred storeroom of an ancient synagogue in Old Cairo. The rest is Jewish history.
When a vast treasure trove of documents hidden for centuries was discovered in the ÒgenizaÓ of an old Jewish synagogue in Cairo, historians suddenly gained insight into thousands of years of vibrant Jewish life in the heart of the Islamic world. From sacred manuscripts to personal correspondence with their Muslim and Christian neighbors to young children practicing the Hebrew alphabet, the Cairo Geniza contains the largest compendium of Jewish artifacts ever found.
This illuminating and well-researched documentary tells the story of the worldÕs most extraordinary collection of ancient Jewish relics and their astounding odyssey into the modern world.
BORN IN JERUSALEM AND STILL ALIVE
Directed by Yossi Atia and David Ofek Narrative Feature Israel | 2019 | 83 min Hebrew and English with English Subtitles
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival | Boston Israeli Film Festival | Jerusalem Film Festival | Miami Jewish Film Festival
AWARDS: FIPRESCI Prize at Jerusalem Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Dark comedy; father/son dramas; independent cinema; Israel; Israeli cinema; Jerusalem; rom-coms
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Besides caring for his overly dependent father, anxiety-prone Ronen (Yossi Atia) spends his days offering free walking tours to famous terrorist attack sites in Jerusalem. Navigating PTSD himself, he discovers that his new touring gig, though unconventional, actually brings him solace. After connecting with a beautiful woman from one of his tours Ñ Asia (Lihi Kornowski), a vivacious Israeli ex-pat who studies architecture in Barcelona Ñ Ronen realizes he has a lot more work to do if their relationship is going to stand a chance.
Despite its endearing premise, likable characters, and spectacular views of Jerusalem, BORN IN JERUSALEM AND STILL ALIVE is not your typical romantic comedy. Poetic and original, this award-winning film by Yossi Atia and David Ofek reminds us of the ÒRonenÓ lingering in each of us, a soul yearning to relinquish its past and embrace new beginnings.
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SUBLET
Directed by Eytan Fox Narrative Feature Israel/USA | 2020 | 89 min Hebrew and English with English subtitles
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Tribeca Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Etyan Fox; intergenerational stories; Israel; Israeli cinema; John Benjamin Hickey; LGBTQ cinema; rom-coms; Tel Aviv; unlikely friendships
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
By pulling earnest, first-rate performances from Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey (The Normal Heart) and newcomer Niv Nissim, Etyan Fox (Yossi & Jagger, The Bubble) presents two sympathetic characters audiences will love in SUBLET.
Michael (Hickey) is a New York City travel writer visiting Tel Aviv to research his latest assignment. Rather than explore Tel Aviv like a tourist, he wants to see the region through a localÕs eyes. When he arrives at the apartment of Tomer (Nissim), Michael not only learns that heÕll be residing in one of Tel AvivÕs most coveted neighborhoods but that his temporary home is nowhere near ready for his occupancy. No sooner than Michael settles in, does it become apparent that the handsome, scrappy young filmmaker who let out his apartment has nowhere else to go.
ItÕs easy for Michael to empathize. After leaving behind an estranged relationship with his husband in New York City, Michael feels a certain kinship with Tomer. As the pair gets to know one another and the age gap between them presents less of a hindrance and more of an advantage, Michael and Tomer slowly begin to let their guards down and allow for new possibilities to take root in their lives. Funny, touching, and perfectly understated, in SUBLET, Fox eschews pandering to his characterÕs weaknesses without surrendering his propensity for exploring the heartÕs sentimental gestures. The result is both heartbreaking and brilliant.
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WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT
Directed by Caroline Link Narrative Feature Germany/Switzerland | 2019 | 119 min German, Swiss German, French and English with English subtitles
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival | Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival | Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival | Miami Jewish Film Festival | New York Jewish Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Family dramas; film adaptations; films based on true stories; German cinema; Holocaust cinema; Nowhere in Africa; WWII history
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Based on the best-selling, semi-autobiographical novel by Judith Kerr, WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT is a marvelous new film from the Academy Award-winning director of Nowhere in Africa (2001).
In 1933, precocious and carefree nine-year-old Anna (the astounding Riva Krymalowski) sensed something amiss in Berlin when her father, Arthur Kemper (Oliver Masucci), a well-known Jewish journalist, goes missing. When he flees to Zurich on account of his unfavorable critique of Hitler, Anna, her mother, Dorothea (Carla Juri), and older brother, Max (Marinus Hohmann), each pack a suitcase and embark on a yearslong journey to join Arthur in Switzerland, Paris, and London. Forced to leave behind her favorite pink rabbit with her beloved maid and confidant, Heimpi (Ursula Werner), Anna must find the courage to face a new life filled with challenges and uncertainty.
Packed with stunning visuals and sweeping cinematography, Caroline LinkÕs engrossing adaptation of KerrÕs beloved childrenÕs book offers an intimate window into the experience of German Jewish refugees who left their country just before the war.
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MY NAME IS SARA
Directed by Steven Oritt Narrative Feature USA | 2019 | 111 min English
OFFICIAL SELECTION: JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival | Miami Jewish Film Festival | Toronto Jewish Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Eastern European history; epic stories; female heroines; history of class struggles; Holocaust cinema; thrillers; true stories; WWII history
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Sara Goralnik was only 11 years old when the Nazis invaded her hometown of Korets in June 1941. At the time, Korets was home to a vibrant Jewish community whose history dated back 1,000 years. Before the German invasion, Jews, Polish Catholics, and Ukrainian Eastern Orthodox Christians had peacefully cohabitated in the region for centuries. However, as part of an independent Poland, the local Ukrainian farmers did not fare well compared to the burgeoning Jewish merchant class. Exploited by the Polish nobility, starved by the Soviets during the great famine of the 1930s, and poorly educated to boot, much of the townÕs suffering Ukrainian population had nurtured a deep resentment towards their upwardly mobile Jewish neighbors by the time of the occupation. Desperate and hopeless, many welcomed their German ÒliberatorsÓ Ñ aka Nazis Ñ with open arms. It is here that SaraÕs story begins. After possibly losing her entire family in the Holocaust and barely escaping the Nazis herself, Sara (Zuzanna Surowy) borrows her Christian best friendÕs identity to seek shelter in the Ukrainian countryside. Taken in by a local farmer and his young wife, she tends to their farm and two young children in exchange for food and a place to sleep. Living a lie, Sara knows that her only chance of survival rests on her ability to pass for a local. However, she soon learns she is not the only one harboring a deep, dark secret. After discovering whatÕs been plaguing her employerÕs marriage, life at the farm becomes increasingly tricky as Sara strives to keep her true identity hidden at all costs.
Based on a true story, MY NAME IS SARA is a gripping saga of courage, compassion, and defiance.
ON BROADWAY
Directed by Oren Jacoby Documentary Feature USA | 2019 | 84 min English
OFFICIAL SELECTION: DOC NYC | Hamptons International Film Festival | Miami Jewish Film Festival | San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Acting; Broadway; documentaries; musicals; New York City; New York history; theater and performing arts; theater history; theater preservation
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Fiddler on the Roof. Death of a Salesman. Hamilton. The Phantom of the Opera. For the past two centuries, Broadway has birthed some of the most beloved musicals the world has ever known. Oren JacobyÕs delightful documentary is a meticulously crafted history lesson and a testament to the hundreds of Jewish performers, writers, playwrights, and producers who launched their careers on New York CityÕs most sought after stages.
While Broadway exists to razzle-dazzle, BroadwayÕs most cherished players seek to engage and move audiences. Confronting challenging topics like the AIDS crisis and the African American experience, Tony Kushner and August Wilson may not have set out to prove that Broadway was the place where the worldÕs greatest stories come to life. However, their award-winning plays, Angels in America and Fences, will forever remain entrenched in the 20th Century American zeitgeist. A haven for cultural celebration, exploration, and examination, todayÕs Broadway is a diverse melting pot of fresh and innovative storytelling.
Featuring interviews with James Corden, Alec Baldwin, Helen Mirren and more, ON BROADWAY pays homage to the epic institution that generated thousands of jobs, provided endless hours of joy, and gave rise to the unforgettable legends of stage and screen. The lights of Broadway may be off for the moment, but this intimate review of BroadwayÕs best offers theater lovers another opening, another show from the best seats in the house!
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ASIA
Breakthrough Star: Shira Haas TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 | 8 PM EST | Available 48 Hours Accessible to PA, NJ & DE Residents Only
Directed by Ruthy Pribar Narrative Feature Israel | 2020 | 85 min Hebrew and Russian with English Subtitles
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival | Tribeca Film Festival
AWARDS: Best Actress, Best Cinematography & Nora Ephron Prize at Tribeca Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Coming-of-age films; independent cinema; Israel; Israeli cinema; mother-daughter dramas; Russian cinema; Shira Haas; tearjerkers
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Danny Boyle and William Hurt, two jury members of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, wrote of Shira Haas: ÒHer face is a never-ending landscape in which even the tiniest expression is heartbreaking.Ó Remarking on Haas' assured performance in ASIA, it is no wonder the Israeli actor took home the festival's prestigious award for Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature earlier this season. After being cast in supporting roles in the critically acclaimed yet controversial Israeli independent features Foxtrot (2017) and Princess (2014), HaasÕ role in the Shtisel (2013 - ) propelled her career to new heights. And, while Shtisel was the vehicle that put Haas on the map, it was the talented actor's principal role in another Netflix sensation, Unorthodox, that confirmed her as GPJFF40Õs breakthrough star.
In ASIA, Haas plays Vika, the daughter of a Russian immigrant single mother and nurse. To those that know them, Asia and Vika look and behave more like sisters than mother and daughter. However, as Vika enters an age when privacy and independence are inherent in developing one's identity, Vika's relationship with her mother strains. As Vika experiments with boundaries and begins to defy her mother's unique parenting style, Asia realizes that she's responsible for pushing her daughter away. Her epiphany is central to how she views her daughter's dire diagnosis and the fact that Vika will inevitably need a caregiver 247. Though Vika had been battling severe health issues for most of her life, Vika and her mother never gave up hope that she would live to realize her dreams. Asia now sees that what her daughter needs the most is the space to live her life on her terms.
And an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, Ruthy PribarÕs beautiful debut feature is a poignant character study and rumination on motherhood, desire, and mortality.
ISRAELI SHORTS
ALL PHILADELPHIA PREMIERES
CURL
Directed by Shalom Hager and Sigalit Lipshitz | Israel | 2018 | 25 min | Hebrew with English subtitles Tomer Capon, best known for his roles in acclaimed Israeli TV series like Fauda and When Heroes Fly, is remarkable as David, a Hasidic father of four, who must find a way to reconcile his faith in the wake of a tragic accident.
DINA MALUL FIGHTS BACK
Directed by Amit Saragosi and Adar Shafran Israel | 2019 | 22 min | Hebrew with English subtitles Dina, a hard-working, feisty supermarket cashier, begins a revolution among her colleagues when she decides not to charge customers for all of the items in their carts.
GREY ZONE
Directed by Gal Sagy | Israel | 2020 | 10 min Hebrew with English subtitles Inappropriately groped by a stranger passing by on the street, a female jogger seeks out the man who did it to find out why.
OUR WAY BACK
Directed by Moshe Rosenthal | Israel | 2018 26 min | Hebrew with English subtitles A romance set against the beautiful Israeli desert, OUR WAY BACK stars Lior Ashkenazi (Foxtrot, Footnote) as a married man whose trip with his much younger, male lover takes a dangerous turn.
POP 30
Directed by Shira Billig | Israel | 2019 | 18 min Hebrew with English subtitles Hopeless romantic Mika struggles to come to terms with her boyfriend breaking up with her after she proposes marriage. Produced by JerusalemÕs MaÕaleh School of Television, Film & Arts, this delightful and stylish short
is a love song to the 1980s.
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THE END OF LOVE
Directed by Keren Ben Rafael Narrative Feature France/Israel | 2019 | 90 min French, Hebrew and English with English Subtitles
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Venice International Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Dark comedies; family dramas; France; French cinema; Israel; Israeli cinema; romance films
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. That is certainly the case for Julie (Judith Chemla, My Polish Honeymoon) and Yuval (Arieh Worthalter, Girl), a recently married Parisian couple with a gorgeous baby boy. However, everyone knows that no relationship exists without its problems. Julie and Yuval's marriage is no exception. With Julie in Paris Ñ juggling a kid, a job, and poor excuse for a social life Ñ and Yuval in Israel Ñ surrounded by old friends and family awaiting his visa renewal Ñ the whole long-distance thing hasn't been easy. At first, chatting day and night through Skype manages to keep the couple feeling connected. Nonetheless, once the novelty of spending every waking moment together on a laptop or phone wears off, the couple is inevitably left to ponder whether one's love for the other is strong enough to weather yet another storm.
Shot entirely through Julie and Yuval's digital devices, THE END OF LOVE couldn't be more apropos for the COVID age. Directed by Keren Ben Rafael (Virgins), this thoughtful and engaging indie film not only explores the highs and lows of long-distance communication but authentically demonstrates the emotional toll of having to navigate one's life and relationships predominantly through screens.
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FROM PHILADELPHIA TO THE FRONT
RuthÕs Reels & ArchieÕs Archives: From the Vaults THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 | 5 PM EST | Available 48 Hours Accessible to All States
Directed by Marianne Bernstein and Judy Gelles Documentary Short USA | 2005 | 37 min English
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival | Miami Jewish Film Festival | New York Jewish Film Festival | San Francisco Jewish Film Festival | Washington Jewish Film Festival
AWARDS: Audience Award at Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Documentaries; GPJFF alumni films; local filmmakers; Philadelphia; short films; veterans; WWII history
Directed by former GPJFF Screening Committee members Marianne Bernstein and the late Judy Gelles, this artistic and affecting short documentary is the first to focus on JewishAmerican World War II veterans. Homing in on six Philadelphia WWII vets Ñ all in their 80s at the time of filming Ñ we learn about the antiSemitism Jewish-American soldiers experienced during the war and the impact the war had on the rest of their lives. In combining archival footage and images from the menÕs photo collections, Marianne and Judy share moments of profound significance, such as Jewish soldiers celebrating Shabbat and Passover during wartime and the first Jewish service at Dachau after liberation. One of the documentaryÕs most memorable subjects, Milton Dank Ñ a noted physicist and historian who flew glider planes during the war Ñ took hundreds of photographs from the front lines. Sometimes pictures tell the story better than what words ever could.
When Judy uncovered her own father-inlawÕs wealth of WWII photos and artifacts after his passing, she realized the importance of documenting the experiences of men like Sidney Gelles. These men never talked about the war and now they never would. Her discovery inspired her and Marianne to document stories like SidneyÕs in FROM PHILADELPHIA TO THE FRONT.
Winner of the New Filmmakers Award at the 24th Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival in 2005.
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TAHARA
Rising Star: Rachel Sennott THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 | 8 PM EST | Available 48 Hours Accessible to PA, NJ & DE Residents Only
Directed by Olivia Peace Written by Jess Zeidman Narrative Feature USA | 2020 | 82 min English
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Slamdance Film Festival
FOR FANS OF: Black-Jewish representation onscreen; coming-of-age films; dark comedies; female friendships; high school movies; independent cinema; LGBTQ cinema
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Carrie Lowenstein (Madeline Grey DeFreece) and Hannah Rosen (Rachel Sennott) have been best friends since childhood. When their former Hebrew school classmate, Samantha Goldstein, unexpectedly commits suicide, the girls attend the funeral together, as well as the Òteen talkbackÓ session designed to help them process their grief through their Jewish faith. Even with their teacherÕs guidance, with so many memories to reconcile and dramas to unpack, the teens spend the afternoon just as confused, misguided, and stuck in their own heads as ever. A day in the life of high school students, TAHARA is both a small independent film directed and written by two gifted young filmmakers and an extraordinary breakthrough in Jewish representation in cinema. Maybe you are the Carrie Lowenstein in your group of friends or maybe you have met someone just like her. The fact is if Jews of Color make up 11% of American Jewry, why do we so rarely see stories like CarrieÕs told on screen? Fortunately, this poignant, funny, and utterly of-the-moment film is ready to put questions like these to bed and make way for a new generation of forwardthinking filmmakers and storytellers.
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HONEYMOOD
CENTERPIECE FILM
Directed by Talya Lavie Narrative Feature Israel | 2020 | 90 min Hebrew with English Subtitles
FOR FANS OF: Dark comedies; Israel; Israeli cinema; rom-coms; screwball comedies; Talya Lavie; Tel Aviv; wedding comedies; Zero Motivation
OFFICIAL SELECTION: Tribeca Film Festival and Unofficial Selection: Berlinale
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Writer/director Talya Lavie is back at the festival with another rousingly funny Israeli crowd-pleaser!
When blissful newlyweds arrive in their honeymoon suite, Eleanor (Avigail Harari) desires her wedding night to play out exactly as she had imagined Ñ grand entrance and all. Unfortunately, EleanorÕs plans for a ÒperfectÓ honeymoon are upended once learning what her now-husband (Ran Danker) received as a wedding gift from his ex-girlfriend. Furious, she is convinced if the gift is not returned to her husbandÕs ex immediately, their marriage will be doomed from the start. Having witnessed both the coupleÕs exes flirting with one another earlier in the evening, Eleanor has a hunch where she and her resentful groom should begin their search. What starts out as a quick errand soon derails into an all-night schlep-fest through the streets of Jerusalem.
Having won the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival FounderÕs Award for Best Narrative Feature, as well as the Nora Ephron Prize for her recordbreaking debut feature, Zero Motivation (2014), Lavie knows a lot is riding on the success of her sophomore effort. Luckily, if several highly enthusiastic crowds at the 2020 Berlinale are any indication of whatÕs in store for HONEYMOOD, we believe weÕll be seeing a lot more from this promising and talented director in seasons to come!
