26th Annual Washington Jewish Film Festival by Edlavitch DCJCC

TICKETS

VENUES

Ticket prices may be subject to online service charges.

WASHINGTON DCJCC

REGULAR SCREENINGS

$13

OPENING/CLOSING EVENINGS

$30

SPOTLIGHT EVENINGS

$25

STORY DISTRICT EVENING

$25

FESTIVAL PASS

$150

FESTIVAL PASS (30 YRS & UNDER)

$30

ALL-ACCESS VIP PASS

$250

To Purchase Tickets www.wjff.org, (202) 777-3250, Monday-Friday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Tickets purchased by phone are subject to an additional processing fee of $3 per ticket. WJFF Venue Box Offices: Same-day, venue-specific sales, when inventory remains - open 1 hour before the first screening of the day.

Details All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. All Saturday daytime screenings are presale only. Ticket and pass-holders must be seated 15 minutes prior to show start time to guarantee admittance. All filmmaker guests listed are expected, but their attendance is subject to change with or without notice.

Passes Having trouble choosing what to see? Pass-holders save money and gain access to all our programs! Pass inventory is limited and expected to sell out. Details at wjff.org. The DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.

JCC OF GREATER

Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater WASHINGTON 1529 16th Street NW

6125 Montrose Road

Washington, DC

Rockville, MD

AFI SILVER THEATRE

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

8633 Colesville Road

101 Independence Avenue SE

Silver Spring, MD

Washington, DC

AVALON THEATRE

NATIONAL GALLERY

5612 Connecticut Avenue NW

OF ART

Washington, DC

6th & Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC

BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

7235 Woodmont Avenue

WEST END CINEMA

Bethesda, MD

2301 M Street NW Washington, DC

E STREET CINEMA 555 11th Street NW Washington, DC

WJFF.ORG Join the conversation on social media using #wjff2016! We’ll post exclusive film updates, festival information, and more.

/WashingtonJewishFilmFestival

@wjff

WEDNESDAY, FEB 24 OPENING NIGHT Sponsored by The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

THURSDAY, FEB 25

SATURDAY, FEB 27

Sponsored by Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer

Sponsored by The Dweck Family

Sponsored by The Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

SPOTLIGHT EVENING Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank (DCJCC)

1:30 PM

One Day Pina Asked... (DCJCC)

6:15 PM

3:30 PM

Sunday, Bloody Sunday (DCJCC)

6:15 PM

Yona (Avalon)

3:45 PM

The Pawnbroker (E Street)

6:15 PM

Carvalhoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journey (E Street)

6:15 PM

Summer Solstice (Bethesda Row)

Miriam Beerman: Expressing the Chaos (DCJCC)

6:15 PM

6:30 PM

Miriam Beerman: Expressing the Chaos (Bethesda Row)

6:30 PM

Chaos Within (West End)

6:45 PM

Black Jews: The Roots of the Olive Tree (Bethesda Row)

6:45 PM

1:00 PM

Partner with the Enemy (DCJCC)

2:30 PM

Summer Solstice (DCJCC)

4:45 PM

The Law (DCJCC)

6:15 PM

Natasha (AFI)

Vita Activa (West End)

6:45 PM

Song of Songs (DCJCC)

6:15 PM

Barash (Bethesda Row)

8:30 PM

6:30 PM

Raise the Roof (Bethesda Row)

The Midnight Orchestra (DCJCC)

6:30 PM

Black Jews: The Roots of the Olive Tree (E Street)

8:30 PM

SPOTLIGHT EVENING Fleischerei (AFI)

Dirty Wolves (AFI)

6:45 PM

Drawing Against Oblivion (West End)

SPOTLIGHT EVENING & VISIONARY AWARD PRESENTATION Avalon (AFI)

6:45 PM

The Good Son (Bethesda Row)

8:15 PM

Portrait of a Serial Monogamist (West End)

8:15 PM

Shtisel Season 2, eps 1-3 (Bethesda Row)

8:15 PM

Red Leaves (Bethesda Row)

8:30 PM

Hebrew Superhero (E Street)

8:30 PM

The Record Man (Bethesda Row)

8:30 PM 8:45 PM

SUNDAY, MAR 6 Sponsored by The Melvin and Estelle Gelman Foundation - Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

12:00 PM

Shtisel Season 2, eps 1-3 (DCJCC)

Natasha (Bethesda Row)

12:30 PM

The Pawnbroker (AFI)

Persona Non Grata (West End)

2:45 PM

The Good Son (DCJCC) Sunday, Bloody Sunday (AFI)

8:30 PM

Tikkun (West End)

8:45 PM

Klezmer (Bethesda Row)

3:00 PM

8:45 PM

Song of Songs (E Street)

8:45 PM

Once in a Lifetime (DCJCC)

4:30 PM

Encirclements (DCJCC)

8:45 PM

Barash (Avalon)

5:15 PM

One Day Pina Asked... (AFI)

8:45 PM

Marzipan Flowers (DCJCC)

6:45 PM

8:45 PM

Persona Non Grata (Bethesda Row)

A Tale of Love and Darkness (DCJCC)

9:00 PM

A Grain of Truth (AFI)

FRIDAY, MAR 4 12:30 PM

In Search of Israeli Cuisine (DCJCC)

3:00 PM

Mussa (DCJCC)

OPENING NIGHT Sponsored by The Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

BABA JOON Dir. Yuval Delshad (91 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew and Farsi with English subtitles Israel’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award® is a tender tale of a generational divide and immigrant experience. Yitzhak runs the turkey farm his father built after they immigrated from Iran to Israel. When his son Moti turns 13, Yitzhak teaches him the trade in hopes that he will take over the family business — but Moti’s dreams lie elsewhere. The arrival of an uncle from America further ratchets up the tension and the family’s tight bonds are put to the test Opening Night Party, with Director Yuval Delshad, will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza immediately following the screening. Catering by Provisions. 07 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

OPENING NIGHT Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 pm AFI Silver Theatre

ADDITIONAL SCREENING Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm Bethesda Row Cinema

CLOSING NIGHT Sponsored by The Melvin and Estelle Gelman Foundation – Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS Dir. Natalie Portman (98 min, Israel/USA, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles

CLOSING NIGHT

Academy Award®-winning actress Natalie Portman debuts as a director (and screenwriter) with this hauntingly beautiful adaptation of Amos Oz’s best-selling memoir. In this dream-like tale, Portman inhabits Fania—Oz’s mother—who brings up her son in Jerusalem during the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel. Dissatisfied with her marriage, and disoriented by the foreign land surrounding her, Fania escapes into elaborate, fanciful stories of make-believe — bringing her adoring, wide-eyed son along

Sunday, March 6, 6:45 pm DCJCC

Followed by Closing Night Reception and the Audience Award Ceremony. 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 08

WJFF VISIONARY AWARD PRESENTED TO ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL Evening sponsored by The Dweck Family

AVALON Dir. Barry Levinson (128 min, USA, 1990) An evocative, nostalgic film that celebrates the virtues of family life, Avalon begins with Jewish immigrant Sam Krichinsky (beautifully portrayed by Armin Mueller-Stahl) arriving in America on July 4th. He settles in Baltimore with his brothers and raises a family. Director Barry Levinson traces various transitions within the Krichinsky family and conveys his appreciation for the anxieties that afflict the suburban middleclass – and multiple generations of immigrants in particular. The Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through moving image. The 2016 honoree is Armin Mueller-Stahl, who joins us for a special extended Q&A and the presentation of the WJFF Visionary Award. ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL is a German actor, painter, writer and musician. He began acting in East Berlin in 1950, winning the GDR State Prize for his film work. By 1977, however, he was blacklisted by the communist regime due to his persistent activism in protesting government suppression of the arts. After relocating to the West in 1980, he starred in groundbreaking independent European films, such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Lola and Veronika Voss and Agnieszka Holland’s Angry Harvest. He gained major recognition stateside with two radically different characterizations: an aging Nazi war criminal in Costa-Gavras’ The Music Box and Jewish grandpa Sam Krischinsky in Barry Levinson’s Avalon. He went on to earn an Oscar® nomination for his role in Scott Hicks’ Shine and appeared in such varied work as Eastern Promises, The Game, The West Wing, The X Files and Knight of Cups.

WJFF CLASSICS Narrative

Thursday, March 3, 6:45 pm AFI Silver Theatre

SPOTLIGHT EVENING

Documentary

COMPARED TO WHAT? The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank

Dir. Sheila Canavan and Michael Chandler (90 min, USA, 2014) A polarizing, revolutionary, effective and a most-singular figure in American politics, Barney Frank shaped the debate around progressive values and gay rights in the US Congress for over 40 years. A fresh and contemporary political drama with unparalleled access to one of Congressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first openly gay Representatives, and easily one of the most captivating public figures in recent memory.

Born Jewish, and a longtime friend to the Jewish community and supporter of Israel, Frank is refreshingly honest, likeable and passionate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a beacon of statesmanship that politicians and citizens alike, can look to for inspiration. Both screenings followed by a discussion with Barney Frank, husband Jim Ready and filmmakers Sheila Canavan and Michael Chandler.

Tuesday, March 1, 6:15 pm Avalon Theatre Wednesday, March 2, 6:15 pm DCJCC 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 10

SPOTLIGHT EVENING

GARY LUCAS’ FLEISCHEREI: Music From Max Fleischer Cartoons

And now, for something different! Celebrating the release of the titular album—on Silver Spring-based label Cuneiform—legendary guitarist Gary Lucas joins forces with Tony®nominated singer and actress Sara Stiles (Q Street, Hand to God) for a loving musical tribute to the swinging, jazzy soundtracks that adorned master animator Max Fleischer’s surreal, wacky and Yiddish-inflected Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons of the 1930’s. Backed by the cartoons themselves, and the cream of NYC’s jazz performers (Jeff Lederer on reeds, Michael Bates on bass, Rob Garcia on drums and Mingus Big Band’s Joe Fiedler on trombone), Lucas and Stiles have a rare evening in store. Get ready for a swirling meltingpot of jungle-band jazz, Tin Pan Alley torch songs, raucous vaudeville turns, and Dixieland mixed with a pinch of Klezmer. 11 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

Saturday, March 5, 8:30 pm AFI Silver Theatre

KEY DCJCC Bethesda Row Cinema E Street Cinema AFI Silver Theatre

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

West End Cinema

Other National Gallery of Art JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville Avalon Theatre

• • •

Filmmaker Guest

WJFF Classic - Bringing film classics back to the screen. Rated LGBT - Queer cinema series. Presented in partnership with GLOE - The Kurlander Program for GLBT Outreach & Engagement. Reframing the Artist Exploring the artists’ experience through film.

ARABIC MOVIE Dir. Eyal Sagui Bizawe and Sara Tsifroni (60 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles It is hard to believe today, but not long ago, Israeli families of all backgrounds—Mizrahi, Ashkenazi, and Palestinian alike—would huddle next to the TV each Friday to watch the week’s “Egyptian movie” - usually a heart-rending melodrama or musical. Did anybody ever wonder how Israel’s official TV station was able to bypass sealed borders to obtain these beloved Arab Movies of the Week?

Saturday, February 27, 12:30 pm - E Street Cinema Sunday, February 28, 5:00 pm - DCJCC 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 12

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

BARASH Dir. Michal Vinik (90 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles Seventeen-year-old Naama Barash enjoys drugs, alcohol and hanging out with like-minded friends. Her activities are an escape from a strained home life where her parents fight and her rebellious, army-enrolled sister wreaks havoc by dating a Palestinian before going AWOL altogether. As her parents fret about their older daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disappearance, Naama meets a wild girl in school, and discovers the intoxicating rush of first love.

WORLD PREMIERE Documentary

BLACK JEWS:

The Roots of the Olive Tree Dir. Laurence Gavron (56 min, Cameroon/Senegal/Israel/France, 2016) French, English and Hebrew with English subtitles A fascinating exploration of African tribes with Jewish roots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon. Some claim to be descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes; others believe their ancestors were Jews who immigrated from Judea to Yemen. Far from a dry archeological account, the film focuses on the modern-day personal and institutional practice of Judaism throughout Africa, as well as of recent African immigrants in Israel.

Saturday, February 27, 8:45 pm - E Street Cinema Wednesday, March 2, 8:45 pm - Avalon Theatre

Wednesday, March 2, 6:45 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Thursday, March 3, 6:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Thursday, March 3, 6:30 pm - E Street Cinema

13 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Documentary

CARVALHO’S JOURNEY

THE CHAOS WITHIN

Dir. Steve Rivo (85 min, USA, 2015)

Dir. Yakov Yanai Lein (85 min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew with English subtitles

At a time when the US was busy pushing and re-defining its borders, the nascent medium of photography was just starting to take root. At the center of this artistic and geographic expansion stood an observant Sephardic Jew from South Carolina, Solomon Carvalho (1815-1897). Accomplished documentarian Steve Rivo traces Carvalho’s 1853 expedition alongside famed explorer John Fremont, when Carvalho became among the first to capture the mesas, sweeping vistas and astounding raw beauty of the American West.

Poignant, heartbreaking and triumphant, Yakov Lanai’s journey through Kabbalah, drugs and redemption rivals the wildest-imaged fiction, and yet it’s all true. For 10 years, Lanai tracks his relationship with his mother, Faiga, camera in hand. She is a Holocaust survivor who learned the secrets of Kaballah from her husband, Rabbi Ashlag, before devoting herself to saving humanity from self-destruction. Closer to home, she helps Yanai collect the shattered pieces of his heroin-saturated past and save his own world.

Monday, February 29, 6:30 pm Bethesda Row Cinema

Monday, February 29, 6:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 6:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 6:30 pm - West End Cinema 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 14

WJFF CLASSICS Narrative

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

CREMATOR

DEMON

Dir. Juraj Herz (95 min, Czechoslovakia, 1969) Czech with English subtitles

Dir. Marcin Wrona (94 min, Poland/Israel, 2015) Polish and Yiddish with English subtitles

Karl works at a stately crematorium in Prague. Obsessed

In this chilling, modern interpretation of the Dybbuk legend,

with his duties, he believes he is liberating the souls of the departed. With Nazi forces gathering at the Czech border, Karl descends into a mania that allows him to wholly enact his disturbed beliefs. Ahead of its time, the blend of black comedy and horror in The Cremator is a stunning example of the Czech New Wave movement, gliding effortlessly between Surrealism and Expressionism.

Piotr’s joy at visiting his bride-to-be at her Polish home is quickly upended by his discovery of human bones on the property. Since his future father-in-law plans to gift the newlyweds the land, Piotr at first overlooks this ominous find. The disturbed spirit inhabiting these remains isn’t willing to let him off so easily, however. Marcin Wrona’s wickedly sharp and creepy story of possession is set against a bacchanal celebration of blissful union. Includes adult content.

Friday, February 26, 1:00 pm - DCJCC

Thursday, February 25, 8:45 pm - E Street Cinema

Sunday, February 28, 12:30 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Tuesday, March 1, 9:15 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

15 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

DIRTY WOLVES Dir. Simón Casal de Miguel (105 min, Spain, 2015) Spanish and German with English subtitles In this WWII thriller imbued with notes of magical realism, Manuela works in the Wolfram (aka tungsten) mines in rural Galicia. A ruthless Nazi brigade, intent on harvesting the rare metal to feed the Third Reich’s war machine, has captured the mines. When Manuela’s sister helps a Jewish prisoner cross the border to Portugal, they are unwittingly forced into a desperate test, which puts their survival squarely at odds with their sense of justice. Includes adult content.

US PREMIERE Documentary

DRAWING AGAINST OBLIVION Dir. Bärbel Jacks (67 min, Germany/Austria, 2015) Polish, German and English with English subtitles Austrian artist Manfred Bockelmann was born at the height of Hitler’s power, the son of privileged parents who ended up joining the Nazi party. Deeply troubled by this history, he sets out to rescue the memory of Jewish children who perished in the death camps. Finding an archive of faded photos of these unfortunate youths, he transforms the photo miniatures into large-scale charcoal drawings. This film powerfully visualizes the Holocaust’s horrors without employing archival footage, while compelling us to be vigilant against modern-day racism and xenophobia.

Saturday, February 27, 6:15 pm - West End Cinema Tuesday, March 1, 8:45 pm - Avalon Theatre

Sunday, February 28, 7:00 pm - West End Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 6:45 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Wednesday, March 2, 6:45 pm - West End Cinema 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 16

US PREMIERE Documentary

THE DYBBUK. A TALE OF WANDERING SOULS.

EINSTEIN IN THE HOLY LAND

Dir. Krzysztof Kopczynsk (86 min, Poland/Ukraine/Sweden, 2015) Ukrainian, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish with English subtitles

Dir. Noa Ben Hagai (55min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles

The Ukrainian city of Uman is the burial site of Rebbe Nachman, one of the most important figures of Chasidism. Every year, tens of thousands of Jews travel there to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and visit the Rebbe’s grave. The annual flow of visitors helps brings this poor post-communist city back to life, but the ghosts of Ukrainian nationalism and religious intolerance are revived as well.

Jews lived there, and judging from the newspaper headlines, nearly all of them came out to greet the most famous Jew of his generation. For the next 12 days, Einstein kept a personal travel diary cataloging his impressions of the emerging Israeli State; he wrote excitedly about a culture of labor, the future of Zionism and, quite amusingly, of the beautiful women he met in this fascinating new land.

When Albert Einstein visited Palestine in 1932, over 85,000

Friday, February 26, 3:00 pm - DCJCC

Saturday, February 27, 3:00 pm - West End Cinema

Saturday, February 27, 2:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Tuesday, Mar 1, 3:30 pm – DCJCC

17 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

DC PREMIERE Narrative

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

ENCIRCLEMENTS

EVA HESSE

Dir. Lee Gilat (98 min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew with English subtitles

Dir. Marcie Begleiter (105 min, USA, 2015)

A 13-year-old growing up in a working class Moroccan-Israeli community, Aharon is having a tough time. His father is distant; bullies hound him on the street; and the girl of his dreams barely knows he exists. When he is chosen to carry the Torah scrolls for Simchat Torah, however, his streak of bad luck seems over, but being chosen for this honor soon exposes family tensions and unwelcomed responsibilities. A sensational story of empowerment, triumph over loss and coming-of-age. Starring Assi Levy (Aviva My Love) and Lior Ashkenazi (Walk on Water, Footnote).

Saturday, February 27, 7:30 pm JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville Sunday, March 6, 4:30 pm - DCJCC

German-American artist Eva Hesse (1936-1970) created her innovative art in latex and fiberglass in the whirling aesthetic vortex of 1960s New York â&#x20AC;&#x201D; her flowing forms were in part a reaction to the rigid structures of then-popular minimalism, largely a male-dominated movement. Hesseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complicated personal life encompassed not only a chaotic 1930s Germany, but also illness and the lively immigrant culture of New York in the 1940s. Presented in association with the National Gallery of Art.

Saturday, February 27, 3:00 pm National Gallery of Art 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 18

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

FEELINGS ARE FACTS: The Life of Yvonne Rainer Dir. Jack Walsh (83 min, USA, 2015) At the age of 25, Yvonne Rainer took her first dance class; at the age of 32, she changed dance forever. 1966’s Trio A, “freed the dancer’s body from the rigid fragmentation and artificiality of choreographed movement” (MoMA); simply put, it reinvented the very art of dance. Jack Walsh’s documentary opens with the work, and then expands to capture Rainer’s revolutionary dance and film careers; her avant-garde life; her vibrant feminism; her razor-sharp intellect; and eventually her return to dance, at the insistence of Mikhail Baryshnikov, in 2000.

DC PREMIERE Narrative

FIRE BIRDS Dir. Amir Wolf (105 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles The body of an 80-year-old man with a mysterious tattoo and three stab wounds to the chest washes up by the Yarkon River. Amnon, a downtrodden detective fresh off a suspension, warily takes on the case. As he digs deeper, the investigation only gets stranger, as Fire Birds expertly builds up the suspense though a whiplash timeline that swings back and forth from past to present. Along the way, we contend with con men, crooked cops, romanced widows and a secret society of Holocaust survivors. Nominated for 10 Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars).

Thursday, February 25, 6:15 pm - DCJCC Friday, February 26, 2:30 pm - E Street Cinema

Friday, February 26, 5:00 pm - E Street Cinema

Monday, February 29, 8:30 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Saturday, February 27, 8:45 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

19 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

DC PREMIERE Documentary

DC PREMIERE Narrative

THE GOOD SON

A GRAIN OF TRUTH

Dir. Shirly Berkovitz (53 min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew with English subtitles

Dir. Borys Lankosz (110 min, Poland, 2015) Polish with English subtitles

The incredible story of 22-year-old Or, who secretly

An adaptation of the titular best-selling detective novel by

finances his sex change operation in Thailand by lying to his conservative parents – and then returns home as a woman to face her new life, her family and the price of living her dream. Will she persuade her mother and father to take her back? Will she learn to assume responsibility for her actions?

Polish author Zygmunt Miloszewski. A horrendous crime has been committed in the picturesque small town of Sandomierz – the body of a murdered woman, a well-liked local social activist, is found. Prosecutor Teodor Szacki, recently moved down from Warsaw, recognizes that the murders are connected to allegedly historic Jewish ritual killings. As he works to solve the case, he must also face down the hysteria of public opinion and simmering anti-Semitism.

The Good Son examines how far we are forced to go in compromising our morals, our loved ones and everything familiar to us, in order to become whole.

Includes adult content. Saturday, February 27, 4:30 pm - DCJCC Thursday, March 3, 6:45 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Tuesday, March 1, 8:30 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Sunday, March 6, 2:45 pm – DCJCC

Wednesday, March 2, 9:00 pm - AFI Silver Theatre 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 20

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

THE HEBREW SUPERHERO Dir. Shaul Betser and Asaf Galay (53 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles Israelis long shunned comics as something on the cultural fringe: they were deemed childish, trivial, and perhaps most cuttingly, un-Israeli. Shaul Betser and Asaf Galay (The Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer) outline the mediumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s origins, tracing its evolution from quirky upstart to an indelible reflection on the various forms of Israeli heroes. Featuring gorgeous animation and interviews with Daniella London Dekel, Etgar Keret and Dudu Geva.

SPECIAL PREVIEW Narrative

KLEZMER Dir. Piotr Chrzan (97 min, Poland, 2015) Polish with English subtitles In 1943, a group of Polish villagers gathering in the woods to discover a listless and injured man. Recognizing him to be a Jewish musician, the party heatedly argue about what to do next: turn him into the authorities for a hefty fee? Leave him be? Hide him? The considerations offered are chillingly pragmatic and offer a stark study of compromised morals and a timely allegory for a country where Judaism is most felt in its weighty absence.

Thursday, February 25, 7:15 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm - E Street Cinema

Tuesday, March 1, 6:30 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Monday, February 29, 3:30 pm - DCJCC

Thursday, March 3, 8:30 pm - E Street Cinema

Thursday, March 3, 8:45 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

21 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

DC PREMIERE Narrative

WJFF CLASSICS Narrative

THE LAW

THE LIGHT AHEAD

Dir. Christian Faure (87 min, France, 2014) French with English subtitles

Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer (94 min, USA, 1939) Yiddish with new English subtitles

Simone Veil’s intrepid fight to legalize abortion in France is

Sponsored by the Arthur Tracy “The Street Singer” Endowment Fund honoring the memory and musical legacy of Arthur Tracy.

brilliantly brought to life in this taut fact-based drama. In 1974, Veil was charged with decriminalizing abortion and easing access to contraceptives. Facing strong opposition from politicians, an enraged public, and the Catholic Church, Veil— an Auschwitz survivor—refused to give up. Fighting for justice amidst a swirl of anti-Semitic sentiment, sexism and personal attacks, her perseverance struck at the heart of national bigotry in a rallying cry for a woman’s right to choose.

Thursday, February 25, 8:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema Monday, February 29, 8:45 pm - E Street Cinema Saturday, March 5, 4:45 pm - DCJCC

Possibly the greatest of Edgar G. Ulmer’s shtetl films, presented here in a restored 35mm print courtesy of the National Center for Jewish Film. Made on the eve of WWII, it is at once romantic, expressionist, and painfully conscious of the danger about to engulf European Jews. Impoverished and disabled lovers, Fishke and Hodel dream of life in the big city of Odessa, free from the poverty and stifling old-world prejudices of the shtetl. The benevolent and enlightened bookseller Mendele helps them, turning small-town superstitions to their advantage. Co-sponsored by the Esther Saks Abelman Yiddish Culture Fund.

Tuesday, March 1, 6:15 pm - DCJCC 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 22

DC PREMIERE Documentary

LOOK AT US NOW, MOTHER! Dir. Gayle Kirschenbaum (84 min, USA/India/France, 2015) Gayle Kirschenbaum is unmarried, artistic, and independent – not to mention the one with the big nose. With a mother as loudly critical as hers, the wounds dated back to childhood. The two women take a trip to India together, sign up for the same dating site, and even seek out couples’ therapy. With tear-stained laughter, they hope to understand one another, to find common ground, and perhaps even forgiveness, before it’s too late.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE Narrative

MARZIPAN FLOWERS Dir. Adam Kalderon (73 min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew with English subtitles Leavened with a chic indie sensibility, Marzipan Flowers centers on Hadas, a 48-year-old kibbutznik. After her husband dies in an accident, she is scrutinized by neighbors and threatened by her status as a beautiful widow. Lost and vulnerable, Hadas moves to the big city – Tel Aviv. Lonely and out of her element, Hadas forges a connection with new roommate Petel, a transgender woman with a mysterious past.

Saturday, February 27, 4:30 pm - West End Cinema Thursday, February 25, 6:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema Sunday, February 28, 1:30 pm JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville 23 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

Monday, February 29, 6:45 pm Bethesda Row Cinema Wednesday, March 2, 8:45 pm - DCJCC

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

THE MIDNIGHT ORCHESTRA

MIRIAM BEERMAN:

Dir. Jerome Cohen Olivar (102 min, Morocco, 2015) Arabic, English and French with English subtitles

Dir. Jonathan Gruber (53 min, USA, 2015)

Michael Abitbol, the son of a once-famous Jewish musician, returns to Casablanca for the first time after leaving Morocco as a child amidst racial tensions spurred by the Yom Kippur War. There, Michael embarks on a mission to honor his father’s legacy. Aided by an eclectic cab driver, his search for the former members of his father’s band unexpectedly transforms his life forever.

Expressing the Chaos

At 90, Miriam Beerman is a survivor. This ground-breaking artist and Potomac, MD resident has overcome personal tragedy to inspire friends, family, peers, patrons and students about how to remain defiant, creative and strong. Miriam has struggled with her artistic demons to create haunting images that evoke the suffering of generations of victims. The film is a memorable profile of an artist who has elevated her empathy for the plight of the world’s cast-offs into powerful portrayals of dignity.

Wednesday, March 2, 6:30 pm Bethesda Row Cinema Wednesday, March 5, 8:30 pm - DCJCC

Thursday, March 3, 6:15 pm - DCJCC 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 24

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

DC PREMIERE Documentary

MOUNTAIN

MUSSA

Dir. Yaelle Kayam (83 min, Israel/Denmark, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles

Dir. Anat Goren (65 min, Israel, 2015) Amharic, Arabic, English, Hebrew with English subtitles

An Orthodox woman lives in the Jewish cemetery on

Twelve-year-old Mussa won’t speak. A refugee from Darfur

Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. While her husband works and the children are at school, she is left alone on the hill. She goes for walks in the cemetery, escaping endless house work and growing boredom. One night, she happens onto an unsettling sexual scene. Stirred by this image, she starts acting differently, all while trying to keep up normal appearance – until she no longer can.

living in Tel Aviv, he’s been bussed from his troubled neighborhood to an upscale private school for the past five years. Mussa’s classmates are his best friends, but he chooses to communicate with them only through gestures. Despite the bond he shares with his friends and teacher, Mussa is alone; his parents struggle to make ends meet and are seldom home, leaving Mussa with his voiceless thoughts and a real fear of deportation.

Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm Bethesda Row Cinema

Monday, February 29, 7:30 pm - West End Cinema

Saturday, February 27, 6:45 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Tuesday, March 1, 6:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Sunday, February 28, 3:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Friday, March 4, 3:00 pm - DCJCC

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DC PREMIERE Narrative

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

NATASHA

NO HOME MOVIE

Dir. David Bezmozgis (93 min, Canada, 2015) Russian and English with English subtitles

Dir. Chantal Akerman (115 min, France/Belgium, 2015) French and English with English subtitles

Adapting his prize-winning story collection, Natasha and

At the center of Chantal Akermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enormous body of work

Other Stories, to screen, David Bezmogis delivers a tragic story of young love. Sixteen-year-old Mark Berman, the son of Latvian-Jewish immigrants, wiles away his hours reading Nietzsche, smoking pot and watching porn. His slacker lifestyle is upended when a 14-year-old hurricane, named Natasha, enters the picture. Drawn to her reckless ways and whispers of her promiscuous past, Mark enters an illicit romance with calamitous consequences.

is her mother, a Holocaust survivor who married and raised a family in Brussels. No Home Movie is a portrait by Akerman, Chantalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s daughter, of her mother in the last years of her life. It is an extremely intimate film, but also one of great formal precision and beauty, a rare work of art that is both personal and universal. Note adapted from the New York Film Festival.

Includes adult content. Sunday, February 28, 5:00 pm - West End Cinema Thursday, March 3, 8:30 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Monday, February 29, 7:15 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Saturday, March 5, 6:15 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

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MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

ON THE BANKS OF THE TIGRIS: The Hidden Story

of Iraqi Music

Dir. Marsha Emerman (79 min, Australia, 2015) In English and Arabic with English subtitles Majid Shokor, a Muslim Iraqi living in Australia, finds a hidden Jewish connection in his favorite childhood music. Startled and energized by this discovery, he travels to Europe, Israel and Iraq, meeting musicians of all faiths who share his love of the Iraqi sound. Hearing their remarkable life stories, and breathtaking music, Majid is inspired to unite them in a concert for peace and reconciliation.

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

ONCE IN A LIFETIME Dir. Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar (105 min, France, 2014) French with English subtitles A dedicated high school history teacher in France is determined to give her inner-city pupils the best education possible. Overcoming their apathy, however, is proving to be difficult. Frustrated but undaunted, Anne tests her multicultural and multi-faith classroom with a unique assignment: a national competition on the theme of child victims of the Nazi concentration camps. The project is initially met with extreme resistance, until a face-to-face encounter with a Holocaust survivor changes the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attitudes dramatically.

Thursday, February 25, 8:45 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Saturday, February 27, 4:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Sunday, February 28, 7:00 pm - DCJCC

Tuesday, March 1, 8:45 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Monday, February 29, 8:30 pm - West End Cinema

Thursday, March 3, 8:45 pm - DCJCC

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WJFF CLASSICS Documentary

ONE DAY PINA ASKED... Dir. Chantal Akerman (57 min, France, 1983) English, French and German with English subtitles An encounter between two of the most remarkable women artists of the 20th century, One Day Pina Asked... is Chantal Akerman’s look at the work of choreographer Pina Bausch (more recently brought to screen by Wim Wenders) and her Wuppertal, Germany-based dance company. “With her audacious compositions, decisive cuts and tightrope-tremulous sense of time—and her stark simplicity— it shares, in a way that Wenders film doesn’t, the immediate exhilaration of the moment of creation.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

PARTNER WITH THE ENEMY Dir. Duki Dror and Chen Shelach (60 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles Two women—one Israeli and one Palestinian—attempt the seemingly impossible: to build a business together. Fighting against societal and familial pressures, anti-normalization currents and a chauvinistic, male-dominated industry, they join forces to create a logistics company that helps expedite the shipment of goods to the West Bank. While their firm takes off, the divisions between them threaten to tear apart their partnership.

Monday, February 29, 6:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema Thursday, March 3, 1:30 pm - DCJCC

Tuesday, March 1, 6:15 pm - West End Cinema

Sunday, March 6, 5:15 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Saturday, March 5, 1:00 pm – DCJCC 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016 | 28

WJFF CLASSICS Narrative

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

THE PAWNBROKER

PERSONA NON-GRATA

Dir. Sidney Lumet (116 min, USA, 1964)

Dir. Cellin Gluck (135 min, Japan, 2016) Japanese with English subtitles

A Jewish pawnbroker, victim of Nazi persecution, loses all faith in his fellow man until he realizes too late the tragedy of his actions. Directed by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men), scored by Quincy Jones, and starring Rod Steiger in an Oscar®-nominated performance, The Pawnbroker is a ground-breaking classic, hailed as the first American film to depict the Holocaust from a survivor’s point of view.

The heroic tale of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat posted in Lithuania during WWII, is brought to screen in sweeping fashion in this instant epic. By personally issuing scores of exit visas to Jews looking to flee the continent —without full authority from his government—Sugihara was responsible for the escape of more than 6,000 Jewish refugees to Japanese territory, all while risking his career and his family’s lives in the process.

Saturday, February 27, 1:30 pm - DCJCC Thursday, March 3, 3:45 pm - E Street Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 8:45 pm Bethesda Row Cinema

Sunday, March 6, 12:30 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Thursday, March 3, 8:45 pm - West End Cinema

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DC PREMIERE Narrative

PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL MONOGAMIST Dir. Christina Zeidler, John Mitchell (82 min, Canada, 2015) Fortysomething Toronto TV producer Elsie is the kind of nice Jewish girl your mother warned you about: the serial monogamist who seems to have slept with everyone in town. She’s got breakup speech memorized, a cute girl in the wings, and something about her lets you know she’s only going to break your heart. When Elsie coolly cuts it off with sweet performance artist Robyn, her friends challenge her to stay single for five months – no bars, no clubs, and (for goodness sake) no volunteer work. Seems easy, right? Note adapted from Frameline.

DC PREMIERE Documentary

RAISE THE ROOF Dir. Yari Wolinsky and Cary Wolinsky (85 min, USA/Poland, 2014) Polish with English subtitles Inspired by images of magnificent wooden synagogues in 18th century Poland—the last of which were destroyed by the Nazis—artists Rick and Laura Brown set out to reconstruct a replica of the stunning, mural-covered Gwozdziec synagogue. Working with a team of 300 artisans and students from around the world, using only period hand tools and techniques, the Browns finally realize their dream. This remarkable 10-year project is set against the backdrop of a 1,000-year history of Polish Jews.

Monday, February 29, 6:15 pm - DCJCC

Sunday, February 28, 11:30 am JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville

Tuesday, March 1, 8:30 pm - E Street Cinema

Tuesday, March 1, 8:30 pm - DCJCC

Wednesday, March 2, 8:15 pm - West End Cinema

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MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

THE RECORD MAN

RED LEAVES

Dir. Mark Moormann (110 min, USA/Bahamas. 2015)

Dir. Bazi Gete (80 min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew and Amharic with English subtitles

Brooklyn-born Henry Stone exported the music of Miami to the world. From distributing records out of his ‘48 Packard

Meseganio Tadela, 74, is a hard, obstinate and nervous man.

to establishing the largest independent label of the 1970’s, he was a shrewd record executive with an ear for hits and a knack for discovering talent.

He immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia 28 years ago with his family. He has chosen to zealously retain his culture, talks very little, and hardly speaks Hebrew.

His chart-topping artists (soul legend Betty Wright, KC and the Sunshine Band, George McCrae) led to the original Miami Sound and the birth of Disco with the song, “Rock Your Baby.”

After losing his wife, he is afraid of dying and being alone, so he sets out on a journey to visit each of his children. Faced with their comfortable, assimilated, day-to-day lives, he is forced to reckon with his traditional values.

Sunday, February 28, 2:30 pm - AFI Silver Theatre Monday, February 29, 8:15 pm - DCJCC

Tuesday, March 1, 6:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 8:30 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 8:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

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MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

US PREMIERE Narrative

IN SEARCH OF ISRAELI CUISINE

SHTISEL

Dir. Roger Sherman (97 min, USA, 2016)

Series creators: Yehonatan Indursky and Ori Elon 3 Episodes x 45 min each Hebrew and Yiddish with English subtitles

If you believe the fastest way to the heart is through the stomach, this delectable, eye-popping culinary journey through Israel is your personal valentine. Weaving through bustling markets, restaurants, kitchens and farms, we meet cooks, vintners and cheese makers drawn from the wide gamut of cultures making up Israel today — Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Druze. With James Beard award-winning chef Michael Solomonov as your guide, get ready for a cinematic buffet that’s humorous, heady, and of course, delicious!

Season 2 (episodes 1-3) The second season of hit Israeli TV show, Shtisel, centers on father and son Shulem and Akiva Shtisel (Dov Glickman and Michael Aloni), who share the same apartment in ultraOrthodox Mea Shearim, the same cynical humor and the same search for love and motherly warmth in a cold world. We screen the first three episodes of the series in marathon, back-to-back, fashion. Grab some popcorn and settle in for a treat.

Sunday, February 28, 5:15 pm - E Street Cinema

Thursday, February 25, 7:45 pm - West End Cinema

Tuesday, March 1, 8:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Thursday, March 3, 8:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Friday, March 4, 12:30 pm – DCJCC

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MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

EAST COAST PREMIERE Narrative

SONG OF SONGS

SUMMER SOLSTICE

Dir. Eva Neymann (76 min, Ukraine, 2015) Russian with English subtitles

Dir. Michal Rogalski (95 min, Poland/Germany, 2015) Polish and German with English subtitles

Starting with Sholem Aleichem’s enchanting tales, Eva Neymann concocts a strong, dreamy potion of a film that invokes young love in a Ukrainian shtetl. As 10-year-olds, we see Shimek and Buzya twirling, playing, and escaping their strict Chasidic homes. On the cusp of adulthood, they are still madly, intensely in love, but the real world increasingly looms. The film’s magical and nostalgic tone is perfectly elevated by a soundtrack of vinyl recordings by Jewish singers and musicians.

Poland, 1943 – Love, friendship and fate connect a simple Polish country boy, the daughter of a local farmer, a young German soldier and a Jewish girl from Warsaw. The four of them come across something that both threatens and provides an escape from their harsh reality: love. Will they be able to hold on to their dreams while facing the horrors of their time and the uncertainty of their future?

Sunday, February 28, 5:15 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Saturday, February 27, 6:30 pm - E Street Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 8:45 pm - E Street Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 6:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

Saturday, March 5, 6:45 pm – DCJCC

Saturday, March 5, 2:30 pm – DCJCC

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WJFF CLASSICS Narrative

SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY Dir. John Schlesinger (110 min, UK, 1971) John Schlesinger followed his iconic Midnight Cowboy with this deeply-personal take on love and sex. Sunday, Bloody Sunday depicts the romantic lives of two Londoners, a middle-aged doctor and a prickly thirtysomething divorcée—played with great sensitivity by Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson—who are sleeping with the same handsome young artist (Murray Head). A revelation in its day, this may be the ‘70’s most intelligent, multi-textured film about the complexities of romantic relationships.

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

THIRD PERSON Dir. Sharon Luzon (54 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew, Arabic and Spanish with English subtitles Suzan was born with both male and female sex organs. When she was five months old, her parents decided she would be a female. It wasn’t until she was 35 that she first learned these facts. Ofer was born intersex, too, but his parents decided against surgery and—in many aspects—his story is the mirror image of hers. In different, but complementary ways, they work to define their own places in society while fighting societal bigotry and intolerance.

Thursday, March 3, 3:30 pm - DCJCC

Thursday, February 25, 6:15 pm - West End Cinema

Sunday, March 6, 3:00 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

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MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

TIKKUN Dir. Avishai Sivan (120 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew and Yiddish with English subtitles A young ultra-Orthodox man experiences a crisis of faith in this formally daring drama that employs bravura and often-shocking imagery. Following a near-death experience, the devout Yeshiva student begins wandering Jerusalem’s empty streets at night without purpose, while his father—a Kosher butcher—experiences terrifying nightmares as retribution for saving his son. Winner of the Best Feature award at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Note adapted from the Chicago International Film Festival Includes graphic adult content. Monday, February 29, 8:15 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Documentary

VITA ACTIVA: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt Dir. Ada Ushpiz (125 min, Israel/Canada, 2015) Hebrew, English and German with English subtitles The German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt caused uproar by coining the subversive concept of the “Banality of Evil” while reporting on the trial of Adolph Eichmann. Her private life was equally controversial. thanks to her love affair with the renowned German philosopher and Nazi supporter, Martin Heidegger. This spirited documentary, with its abundance of archival material, offers an intimate portrait of the whole of Arendt’s life, traveling to places she lived, worked, loved and was betrayed.

Tuesday, March 1, 6:45 pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Monday, February 29, 8:45 pm Bethesda Row Cinema

Wednesday, March 2, 8:30 pm - West End Cinema

Thursday, March 3, 6:15 pm - West End Cinema

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MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

DAY OF EDUCATION ON ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL Documentary

WEDDING DOLL

WOMEN IN SINK

Dir. Nitzan Gilady (82 min, Israel, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles

Dir. Iris Zaki (40 min, Israel/UK, 2015) Hebrew with English subtitles

Hagit, a young woman with a mild mental disability, works in a toilet-paper factory and lives with her nurturing and protective single mother. Hagit prides herself on her independence but also dreams vividly—and daily—about marriage. When a relationship develops between her and the son of the factory owner, Hagit hides it from her mother, Sarah. The announcement of the factory’s closing shakes Hagit and Sarah’s lives and jeopardizes Hagit’s love story.

It is the story of a little hair salon in the heart of the Arab community in Haifa; it is the story of a friendship between Arab and Jewish women in the city, which is considered a model of coexistence; and it is the story of Iris, the film director, who worked as a hair washer at the salon so she could get to know women of the neighborhood. Screening is part of the 6th Annual Community Education Day on Arab Citizens of Israel (p. 40).

Thursday, February 25, 8:30 pm - DCJCC Saturday, February 27, 8:30 pm - West End Cinema Tuesday, March 1, 6:45 pm - Bethesda Row Cinema

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YONA Dir. Nir Bergman (100 min, Israel/Germany, 2014) Hebrew with English subtitles Focusing on the early ‘60s, we witness a turbulent slice of famed Hebrew poet Yona Wallach’s life. She is just taking her first steps in the world of published poetry, battling for recognition in a chauvinistic, male-dominated and downright cynical environment. After her breakthrough, Yona—intent on testing her own limits—suffers a mental breakdown. The film centers on her struggle to resume writing and attain literary immortality, despite all odds and at great personal cost.

WORK IN PROGRESS

MID-ATLANTIC PREMIERE Narrative

Thursday, February 25, 8:45 pm Bethesda Row Cinema

Documentary

THE MAMBONIKS Dir. Alexis Gillespie (100 min, USA, 2015) Spanish and English with English subtitles WJFF is partnering with Docs In Progress® to present this workshop screening. The audience is invited to participate in a moderated feedback session after the screening. This honest and constructive feedback is aimed at helping the filmmaker get to the next stage of completing and distributing the film. In the 1950s, a group of free-spirited, mostly Jewish dancers from New York City fell in love with a sultry dance from Cuba called the mambo, earning them a nickname: the mamboniks. Set in New York, Miami Beach, the Catskills and Havana, The Mamaboniks features the infectious sounds of Tito Puente, Celia Cruz and Mongo Santamaria.

Sunday, February 28, 7:45 pm - E Street Cinema Wednesday, March 2, 6:15 pm - Avalon Theatre 37 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

Sunday, February 28, 12:30 pm - E Street Cinema

SHORTS PROGRAMS

SANDS AND SEASONS

THE TIES THAT BLIND

(96 min, Canada/Israel/Latvia/The Netherlands/USA, 2015)

(96 min, France/Israel/Poland/USA, 2015)

Some of life’s greatest changes are unanticipated or imperceptible at first glance. This collection of short films zooms far out and captures a full range of human motion, thought and history, measured in years, decades and centuries. From lands and languages reclaimed, to hallowed sites repurposed and careers re-lived, join us for a deep peer into the world through the sandy grain of time.

Our heartstrings—whether animated by romance, family or passion—work in mysterious and sometimes contradictory ways. The shorts in this series are connected by Cupid’s wayward arrow, by hearts working at odds with minds, and by bonds that prove stronger than their circumstances. Featured films: All These Voices; Born Allies; How Not to Say I Love You; Our People; The Setup; The Shouk; and Warm Snow.

Featured films: Curt Lowens: A Life of Changes; Etoile; The Old Jewish Cemetery; Longing; Period. New Paragraph.; Sara Levy Cohen and The Visit.

Sunday, February 28, 2:30 pm – West End Cinema

Saturday, February 27, 12:45 pm – West End Cinema

Monday, February 29, 6:15 pm – West End Cinema

Sunday, February 28, 12:00 pm – West End Cinema

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God Loves you? True Stories about Faith and Sexuality Take a screen-break and join Story District (formerly SpeakeasyDC) for its return to the DCJCC with another live performance of heartfelt and hilarious true stories. With fresh perspectives on the tug-of-war that persists between faith and identity in contemporary society, these expertly-crafted narratives complement our Rated LGBTQ ( ) sidebar.

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DAY OF EDUCATION

STORY DISTRICT PRESENTS:

6TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY EDUCATION DAY ON ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL SUN DAY, FEBRUA R Y 28, 12:30 PM -4:30 PM at the DCJCC Sponsored by the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues and the Washington DCJCC Lead Support provided by The Naomi and Nahemiah Cohen Foundation and The Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

Jo i n u s f o r a n i n-dept h ex ploration of the d aily lives and c hal l e n g e s of Arab ci t i z ens of Isra el. The discussion will be kicked off with the incisive and powerful documentary, Women in Sink (p. 36), and followed by a panel discussion between two leading shared society advocates from Israel. Reem Younis, co-founder of Nazareth-based global hightech company Alpha Omega and role model for Israeli Arab entrepreneurial success, will be joined by Tziona Koenig-Yair, who just completed an 8-year term as Israel’s first Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner. Conversation moderated by Rabbi Sid Schwarz, co-chair of the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues. Reem Younis

Tziona Koenig-Yair

Following this portion of the program, there will be a reception and World Café-style discussion.

Co-presented by: Adas Israel Congregation, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, Am Kolel Jewish Renewal Community of Greater Washington, Ameinu, American Jewish Committee, Washington Region, American University Center for Israel Studies, Anti-Defamation League, Washington DC Region, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, B’nai Israel Congregation, Congregation Beit Chaverim of Calvert County, Congregation Sha’are Shalom of Waldorf, Congregation Shirat HaNefesh, Embassy of Israel, Hevrat Shalom Congregation of Maryland, Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Kehilat Shalom, Kol Shalom, Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, New Israel Fund, Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue, Shaare Tefila Congregation, Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society, Temple Beth Ami, Temple Emanuel, Tifereth Israel Congregation, Washington Hebrew Congregation.

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BEYOND THE FILMS

BEYOND THE FILMS In addition to the 140+ screenings and events listed in this guide, there’s so much more on offer! From artist talks to social events, receptions and more be sure to check out our Beyond the Films sidebar. A few selected highlights are below and the full updated list is viewable at WJFF.org.

Library Of Congress Lunchtime Talks Daily, March 1-3, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Work on the Hill or just able to get away during the day? Join filmmakers Asaf Galay (Hebrew Superhero), Steve Rivo (Carvalho’s Journey) and Chef Michael Solomonov (In Search of Israeli Cuisine) for hour-long clip talks followed by Q&As at the Library of Congress. Check wjff.org for full schedule and more info.

Woody: The Biography Sunday, March 6, 1:00 pm – DCJCC Bestselling author David Evanier (Making the Wiseguys Weep, The Jimmy Rosselli Story) presents Woody, the first biography of Woody Allen in over a decade. In it, he discusses key movies, plays and prose as well as Allen’s personal life. Evanier tackles the themes that Allen has spent a lifetime sorting through in art: morality, sexuality, Judaism, the eternal struggle of head and heart.

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PRE-FESTIVAL EVENTS 26TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL PREVIEW SCREENING Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 pm – DCJCC 2016 WJFF donors at the Camera ($550+) level and above are invited to attend a sneak preview event, featuring the film Once in a Lifetime (p. 27) followed by a hors d’oeuvres reception. Get a head start on the festival and be the first to see this powerful, engaging and thought-provoking film.

THE HAPPIEST HOUR WJFF KICKOFF PARTY Thursday, February 18, 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Location TBD (check wjff.org) Join WJFF staff and volunteers for drinks, giveaways, games, trailers and film clips. The drinks and specially discounted festival tickets (available that night only) will be cheap, and the people will be golden. Help us get pumped for our biggest festival yet, kicking off WJFF 26 in style! All ages welcome, but this event is specifically targeted for Young Professionals in their 20s-30s.

In addition to our annual festival, the WJFF presents an ongoing, year-round film series in our home venue at the DCJCC. Join us as we bring you a slew of international and award-winning films during our 2016 Spring Season, kicking off on March 29. 42 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

Still from Lamb, Tuesday, June 28, 7:30 pm

CLASSIC CINEMA Avalon, 9 Cremator, 15 The Light Ahead, 22 One Day Pina Asked... 28 FILM, PAGE NUMBER

The Pawnbroker, 29

ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL

Sunday, Bloody Sunday, 34

Arabic Movie, 12

COMEDY

Encirclements, 18

Fire Birds, 19

Mussa, 25

Looks at Us Now, Mother, 23

On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music, 27

Marzipan Flowers, 23

Partner with the Enemy, 28

Portrait of a Serial Monogamist, 30

Third Person, 34

Shtisel, 32

Women in Sink, 36

WOMEN IN FILM

RE-FRAMING THE ARTIST

A Tale of Love and Darkness, 8

Carvalho’s Journey, 14

Barash, 13

Drawing Against Oblivion, 16

Dirty Wolves, 16

Eva Hesse, 18

Feelings are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer, 19

Gary Lucas’ Fleischerei, 11

Portrait of a Serial Monogamist, 30

Wedding Doll, 36

Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt, 35

Yona, 37

Wedding Doll, 36 Women in Sink, 36 Yona, 37 ISRAEL A Tale of Love and Darkness, 8

Women in Sink, 36 RATED LGBTQ Barash, 13 Compared To What? The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank, 10

Arabic Movie, 12

Feelings are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer, 19

Baba Joon, 7

The Good Son, 20

Barash, 13

Marzipan Flowers, 23

Black Jews: The Roots of the Olive Tree, 13

Portrait of a Serial Monogamist, 30

The Chaos Within, 14

Sunday, Bloody Sunday, 34

Demon, 15

Third Person, 34

Einstein in the Holy Land, 17

Yona, 37

Encirclements, 18

ROMANCE

Fire Birds, 19

Barash, 13

The Good Son, 20

The Light Ahead, 22

The Hebrew Superhero, 21

Natasha, 26

Fire Birds, 19

Marzipan Flowers, 23

The Hebrew Superhero, 21

The Law, 22

Mountain, 25

Portrait of a Serial Monogamist, 30

Miriam Beerman: Expressing the Chaos, 24

Look at Us Now, Mother!, 23

Mussa, 25

Marzipan Flowers, 23

Partner with the Enemy, 28

On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music, 27

Miriam Beerman: Expressing the Chaos, 24

Red Leaves, 31

One Day Pina Asked... 28

Mountain, 25

Shtisel, 32

Raise the Roof, 30

No Home Movie, 26

Third Person, 34

The Record Man, 31

Once in a Lifetime, 27

Tikkun, 35

Yona, 37

One Day Pina Asked... 28

Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt, 35

Partner with the Enemy, 28

In Search of Israeli Cuisine, 32

43 | 26TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2016 | wjff.org | #wjff2016

Song of Songs, 33 Summer Solstice, 33 Wedding Doll, 36 THRILLERS Cremator, 15 Demon, 15 Dirty Wolves, 16 A Grain of Truth, 20 Klezmer, 21 Tikkun, 35