Q and A with ‘Breaking Bread’ film director Beth Elise Hawk and Rabbi Alan Freedman of Temple Beth Shalom. This program will introduce some “pre-Selichot” themes for those that observe the Jewish High Holidays to consider heading into the season.
Director: Beth Elise Hawk
Q and A with Václav Marhoul and cast members of the new IFC Film THE PAINTED BIRD. In partnership with IFC Films and Tamar Simon from Mean Streets Management.
Director: Václav Marhoul
To watch the movie itself, please visit IFC Film’s event page with links to where you can watch it on online pay-per-view.
Note: this is an excellent film, but contains some very intense scenes. Viewer discretion is advised.
PRODUCER / DIRECTOR Julia Newman was born and raised in Brooklyn, and worked in advertising as a producer of television commercials for over twenty years. As a travel writer, her pieces have appeared in the New York Daily News, Miami Herald, Metropolitan Home and Travel & Leisure. She served as Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives for five years.
Her previous, award-winning documentary, Into the Fire: American Women in the Spanish Civil War, portrayed the American medical workers and journalists who served in the first fight against Fascism. The film was broadcast on Public Television and Spanish Television and is distributed in the U. S. by First Run Features.
Asaf Galay is an acclaimed international film director, with a passion for stories on Jewish subjects that illuminate the human condition. His most recent documentaries include Army of Lovers in the Holy Land and The Adventures of Saul Bellow (for 2020 broadcast on American Masters). His film The Hebrew Superhero was described by Tablet magazine as “supremely entertaining,” on the subject of comics in Israel. The Muses of Bashevis Singer opened the New York Jewish Film Festival, and his feature film on the Israeli poet Nathan Alterman (Sentimentality Allowed), is used in schools throughout Israel. In addition to his acclaimed film and television career, Galay is a museum curator at Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum for the Jewish People located in Tel Aviv. He is head curator of exhibits on Bob Dylan (“Forever Young”), Jewish humor (“Laughing at History”), Jewish fashion designers (“Dream Weavers”), and Amy Winehouse (“Amy Winehouse – A Family Portrait”).
Jean-Pierre Barda is a Swedish and Israeli singer, actor, make up artist and hair dresser of French/Algerian Jewish descent. He is most notable for being one of the founding members of the pop group Army of Lovers.
Barda was born in Paris, France. His father was of Algerian Jewish origin. When he was seven, he moved to Sweden with his family, settling in Stockholm. Barda immigrated to Israel in 2015 and currently lives in Tel Aviv.
Imri Matalon graduated cum laude from the Sam Spiegel Film School. His short film Dead End won the Best Short Film Award at the Haifa Film Festival and many awards around the world. His first full-length film Broken Mirrors was nominated for the Best Screenplay Award at the Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars). The film has played in many festivals around the world and won several awards for the film makers as well as the movie’s star, Shira Haas.
Matalon currently lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two small children, and is working on his second film that will be shot soon. He is also writing a drama series for television and teaching writing and directing at various universities in Israel.
Aviad Givon graduated from the Sam Spiegel School Film School in Israel. He is the director of the short movies
Ha’Even and Letters to Popeye. Givon is also an author — his debut book The Picture Looks at Me was chosen to be the Novel of the year in Israel, and received commendable reviews. Broken Mirrors is his first feature length film.
Tal Michael born in 1974 is a film & TV director and content editor. Michael is a graduate with honors of the film and Television dept. at Tel Aviv University, and a former PhD student in Comparative Literature. Among her works are the films Hunger (2020); Bukra fil Mish-Mish (2019 – award winner in the Jerusalem JFF); Israeli Hero (2018); Call Me Ovadya (2018); Around the bed of a Dying Collaborator” (co-director with David Ofek; best medium length film in Krakow Film Festival 2019); Israel is not waiting…“; Pitbulls: Flesh&Blood (2014) ; the documentary series: My Little Empire” (2006); Candidates (2018), The Israeli Connection (2011, 2013); Vacum (2011, 2015); The Story and MABAT Sheni” (2012-2016) ; Bench Player (best Drama film, Haifa film Festival 2002) ; andNo Rain (best script, best actor- America Israel prizes);
Her works have been included in international festivals and acquired by various channels in Israel and abroad.
Jacek Raginis-Królikiewicz is a Polish film and television director, a screenwriter, and an author of radio plays. He has a degree in history from the Catholic University of Lublin and in film production from the Łódź Film School. In his work, he focuses on historical events and the related existential and moral dilemmas of an individual. He likes to work in the genre of psychological drama and thriller. He is the son of Polish film director Grzegorz Królikiewicz.
Q&A with director Ram Loevy of the film THE DEAD OF JAFFA.
Film available to watch January 10-17. Q&A is included with film ticket.
Three children from the West Bank are smuggled into Israel, arriving at the doorstep of George and Rita’s house in Jaffa. Their mother is dead, and their father has been sentenced to life imprisonment. As Israeli Palestinians, George is afraid that hiding illegal aliens will endanger Rita and himself, while Rita believes the arrival of these children could give meaning to her life. Nearby, a foreign film is being shot. Jerry, an English director, is making a movie about his parents’ love affair in 1947, when they served in the British army in Palestine. George is invited to play a part in the film. When the two stories intertwine, tensions erupt.
MATURE LANGUAGE, DRUG USE
Film: 96 minutes
Director: Ram Loevy
Production country: Israel
Year: 2019
Join the Q&A panel (included free of charge with the free film ticket) on May 2nd at 2PM Central to discuss the film and learn about Jewish Family Service’s new Wise Aging program with filmmaker Paula Weiman-Kelman, along with Shalom Austin 60+ Program Director Rachel Wimberley and Shalom Austin JFS Clinical Psychologist Dr. Fabianna Laby, moderated by student in Spiritual Direction and AJFF Executive Director, Dr. David Goldblatt.
Paula Weiman-Kelman is a veteran documentary filmmaker known for moving portraits of inspiring women. Her happy connection to the Austin Jewish Film Festival began in 2004 with Blessings: Roommates in Jerusalem. It continued in 2016 with Torah Treasures and Curious Trash. Her current film Dying Doesn’t Fell Like What I’m Doing premiered to a sold out, standing room only event at the Athena Women’s Festival in Manhattan in March, 2020. Days later the world shut down… She has been blessed to share the film this past year in an inspiring variety of virtual film festivals and gatherings.
Michael Mayer’s “gripping feature debut”, Out in the Dark had it’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, sold to over 40 countries and went on to play in more than 130 film festivals, winning 27 awards.
His new feature, Happy Times, due for release in 2021 has already been dubbed the “Israeli Get Out” and won the Best Screenplay Award at the Haifa International Film Festival. Currently, Mayer is developing a feature adaptation of Erri De Luca’s best seller Tu, mio as well as a one-hour thriller series for US and Israeli Television.
Born and raised in Haifa, Israel, Mayer lives and works in Los Angeles.