Virtual screening

His beauty, intelligence, and of course, color of his eyes, followed Paul Newman throughout his life. Annoyed by incessant references to his physique, the actor consistently challenged Hollywood, taking on serious roles in political and civic discourse. Paul Newman played in over 60 films, working with some of the most iconic directors in history; his career as director, reflects the diversity and richness of his artistic vision. Modest, shy, and determined to protect his own privacy, Newman often used humor to distance himself from the media frenzy and exercise freedom of thought.

Runtime:  52 minutes

Director: Pierre-François Gaudry

Contains brief nudity

Stav, newly married, is about to fly abroad with her husband for the mountain trek of his dreams. When she breaks her foot a week before they are due to leave, the couple must settle for a much less glamorous trip. But for Stav at least, it”s a journey that will allow her to examine for the first time ever, her needs and desires within the relationship.

Length:  22 minutes

Cast: Yarden Endevelt

Director: Liel Sharon Gur

Writer: Liel Sharon Gur

Presented with the support of:

In 1996, NASA astronaut Dr. Jeff Hoffman brought a small Torah scroll on board Space Shuttle Columbia. On Shabbat, while orbiting Earth, he read from the book of Genesis, “In the beginning God created heaven and the earth.” This is a story about inspiration, communities, and a man’s journey. A story of how family, educators, scientific and religious communities achieve great things and bring our identity to new realms.

Length: 25 minutes

Director: Rob Cooper

For more information about this project, see spacetorahproject.com 

Film made by Verissima Productions.

At the beginning of the 20th century, an epidemic decimated the dwellers of a small Jewish village. Their healer, Absalom, cannot do anything about it, science is at a cul-de-sac. When the half-orphaned Rifka also catches the disease, the villagers suddenly feel they have to do something for the child and for themselves. They turn towards faith and God for help. Can faith help? Is it possible to deviate from dogmas, and bargain with the Creator, and is the Creator willing to bargain with them?
Brief nudity.

Length: 17 minutes

Cast: Dorka Merenyi, Mari Nagy, György Gazsó, Péter Scherer, Gábor Krausz, Kata Kuna

Director: David Bodrogi

Writer: David Bodrogi

The year 5781 is off to a rough start for Xander Hazlewood, as his mother and the family Rabbi have some news that won’t make Xander’s Shabbat challah go down very well.

Length: 6 minutes

Director: Billy Kent

Xander the Magnificent recently booked the Feldstein kid’s Zoom Bar mitzvah and is psyched to practice his virtual magic act for his mom, Sabrina. Unfortunately, she has her own sleight-of-hand trick to perform.

Director: Billy Kent

Few rights in Judaism are as important as the Brit Milah – the circumcision. James and his wife Lola, a recent convert, live in a community without any Mohel’s, and after celebrating the birth of their first son have to fly one in to perform the ceremony. Family expectations and financial strain force James to confront his ideology, and the realities of maintaining old traditions in a modern world.

Length: 14 minutes

Cast: Daniel Maslany, Kaelen Ohm, Sam Rosenthal, Sherry Smith, Bob Mann, Joanne Miller, Breton McKay

Director: Charles Wahl

Writer: Charles Wahl

The Mohel trailer.

A short, fiction film about a good-hearted boy in Washington, D.C. who has a life changing encounter with a homeless veteran. The film was inspired by the director”s own experiences while living in the nation’s capital, which has the highest homelessness rate in America, compared to the states.

Length: 11 minutes

Cast: Alexander Barnett, Alexander Fox, Katherine Caruso

Director: Bob Ahmed

Writer: Bob Ahmed

Following the loss of his son in childbirth, a religious student longs to restart his family, but in order to reconnect with his distraught wife, he will first have to acknowledge his own hidden pain. A journey of self-discovery and a study into how grief can deeply affect a relationship.

Length: 15 minutes

Cast: Aaron Vodovoz, Molly Osborne, Robert Neumark Jones, Katie Bernstein

Director: Dominic Davey

Writer: Jason Collin

The Chop tells the story of Yossi, a charismatic Kosher butcher who finds himself in a moment of crisis upon losing his job. After ringing around numerous other kosher butchers to no avail, he takes the unusual decision to work in a halal butcher. However, to do so, he must use all his guile and charisma to hide his true identity. It is a story that aims to explore the relationship between Jewish and Muslim culture in modern London life, incorporating ”fish out of water” humor with moments of laugh-out-loud slapstick.

Length: 17 minutes

Cast: Amir Boutrous, Andy Linden, Daniel Kramer, Sajid Varada, Waj AMir, Waleed Akthar, Taryn Kay, Andrea Miller, Laila Alj, Grahame Rose, Tamir Haziza

Director: Lewis Rose

Writer: Lewis Rose

The Chop trailer.