“An untold story based on fact and fiction of Thessaloniki’s Jewish community during the Second World War.” It’s 1942 and German law has been imposed in Thessaloniki, Greece, where Estrea, a young Jewish girl, has fallen in love with Yorgos, a Christian boy who works in a small nightclub. The club acts as a retreat from the atmosphere that has taken over the city, and people gather there to hear famed bouzouki player, Vassilis Tsitsanis. The score features music by Tsitsanis—one of the leading Greek composers of his time—which permeates this film.
“A boy forms a secret friendship with a mythical creature in a universal and heartwarming tale of friendship and familial bonds.” Since the sudden loss of his older brother in a car crash, ten-year-old Adam (Yoav Sadian) has been struggling at home and failing at school. Neglected by his grief-stricken parents, he is overcome with his own sorrow and guilt, while also confronting the daily torment of class bullies. Everything changes the day Adam meets Abulele, an oversized furry monster of legend that is feared by many but proves to be a friendly companion to children in need. As Adam and his new best friend outsmart his tormentors at school, the boy’s parents start to suspect their son is harboring a secret. Meantime, an elite special forces team closes in, tasked with capturing or killing the beast. FAMILY FRIENDLY
Film: 90 minutes
Cast: Yoav Sadian, Bar Paly, Idan Barkai, Makram Khoury, Yehuda Mor, Oded Leopold
When retired 68 year-old Meir discovers that his thirty years of planning the annual village celebration have been summarily discarded, and the job has been given to inexperienced local teens instead, the ground beneath his feet begins to give way. In his effort to restore a sense of meaning and vitality, Meir begins to rebel against the inevitable: the betrayal of his physical body, the growing distance from his children, and the loss of relevance. MATURE LANGUAGE, MATURE THEMES
September 5th 1972, the tenth day of the Munich Olympics—the Palestinian terrorist group Black September stormed the Israeli athletes’ quarters. The world watched live on television as eleven hostages were taken and later killed. For the first time, this story will be told through the eyes of four women who were directly impacted by that day: an athlete, a widow, and two undercover agents. Their fates were changed forever as their wellbeing and life views were impacted by the trauma. A film about love and death; conflict and reconciliation; war and peace. MATURE THEMES, SOME GRAPHIC IMAGES
Nadia is a 20-year-old Arab girl who has a secret love affair with Nimer, a PLO activist. They move to England, where Nimer is caught by the authorities and Nadia is left alone. A slick character fixes her with an Israeli passport of a Jewish girl that enables her to return to Israel.
Twenty years later Nadia is now Maya, a successful choreographer who is married to a Jewish official at the Ministry of Justice, Yoav. They have two children. But her past catches her up when Nimer reappears. Yoav notices his wife”s distress and realizes that she”s hiding something. Their relationship is on the verge of crisis.
Albert Einstein, the most famous scientist of all time, was a world-renowned celebrity. He was greeted like a rock star when he appeared in public. An anti-war firebrand, Einstein also spoke out on issues ranging from women’s rights and racism, to immigration and nuclear arms control. But today, his image has been neutered into that of a charmingly absent-minded genius. He was, in fact, a powerful force for social change and a model for political activism. Using a wealth of rarely-seen archival footage, correspondence, and new and illuminating interviews, filmmaker Julia Newman makes the case that Albert Einstein’s example of social and political activism is as important today as are his brilliant, ground-breaking theories.
“Dutch filmmaker Jean van de Velde captures a dark period in South Africa’s recent history, balancing a nail-biting political thriller with spectacular courtroom intrigue.” In 1963, apartheid is rampant in South Africa. Nelson Mandela and nine other defendants, including Jewish anti-apartheid fighters, are arrested on a farm for conspiring to commit sabotage and treason against the repressive South African government. Tenacious white Afrikaner lawyer Bram Fisher steps up to the challenge as lead counsel whose defendants faced a possible death sentence. Fisher risks his career and family to defend Mandela and his inner circle in this historical thriller set in South Africa’s incendiary segregation era. As Mandela fights to expose South Africa’s corrupt, unjust system, Fischer attempts to hide his own ties to the resistance. This riveting drama combines nail-biting political and courtroom intrigue to explore South Africa’s seminal struggle against racism, and it highlights the little-known Jewish figures who sought to end entrenched discrimination in their country. CONTAINS VIOLENCE
Curmudgeonly widower Nat Dayan (Jonathan Pryce) clings to his way of life as a Kosher bakery shop owner in London’s East End. Understaffed, Nat
reluctantly enlists the help of teenager Ayyash (Jerome Holder), who has a secret side gig selling marijuana to help his immigrant mother make ends meet. When Ayyash accidentally drops his stash into the mixing dough, the challah starts flying off the shelves and an unlikely friendship forms between the old Jewish baker and his young Muslim apprentice. Dough is a warmhearted and humorous story about overcoming prejudice and finding redemption in unexpected places.
Film available to watch Sept. 10-12 in the USA only.
Note: This presentation is supported by Congregation Beth Israel and is a part of CBI’s Selichot program. The film is available to all.
Two great films and a panel discussion in one program:
A CANTOR’S HEAD (2020) – One of the world’s leading cantorial masters departs the bema, prompting questions about the dwindling tradition of Jewish sacred music. Cantor Jack Mendelson has been dubbed the Michael Jordan of Hazzanut. He has inspired legions of admirers worldwide, combining spiritual exploration, communal bonding and dazzling showmanship. But after years of service, his operatic voice is no longer wanted by his congregation. Running the gamut of emotions, Cantor Mendelson, his protégés, and other musical luminaries explain the magic of this centuries-long art form, and what its loss represents.
A CANTOR’S TALE (2005) Explores chazzanut past, present and future through the prism of Chazzan Jack Mendelson”s career. In addition to heavenly singing, the film visits a bar-mitzvah at the legendary Beth El Synagogue in Borough Park and interviews luminaries such as Ben-Zion Miller, Mati Lazar, Alberto Mizrahi, Alan Dershowitz, Neil Shicoff, Dr. Larry Hoffman, and Debbie Friedman.
A Cantor’s Tale Panel Program: The Past Present, and Future of Jewish Cantorial Music on Sunday October 18 at 2:00PM Central.
Co-presented by AJFF, Congregation Agudas Achim, and Temple Beth Shalom.
Yoav, a successful architect, has everything he’s ever wanted. His lover of 15 years, Dan, is a younger lawyer who adores him. Alma is a successful artist and Yoav’s best friend—she is like a mother and a sister to him. However, when Alma announces she is pregnant, it ignites Dan’s desire to become a father himself. But Dan’s parental urges have the opposite effect on Yoav, who is haunted by long-buried demons. Yoav’s tight grasp on his life begins to come apart, leading to self-destructive behavior that threatens to destroy his relationship with Dan, unravel his friendship with Alma, and cost him everything. MATURE THEMES, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT
