A border in Europe. A painting by Paul Klee. A poem by Walter Benjamin. A film about borders, escape and migration. About yesterday and today, and how difficult it is to recognize one behind the other.
Julia, an experienced history teacher in a rather quiet high school, faces a school inspector. He wants to talk to her. But what about, exactly? Her heated debates with the principal? The freedom she takes with the school program? Or the way she teaches the Shoah?
Length: 16 minutes
Director: Caroline Brami and Frédéric Bas
This event is supported, in part, by:
Introduction from directors Caroline Brami and Frédéric Bas.
Majesty and Tenderness: The Art of Maurice Schmidt is a rare glimpse into the genius of a very unusual Texas artist who finds the majesty of beauty in everything. His artistic vision of over seventy prolific years, peers through a unique lens of Judaism, claiming that over decades of study, he has become “one with the Torah”. As an articulate academician, Maurice Schmidt candidly describes how his spiritual interpretations become a congruent mastery of beautiful craftsmanship and pure visceral expression that plays out seamlessly through his powerfully dynamic portrayals of daily life, agricultural landscapes and religious subjects.
Length: 28 minutes
Director: Vanessa Reiser
Introduction from producer Ben Livingston and director Vanessa Reiser.
Majesty and Tenderness: The Art of Maurice Schmidt trailer.
Almost half the players on the Israeli National Soccer Team are Muslim, including the captain. The team’s diverse group of players causes controversy, especially during an important European tournament, most of it provoked by racist fans and the media. The players have their loyalty questioned by all sides while trying to guide Israel’s national team through the year’s biggest international challenge.
Aharon has devoted his life to raising his son Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. But Uri is autistic, and now as a young adult it might be time for him to live in a specialized home. While on their way to the institution, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road, knowing that Uri is not ready for this separation. Or is it, in fact, his father who is not ready?
Norm, a Jewish immigrant boy growing up during the Great Depression in St. Louis, dreams of flying in an airplane. When an airfield near his home offers a 10-minute flight for two dollars, Norm gets hopeful about fulfilling his dream. His parents, survivors of pogroms – anti-Semitic attacks, are protective, and claim that a flight in an airplane is dangerous. Even so, Norm saves up his ice cream money, a nickel at a time, to pay for a short flight. But, when he discovers the truth about how his mother’s family was killed in the Old Country, he gets cold feet. Norm must decide whether to continue living in the shadow of family trauma or break free and fulfill his dream.
Ofira (67), a recently retired teacher, refuses to become a victim of routine life and decides to revive an old dream – becoming a painter. With no support from her family, Ofira faces the white canvas, when in fact she is facing herself, to paint the rest of her life.
Length: 20 minutes
Cast: Dina Limon, Rami Baruch, Ofra Weingarten, Gal Aviv-Kalderon
Director: Shahar Shamay
Writer: Shahar Shamay, Osnat Friedman, Hadas Klein
Matt wants to find his late mother’s “Beefies” recipe for a pandemic Passover, but finds he must reconnect with his estranged brother to do so. Matt will have to figure out her fractured recipe, or burn down his kitchen trying.
Length: 9Minutes 41 Seconds
Cast: Salome Mergia, Goran Ivanovski, Molly Gray, Adam Lebowitz-Lockard
Infamous New York City talent agent, Yvette Slosch, is determined to make a star out of her newest client, jazz violinist, Aaron Weinstein. She refuses to let Aaron”s lack of name recognition, jazz”s dwindling fan base, or the 2020 global pandemic get in her way. As the pandemic rages, Yvette”s schemes to keep Aaron”s career afloat become increasingly convoluted, testing her abilities as an agent and her friendship with Aaron.
During the peak of the pandemic, a young Israeli woman living in New York goes on a virtual date with a nice young American man. It all goes perfectly well, until her mother decides to get involved.