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.
Rachel is losing her sight to the point she can”t even manage doing the smallest daily functions, like dialing the phone. She opens her door to passing by strangers, on a tiny but significant journey, to reach out to her daughter, on the other side of the world.
Length: 20 minutes
Cast: Leora Rivlin, Uri Gavriel, Nir di-nur, Erez Kahana, Nathchayanit Elberg.
Director: Or Sinai
Writer: Or Sinai
Long Distance trailer.
At a banquet hall in Israel, at the height of a war, Adam Weizmann’s Bar Mitzvah party turns into a glorious catastrophe. On the cusp of manhood—and on the verge of a nervous breakdown—Adam takes a crucial step toward coming to terms with his sexuality.
Adult language, sexual content, mature themes.
Length: 25 minutes
Cast: Amit Rahav, Amir Khoury, Maya Dagan, Yaniv Biton, Ruby Porat Shoval, Peter Knoller, Maayan Selektar
Director: Eli Zuzovsky
Writer: Eli Zuzovsky
Mazel Tov trailer.
Presentation partner:
Photographer Olive returns from work to find her new flatmate, Nina rummaging through her room. Unbeknownst to Olive, Nina is about to miss the deadline to join a beauty pageant dedicated to Adolf Hitler and is in desperate need for photos for the application. She begs Olive to help her take them. Although Olive is bemused by her new flatmates erratic behaviour, she feels sorry for her and relents. As Nina’s behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre, Olive becomes suspicious. When the opportunity arises, Olive decides to investigate. Sneaking into Nina’s room, she discovers the truth behind the beauty pageant – discovering that the pageant is not your regular beauty pageant, but instead, something called Miss Hitler.
Adult language.
Length: 12 minutes
Cast: Gemma Barnett, Bebe Sanders
Director: Ella Marks & Yael Roth
Writer: Ella Marks
Moshe Sneh, Defense Minister and Chief of Staff of State in-the-making, the man who was in command of bringing thousands of Jews, Holocaust survivors, from Europe to Israel in spite of British Mandate opposition. The film focuses on SS Exodus, an operation he initiated, raised funds for the ship.
Length: 14 minutes
Director: Amir Har-Gil
AJFF Festival and Combo passes include participation in this event. To watch online, go to virtual.goelevent.com and login with the same email and password you used to buy your ticket/pass/membership.
All four episodes are available to watch from November 2 – November 11 in Texas only.
Ever wonder how Israelis perceive us American Jews? The New Jew is a four-episode Israeli TV docu-series, showcasing the cultural and political influence of the Jewish community in the United States, the variety of alternative models it offers for living a rich Jewish life, and the intricate relations between American Jews and the State of Israel. The show is presented by Guri Alfi, one of Israel’s most popular comedians—and was produced for the Public Broadcasting Corporation in Israel.
Cast: Guri Alfi, Moshe Samuels
Guri Alfi – Host and Creator of the Series
Guri is one of the most well-known television personalities in Israel. He is an Israeli actor, director, and comedian who has starred in numerous comedy and dramatic series, and films. He was nominated for the Ophir Award for his role in Human Resources Manager and granted the Israeli Theatre Award for Play It Again, Sam. Guri is known for his role in the political-satirical show State of the Nation and host of the late-night shows Tonight with Guri Alfi and Tonight with Guri and Lucy, both winners of the Israeli Academy Awards for television for best entertainment program. In the past year Guri has starred in two acclaimed dramas—The Cook and Blackspace, and in the poignant satirical series Transparent.
Asaf Nawi – Producer and Creator
Founder of NawiPro Ltd., Asaf has many years of experience in the television and film industry. Before founding his own company, Assaf led productions as a line producer in series such as Kidnapped and My Successful Sisters, as well as large American productions filmed in Israel such as Homeland and Dig. His television productions include: Tonight with Guri Alfi (3 Seasons), Night Club (Season 6), and Conan O’Brien’s Journey to Israel in 2017. For cinema, he produced the documentary Between the Walls, and his film One More Story is expected to be released in 2021.
