Virtual screening

A drama that explores the religious-secular divide in a family trying to mend broken relationships.”
Anat Abadi, a bright and intense young woman, long part of Tel Aviv’s wild club scene, has found God. Renouncing promiscuity, pork, and smartphones for a life of solemn devotion, she moves to Jerusalem, enrolls in an ultra-orthodox seminary, and gets engaged to a charismatic musician who’s also recently found religion. Complications arise when Abadi’s family tries to lure their willful daughter away from Orthodox Judaism and schemes to foil her upcoming nuptials. Amid rising tensions and shifting alliances, no one has a monopoly on virtue, as multi-layered plots converge with unexpected consequences. Sensitively exploring the religious-secular divide, this universal tale of broken relationships and forgiveness masterfully weaves its many threads with poignant, gently humorous performances by a stellar cast.
MATURE LANGUAGE

Film: 112 minutes

Director: Avi Nesher

Production country: Israel

Year: 2018

The rags-to-riches story of Sophie Tucker, an iconic superstar who ruled the worlds of vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television, and Hollywood throughout the 20th century.
Before Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Bette Midler, Marilyn Monroe, and Mae West, Sophie Tucker was the first woman to infatuate her audiences with a bold, bawdy, and brassy style unlike any other. Using all of ”The Last of the Red Hot Mamas” 400-plus recently rediscovered personal scrapbooks, authors Susan and Lloyd Ecker take you on their seven-year journey retracing Tucker”s sixty-year career in show business.

Film: 96 minutes

Director: William Gazecki

Production country: USA

Year: 2015

SHALOM BOLLYWOOD reveals the unlikely story of the 2000-year-old Indian Jewish community and its formative place in shaping the world’s largest film industry. When Indian cinema began 100 years ago, it was taboo for Hindu and Islamic women to perform on screen, so Indian Jewish women, who were more liberal and progressive, took on female lead roles, which they then dominated for decades. Because these stars used stage names, audiences assumed they were Muslims or Christians—until now! From the silent era through Bollywood’s golden age, Indian cinema icons share their highs and lows and how their careers pushed the boundaries of Indian-Jewish culture.
Interviews plus rare archival footage and retro-style music and animation revive the all-singing, all-dancing cheeky feel of a Bollywood production.

Film: 85 minutes

Director: Danny Ben-Moshe

Production country: Australia

Year: 2018

Community partner: 

The US is experiencing a surge in hate crimes. Stranger/Sister is the story of two ordinary women, one Muslim and one Jewish, who dare to believe they can join hands to stop the wave of hate. Overcoming a long history of distrust between their two religions, they build a movement that turns strangers into sisters. Following women from Sisterhood chapters in Austin, Chicago, and across the nation, the Sisters build a powerful network of hope in a time of chaos and hate.

Film: 39 minutes

Directors: Kirsten Kelly and Katie Taber

Production country: USA

Year: 2020

Community Partner:

In this heartwarming, sweetly funny romance-dramedy, a thirty-something Israeli couple develops baby fever, putting their relationship to the test in a frenzy to get pregnant. Liran and Tali are happily married, but their lives are missing one thing: a baby. With the biological clock ticking, they embark on protracted fertility treatments, a physical and emotional roller-coaster of medical procedures, and regimented lovemaking. Facing pressure from family, friends, and each other, it’s soon clear that the road to parenthood is no walk in the park. Tackling a sensitive topic with earnest performances, this frank portrayal of modern pregnancy landed four Ophir (Israeli Academy Award) nominations, including Best Director.
MATURE LANGUAGE, NUDITY, SEXUAL CONTENT

Film: 90 minutes

Director: Erez Tadmor

Production country: Israel

Year: 2019

Filmmaker Jonathan Ofek grew up in Jerusalem and in an Indian Ashram— a fact that he had to keep secret. He was taught to dedicate his life to his Guru, to reach his goal in life, awaken from the ”illusion,” realize the ”truth,” and become enlightened. Twenty years (and a lot of therapy) later, Jonathan sets out on a journey of discovery to understand the effect these secrets had on him and to find out what happened to the other Ashram children. Was he raised in a cult?
MATURE LANGUAGE

Film: 67 minutes

Director: Jonathan Ofek

Production country: Israel

Year: 2019

“Director Raul Graizer subtly illustrates the idea that our social, religious, and sexual identities are more fluid than fixed.”
The emotionally distant Thomas leads a lonely life as a Berlin coffee shop pastry chef until starting a closet affair and passionate tryst with Oren, a married Israeli businessman. Bereft over the sudden death of his long-distance lover, Thomas travels to Jerusalem, seeking solace in the city where he can feel closer to Oren. Anat, Oren’s widow, runs a small café. Thomas finds work there with the unsuspecting widow and quickly turns the struggling café into a successful business, after his talents as a pastry chef are put to use. As business flourishes and Anat finds herself drawn to Thomas, the bereaved pair forges a bond that blurs lines of nationality, religion, and sexuality. Winner of the Lia Van Leer Award for Jewish heritage at the Jerusalem Film Festival and Ecumenical Jury prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
MATURE THEMES, MATURE LANGUAGE, NUDITY

Film: 105 minutes

Director: Ofir Raul Graizer

Production countries: Germany, Israel

Year: 2017

Community Partner:

APFF@AJFF:
In the autumn of 1943, a young Jew named Emanuel Blatt, a refugee from a nearby ghetto, appears at a Polish monastery asking for help. Nazis are punishing Poles with death for hiding Jews. An SS squadron-leader in charge of a death squad comes to the monastery. The Day of Wrath is a full-of-tension blend of war thriller and morality play. Written by Polish writer of Jewish origin, Roman Brandstatter, the Holocaust and hope for survival are the main themes of this movie.
MATURE LANGUAGE

Film: 84 minutes

Director: Jacek Raginis-Królikiewicz

Production country: Poland

Year: 2019

Community partner:

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

A screen adaptation of Jerzy Ficowski’s poem under the same title from the volume ”Reading of Ashes” that is devoted to the subject of the Holocaust and World War II. The poetry volume was published on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Film: 13 minutes

Director: Gabi Bania

Production country: Poland

Year: 2020