Jewish Film Festival

North Shore JCC’s annual film fest to bring panorama of Jewish life

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The JCCNS’s 11th annual film festival runs from May 2-23.

By Shelley A. Sackett

MARBLEHEAD – Film fans of the North Shore and neighboring communities will be brought together once again by the International Jewish Film Festival and its carefully curated selection from around the world. Uniquely inspired by Jewish history, culture, and values, all films will be screened at Cinema Salem.

Sponsored by Sharon and Howard Rich and Leslie and Bob Ogan, the 11th annual festival runs from May 2-23. Opening night tickets are $20 (includes popcorn and a drink) and closing night is $25 (includes an ice cream reception). All other screenings are $15 with discounted ticket packages available.

Cochairs Izzi Abrams and Michelle Myerson and 14 committee members worked tirelessly to create a well-balanced lineup of 10 feature films. The lineup includes documentaries, a comedy, a political thriller, and several dramas set during the Holocaust. This year, there is also an evening of six short films.

Four documentaries offer unique glimpses of Jews and Jewish life. “Remembering Gene Wilder” pays affectionate homage to the extraordinary actor and his legacy both on screen and off. Director and cowriter Glenn Kirschbaum will introduce the film and facilitate a Q&A after the screening. The film is scheduled for May 2 at 7 p.m.

A humorous and nostalgic tribute to what became known as the Borscht Belt, “The Catskills” features interviews with former waiters, entertainers, and dance instructors, and the best shtick its renowned stand-up comedians can still offer. The film provides an historical overview of early 20th century Jewish immigration to New York and the development of this lavish vacation destination. (May 10, 1 p.m.)

“Children of Peace” follows the personal stories of a group of dreamers who embarked on a utopian experiment in the 1970s, giving birth to Neve Shalom – a village envisioned as a model of harmonious coexistence between Arabs and Jews. This film delves into the experiences of the children who came of age in this extraordinary setting, and how they now – as adults – grapple with the harsh realities of political turmoil, war, and societal segregation. (May 15, 7 p.m.)

Rounding out the doc category is “Call Me Dancer,” the story of Manish, a young Mumbai street performer who – despite the family and financial odds stacked against him – achieves his dream of becoming a professional dancer with the help of Yehuda Maor, an Israeli ballet teacher who takes him under his wing. (May 23, 7 p.m.)

Three films set during the Holocaust focus on personal stories of both Jews and non-Jews. The sublimely shot and scored “Zone of Interest,” winner of the 2024 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and Best Sound, is loosely based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis. It follows the banal and privileged existence of Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig as they build an idyllic life for their family in the 1940s only yards away from the prison camp and crematoria where atrocities are heard but never seen. (May 5, 7 p.m.)

Based on the Cinderella folktale, “Stella. A Life.” is the story of a German-Jewish refugee who flees to Scotland in 1937 and, incognito, finds work at the country estate of a fascist noble, where she is accepted and even falls in love. Desperate to find her parents, Stella struggles with relationships, home, and identity. (May 17, 1 p.m.)

On a similar note, “Love Gets a Room,” inspired by true events during the 1942 Nazi occupation of Poland, is the romantic story of a Jewish stage actress who must decide between staying with her lover and escaping the Warsaw ghetto. (May 22, 7 p.m.)

On May 8 at 7 p.m., the festival switches gears with “A Night of Shorts,” a showcase of six exciting and thought-provoking short films from across the world, including the 2024 Academy Award nominated, “Letter to a Pig.”

The political thriller, “Shoshana,” is inspired by real events. Set in 1930s Tel Aviv – then a new European Jewish city being built on the shores of the Mediterranean – romance, espionage, and violence converge to create a suspenseful and personal time capsule of that dramatic time in Israel’s history. (May 19, 1 p.m.)

Finally, on lighter notes, two comedies complete the menu. “Yaniv” is a madcap and absurd tale that unpacks Jewish identity, male friendship, and public education – all in one lighthearted package. After funding is cut for the school musical, a high school teacher in the Bronx resolves to earn it back by recruiting a fellow statistics teacher (who is secretly a card counter and recovering gambling addict) to cheat at an underground card game run by the Hasidic Jewish community. Special guests Amnon Carmi (producer, director, and cowriter) and Benjamin Ducoff (producer, lead actor, and cowriter) will be joining live to introduce the film. (May 4, 1 p.m.)

“No Name Restaurant” chronicles a whimsical road trip. When ultra-Orthodox Ben, from Brooklyn, sets out to rescue Alexandria, Egypt’s dwindling Jewish community, he finds himself marooned in the Sinai Desert. His last glimmer of hope rests with Adel, a gruff Bedouin in search of his lost camel. At first, they clash over cultural misunderstandings, until Adel’s broken-down truck unites them in a fight for survival. (May 14, 1 p.m.) Θ

For more information and to buy tickets, visit jccns.org.

Live screenings return for JCC’s annual film festival in Marblehead

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Movies also are available to watch online

Jérémie Renier and François Cluzet in a tense moment in the French thriller, “The Man in the Basement.”

By Shelley A. Sackett

MARBLEHEAD — The Jewish Com­munity Center of the North Shore International Jewish Film Festival is celebrating both its ninth year and its return to in-person screenings with a diverse menu of 12 films inspired by Jewish history, culture, and humor.

All in-person screenings will be shown at the Warwick Cinema in Marblehead. Films also are available to view virtually for those who choose to watch at home.

The festival runs from April 24 through May 5 and includes prerecorded and live Zoom conversations with filmmakers. Fran Levy-Freiman and Izzi Abrams are cochairs. The festival is sponsored by Sharon and Howard Rich and Leslie and Bob Ogan and is partnering with the Central Mass International Jewish Film Festival at the Worcester JCC.

Opening night presents the tense, psychological thriller, “The Man in the Basement,” a French film about a Parisian couple who sells their basement apartment to a seemingly well-mannered former teacher. Their world is turned upside down when they discover he has hidden his secret life as an antisemitic conspiracy theorist, leading to a sinister standoff.

Two historical dramas set in 1942 recount the plight of Jews living in France during the Nazi occupation.

Rebecca Marder and Cyril Metzer star in the French historical drama, “A Radiant Girl.” Photo Credit: Jérôme Prébois

Set in Paris, “A Radiant Girl” is the charming story of a 19-year-old aspiring actress whose carefree life and indomitable spirit are put to the test by the growing Nazi threat to her entire world, especially her close-knit family.

“Valiant Hearts,” starring Camille Cottin, tells the true story of six Jewish children forced to take refuge among the Louvre Museum artworks hidden in the Chateâu de Chambord. This story of exceptional bravery is suitable for the whole family.

Another family choice is “Alegria,” a dramady centered around a matriarch who returns to her native Melilla in Spain for the Sephardic wedding of her niece. Along the way, she reunites with her estranged daughter and reconnects to her roots, illuminating Melilla’s multiculturalism and the richness of her relationships with the women in her circle.

In “Plan A,” a newly released mystery/drama, a Jewish Holocaust survivor meets a radical group of Jewish resistance fighters in 1945. They, like him, have lost hope for their futures after their families were killed by the Nazis. They hatch a revenge operation that takes the concept of “an eye for an eye” to a new level. They will kill six million Germans – one for every Jew slaughtered.

On a lighter note, “The Specials” is an uplifting story about two friends – one an ultra-Orthodox Jew, the other a Muslim – who join forces to advocate for autistic teens that have been rejected by state-run hospitals.

Menachem Begin addresses a crowd in the documentary, “Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin.”

Rounding out the dramatic offerings is the Israeli film, “Greener Pastures,” a comedy about a widowed man obsessed with escaping the nursing home his family has placed him in against his will – until he discovers potentials provided by legal medical cannabis the residents all enjoy and rely on.

Five documentaries complete the lineup. “The United States of Elie Tahari” chronicles the life of fashion designer and mogul Elie Tahari, from his childhood in Israel to his arrival in New York City in 1971 with $100 in his pocket to his fashion empire, worth over a $1 billion today.

Israeli-born filmmaker Becky Tahel grapples with her understanding of religion, love, and identity after her younger sister marries a non-Jew in her introspective film, “American Birthright.” Her quest leads her on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery.

The Israeli film, “Yerusalem: The Incredible Story of Ethiopian Jewry,” describes the brave Ethiopian Beta-Israel immigrants and the people who risked their lives to help them make Aliyah between 1977 and 1985. Despite their long history of observing Jewish traditions and the trauma of a tumultuous exodus, the Beta-Israelis can’t shake their outsider status in Israel, where they still struggle to prove their Jewishness and earn a legitimate place in Israeli society.

“Upheaval: The Journey of Men­achem Begin” portrays the life and essence of the brilliant and proud man who never compromised when the survival of Israel and the Jewish people were at stake.

Finally, closing night (May 5) showcases the film “The Automat,” a valentine to the iconic 100-year food chain, Horn & Hardart. Featuring an original song written and performed by Mel Brooks, the movie includes interviews and reminisces of such notable former customers as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Howard Schultz, Colin Powell, and others. The in-person screening will be introduced live by Richard J.S. Gutman, America’s leading diner expert.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit jccns.org/film-festival-2022.

This year’s Jewish Film Fest will leave you on the edge of your seat

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by Shelley A. Sackett

MARBLEHEAD – Jewish film festivals are wildly popular, and according to jewishfilmfestivals.org, moviegoers had 170 to choose from worldwide in 2018 in locations ranging from Nebraska to Nepal. For the sixth year, local residents need travel only a few miles to Marblehead and Salem to view 13 films offered by the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore International Jewish Film Festival from April 28 to May 9.

While films about the Holocaust are natural candidates for a Jewish film festival, this year’s lineup features several films that – although set during World War II – are more character than history-driven. Bookending the 12-day festival are opening night’s “The Catcher Was a Spy,” a thriller starring Paul Rudd based on the true story of Moe Berg, the Red Sox catcher who became a WWII spy, and closing night’s “Prosecuting Evil,” a gripping documentary about Ben Ferencz, the remarkable 99-year-old and last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor.

Gordon Edes, an award-winning sportswriter and Boston Red Sox historian, will speak and answer questions following “The Catcher Was a Spy,” and both films include a post-screening reception.

The remaining 11 films are a well-balanced mix of documentary, drama, and comedy. In “Winter Hunt,” a riveting German contemporary psychological thriller, a young woman on a personal mission of vigilante justice goes to extremes as she seeks reprisal against a suspected ex-Nazi. Powerful performances, an edgy score, and a tight script fuel the suspense.

Jewish women are front and center in three films that look at dilemmas they face as they struggle to forge their own paths in a world complicated by religious tradition and social conformity. “Working Woman” addresses the complexity of contemporary life in Israel, chronicling the predicament faced by Orna (played by the remarkable Liron Ben-Shlush) as she juggles motherhood, marriage to a struggling restaurateur, and a meteoritic rise in the corporate real estate world. When her boss relentlessly sexually harasses her, her entire world is brought to the brink of disaster.

Life for women in pre-state Israel was no less complex, as illustrated by “An Israeli Love Story.” Based on a true story and set in 1947, the well-shot and edited film explores the relationship between an aspiring actress and a kibbutznik who is also a member of Palmach, an elite fighting force. In “Leona,” a young Jewish artist in present day Mexico City finds herself torn between her traditional, observant family and a forbidden love.

On a lighter but no less poignant note, the award-winning “Shoelaces” traces the relationship between Reuven, a surly parent, and Gadi, his charismatic adult son with special needs, as the two slowly develop a tender and life-affirming bond of devotion. The popular film is thought-provoking and unexpectedly funny.

Three documentaries reveal different facets of present-day Jewish life. “Chewdaism: A Taste of Jewish Montreal,” follows two local men on the cusp of middle age as they nosh their way through a series of classical eateries and share their community’s 100-year Jewish history. “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” charts the underdog journey of Israel’s national team to the 2017 World Baseball Classic in a story of sports, patriotism, and growth.

“Sustainable Nation,” shown in partnership with CJP as a free community event in honor of Israeli Independence Day, follows three visionary Israelis as they bring water solutions to an increasingly thirsty planet.

Poland and France are the settings for the rest of the line up. “Who Will Write Our History” is a documentary set in 1940, after Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. The story of Oyneg Shabes, a group of journalists, scholars and community leaders who resolved to fight Nazi propaganda with pen and paper, is told through writings, new interviews, rare archival footage and dramatizations.

In her deeply personal documentary, “Chasing Portraits,” filmmaker Elizabeth Rynecki travels to Poland to find the remaining work of her great-grandfather, a prolific impressionistic painter who captured scenes of pre-war Jewish life.

“A Bag of Marbles,” based on a true story, follows two young Jewish brothers as they fend for themselves, making their way through German-occupied France to reunite with their families.

Many films have post-screening guests who will speak to issues raised by the films.

For information and to buy tickets, visit jccns.org or call 781-631-8330.