World of Jewish Flicks – July

July is a red letter month in the World of Jewish Flicks. The Jerusalem International Film Festival takes place July 9th – 18th and the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival begins its three week run on July 23rd.

The Jerusalem International Film Festival is the oldest and biggest film festival in Israel.  It is entering its 26th year and has become one of the best film festivals in the world.  I attended the Jerusalem festival last year and was duly impressed with its wide-ranging lineup of films from around the world and the hospitality and friendliness of the people running it.

Although the Jerusalem International Film Festival is an international festival with over 150 films being screened from some 45 countries, it is the Jewish component that interested me the most when I visited it. 

Every year the Jerusalem festival introduces the most recent and the best productions from the Israeli film industry.  Not only does it screen the latest Israeli narrative films, but also the newest documentaries, shorts and television series.  It provides the most comprehensive look at the Israeli film industry available anywhere, and with Israeli films receiving worldwide attention in recent years, Jerusalem is the place to get an early look at the newest work of that industry.

This year the Jerusalem Film Festival is opening with the Israeli comedy A Matter of Size. Although I haven’t seen this film yet, the word of mouth has been great. The film chronicles a group of overweight friends from the town of Ramle who decide to set up a Sumo wrestling club. The film played at the Tribecca film festival in New York recently and will be screened at a number of international and Jewish film festivals around the world in the coming year.

Other Israeli films making their Israeli debuts at Jerusalem include the latest film by Renen Schorr (Late Summer Blues) called The Loners, about two Russian immigrants to Israel who have been convicted of treason while serving the in elite Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defence Forces.  The two young men have pleaded not guilty and demand a retrial, but no one wants to listen to them.  They rebel against the entire justice system, culminating in a battle pitting Jews against Jews, and individuals against an oblivious and uncaring system.  The result is chaos.

Mrs. Moscowitz & The Cats tells the story of Yolanda Moscowitz, a retired French teacher who wakes up in the geriatric ward in a hospital after having a titanium plate inserted into her hip.  Mrs. Moscowitz wants to go home but is confined to a wheelchair and unable to leave the hospital by herself.  While undergoing her convalescence, Mrs. Moscowitz discovers a new life and a new love.  And when the time does arrive that she can return to her home, she refuses.  This is a lovely film that avoids the politics and usual conflicts that infiltrate most Israeli films being produced now.

Lebanon, on the other hand, deals with the first Lebanon War of June, 1982.  When a tank and a paratroop platoon are dispatched to search a town that has already been bombarded by the Israeli Air Force they run into a number of complications. The simple and straightforward mission becomes a death trap. Four boys in the tank find themselves in a situation they cannot control and coping with decisions that challenge their sense of morality. 

Love is in the air in the new Israeli feature film, Jaffa, which deals with the personal relations between people working in a garage in the mixed city of Jaffa. First screened at Cannes, this film about love between a Jewish woman and an Arab young man won the hearts of many viewers in France and is making its Israeli debut in Jerusalem. It features Israeli film stars Dana Ivgi, Moni Moshonov and Ronit Elkabetz.

Eyes Wide Open is a film that is sure to cause a great deal of controversy. It deals with homosexuality among the ultra-Orthodox, a subject that is usually taboo in that part of the Jewish community and often leads to ostracism by the people they love the most.

Ajami is a melting pot of cultures and conflicting views within the city of Jaffa.  In this film, we witness how difficult the situation really is when clan and ethnic loyalties come into conflict.

In addition to the films mentioned above, the Jerusalem International Film Festival features a number of Israeli documentaries that explore various aspects of life in Israel—the conflicts, the good times, the best and the worst of human society. 

Jerusalem also shows a wide variety of films from around the world, Jewish and non-Jewish.  Included in the mix this year is the latest film by Toronto’s own Larry Weinstein, Inside Hana’s Suitcase, which was featured at the Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival recently. Audiences in Toronto can watch for a special screening of this film in early November as part of Holocaust Education Week, a screening that will be sponsored by the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.

As mentioned earlier, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival will begin July 23 and extends to August 10th.  This is the oldest Jewish film festival in the world and one of the largest, with a huge audience following and screenings throughout the San Francisco bay area.

It too is opening with the Israeli film, A Matter of Size and will be presenting some 50 Jewish films from around the world. Anyone in the San Francisco area at this time should make it a point to drop into the festival and enjoy the wide variety of films being offered.

July is also the month when the first season of the landmark Israeli television series Arab Labor is being released on DVD. The series was a huge hit at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival in 2008. In fact, it was so popular that the Festival screened more episodes in 2009.

Arab Labor is a hilarious comedy about an Arab writer who has his own column in one of the largest daily Hebrew newspapers in Israel.  His column describes the absurdities of life experienced by an Arab family living in Israel.  One of the funniest aspects of the TV series is that the hero tries to assimilate into Israeli Jewish society and the unusual situations this creates.  It is a reversal of past history, when it was Jews who were always a minority and were trying to adapt into the majority Christian or Moslem society.  The series is absolutely delightful and a must see for anyone interested in human behavior.

Also released on DVD recently was The First Basket, a documentary describing the important Jewish contribution to the growth in the popularity of basetball in American society. This film points out that many of basketball’s greatest stars during the 1940s and 1950s were Jews and that the first basket ever scored in the league that eventually became the National Basketball Association was scored by a Jewish player.

The First Basket is a fascinating documentary and a wonderful story told in a highly entertaining way.  

Larry Anklewicz is the Programme Coordinator for the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, He has written and lectured on Jewish films for many years and is the author of  A Guide to Jewish Films on Video.