2008 Archives

The Galilee Eskimos

Director : Johnathan Paz
Israel/2007/99 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

In this inspirational film, the senior citizens on a contemporary kibbutz awake to find that they have been abandoned. They group together to confront their circumstances, reigniting within themselves their fiery pioneer spirit, idealism and vision. Colorado premiere. Also shown on Monday, Feb. 11 at 5:00 p.m.

Film Sponsor (Monday Screening)
Elaine Gantz Berman & Steve Berman in honor of Sarita Gantz

Love and Dance

Director : Eitan Anner
Israel/2006/95 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

The film’s hero, Chen, is a young boy caught in the cultural divide between his Russian-born mother and his Israeli father. Outside the home, he is searching for a way to bridge the gap of his fractured family. Away from home, he happens upon a ballroom-dance class and falls in love with Natalie, a beautiful Russian girl. Under the tutelage of his Russian instructors, he learns to waltz, rumba and tango so that he can impress Natalie.

Film Sponsors
The Reiss Family (Shira, Jeffrey, Tory, & Elie)
Ozzie Malek

Someone To Run With

Director : Oded Davidoff
Israel/2006/118 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Two parallel stories drive an exhilarating coming-of-age tale set in a vibrant – but at times frightening – Jerusalem. Shy 17-year-old Assaf is in search of the owner of a lost dog; Tamar, the dog’s owner, and a gifted musician, is in search of her brother, who has been sucked down into the seamy underworld of Jerusalem. As their stories converge, the two young people are propelled down the path of self-discovery and first love.

Film Sponsor
Sharon & Jeffrey Haber

Jellyfish

Directors : Etgar Keret & Shira Geffen Israel/France/2007/78 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

This film tells the story of three, very different Tel Aviv women whose tales intersect as they float like, well…jellyfish swept along by events. A catering waitress, a new bride, and a Filipino domestic worker share a common search for communication and affection. The fourth protagonist is the sea, a blue-toned, shimmering place of refuge and contemplation.

Introduction & Post-Film Discussion
With Howie Movshovitz, film critic for Colorado Public Radio and director of education for the Denver Film Society

Film Sponsor
Carol & Irwin Wagner

Speaker Sponsor
Gay & Barry Curtiss-Lusher

Little Heroes

Director : Itay Lev
Israel/2006/76 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Four children, all outsiders or misfits, embark on a courageous expedition to rescue a pair of injured teenagers in the dangerous arid desert. A Russian girl with telepathic abilities, her mentally-challenged brother, a boy coping with his father’s death and another boy, an outsider in his kibbutz community, are transformed into a heroic team. They become a magician, a good-hearted giant, a warrior and a thief in this story of enemies becoming allies.

Post-Film Discussion

With Scott Kinnamon, a Denver-based filmmaker and educator, who will present a filmmaking workshop (limited to 12 students, pre-registration required) immediately following the screening.

Film Sponsor
Leigh & Matthew Suskin

Speaker & Workshop Sponsor
Kathy Neustadt Hankin

Orthodox Stance

Director : Jason Hutt
USA/2007/82 min

In the words of trainer Jimmy O’Pharrow, the boxer Dmitriy Salita “looks Russian, prays Jewish, and fights black.” Dmitriy balances his strict observation of Jewish law with the demands of the professional boxing circuit. He once said, “If anyone wants a whuppin’ from me, they got to wait until after sundown.” The film takes us behind the scenes to experience Dmitriy’s grueling training program, tense contract negotiations and pre-fight prayers.

Film Discussion

With award-winning director & filmmaker Jason Hutt

Film Sponsor
Lu & Chris Law

Filmmaker Sponsor
Lu & Chris Law

West Bank Story
Director : Ari Sandel
USA/2005/21 min

So Long Are You Young
Director : Judith Schaefer
USA/2006/59 min

West Bank Story

The Academy Award Winner for Best Live Action Short Film offers a campy take on West Side Story. An Israeli soldier falls for a beautiful Palestinian cashier, but their love may be doomed by the feud between their parents’ fast-food stands – the Kosher King and the Humus Hut.

So Long Are You Young

Senator Ted Kennedy recited the poem “Youth” at his brother Bobby’s funeral, and General Douglas MacArthur posted a copy in his office in post-war Japan, where the words became an inspiration to a generation of despairing Japanese. The little-known writer of this poem was a southern Jew named Samuel Ullman; this eloquent documentary is a testament to the power of his words.

Proceeded by a performance by The Colorado Hebrew Chorale

Film Sponsor
Marcia & Bernie Karshmer

Beaufort

Director : Joseph Cedar
Israel/2007/125 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Called “Israel’s first great war movie” by The Jerusalem Post, this film focuses on a small Israeli Defense Force unit guarding an outpost next to the 12th-century Beaufort Castle, as Israel prepares to withdraw from southern Lebanon after 18 years of war. The young soldiers are pinned inside the mountain, not only by Hezbollah’s guns and rocket launchers, but also by the intractability of their superiors. As the final evacuation approaches, we are ineluctably led to ask, “When is retreat a victory?”

Post-Film Discussion

With Gilad Millo, Israeli Consul for Media and Public Affairs

Film Sponsor
Howard & Hyla Greinetz

Speaker Sponsor
Judy Robins Interiors, Inc.

Making Trouble

Director : Rachel Talbot
USA/2007/85 min each min
English with some subtitled Yiddish

Six legendary American Jewish women comics show what it means to be Jewish, female and funny in this sidesplitting documentary. Comedy is the ultimate underdog’s revenge: Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Wendy Wasserstein and Gilda Radner broke barriers and defied convention. There are laughs galore, but success also came at a price – the film portrays the women’s struggles and sacrifices as they dealt with anti-Semitism, gender stereotypes and cultural expectations.

Post-Film Discussion

With Barbara Dobkin, founding Chair of the Jewish Women’s Archive & Lauren Antler, project director of JWA Productions

Film Sponsor
Lynda Goldstein

Speaker Sponsor
Lynda Goldstein

In Treatment
Episodes 1 – 5

Directors : Hagai Levi & Nir Bergman
Israel/2007/140 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Ruben Dagan, a brilliant psychologist who seems to have everything under control, is actually so close to the edge that he is driven to seek out the therapist he hasn’t seen in eight years. Audiences are treated to a gripping, fly-on-the-wall view of therapy as they observe Ruben’s sessions with his patients and with his own therapist.

In Treatment
Episodes 6 – 10
Date : February 12th 8:00 p.m.

Directors : Hagai Levi & Nir Bergman
Israel/2007/140 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Ruben Dagan, a brilliant psychologist who seems to have everything under control, is actually so close to the edge that he is driven to seek out the therapist he hasn’t seen in eight years. Audiences are treated to a gripping, fly-on-the-wall view of therapy as they observe Ruben’s sessions with his patients and with his own therapist.

Film Discussion

With psychologist Susan Heitler, Ph.D.

Film Sponsors
Jimmy Winokur (episodes 1—5)
Ellen Beller (episodes 6—10)

Dear Mr. Waldman

Director : Hanan Peled
Israel/2006/86 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Set in Tel Aviv in the 1960s, Dear Mr. Waldman is a funny and touching coming-of-age story written and directed by the son of survivors. The goal of 10-year-old Hilik is to make his parents happy. The fragile equilibrium of the family’s life is disturbed when Hilik’s father becomes convinced that his son from his first marriage didn’t actually die in Auschwitz, but rather survived to become the “Jack Waldman” (President Kennedy’s assistant), whose picture he sees in a newspaper.

Post-Film Discussion

With Evgenia Dodina, star of Israeli film and television, including Love and Dance, A Touch Away, and tonight’s Dear Mr. Waldman

Film Sponsors
Ruth Lurie & Arlen Ambrose

Speaker Sponsor
The Strear Family Foundation

Praying With Lior

Director : Ilana Trachtman
USA/2007/87 min

Lior Liebling was born with Down Syndrome – and with a gift for prayer. Filmmaker Ilana Trachtman presents an intimate, emotionally charged portrait of Lior and his family as they prepare for Lior’s bar mitzvah. Known as “the little rebbe,” Lior has spent his life praying with utter abandon. The camera captures the impact Lior has had on his family, friends and his religious community, as it poses difficult questions about disability, and what it means to talk to G-d.

Introduction & Post-Film Discussion

With Rabbi Mordecai Liebling, Lior’s father, and former executive director of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and V.P. for programs at the Jewish Fund for Justice

Film Sponsor
Anna and John J. Sie Foundation

Speaker Sponsor
Anna and John J. Sie Foundation

A Touch Away
Episodes 1-4

Director : Ron Ninio
Israel/2006/140 min
Hebrew & Russian with English subtitles

This smartly written, superbly acted television series is set in Tel Aviv, where the daughter of a strictly observant religious family is about to enter into an arranged marriage with a wealthy young bridegroom. Sparks fly when a secular family from Russia with a very handsome son moves into the apartment next door. When forbidden love buds between the two young neighbors, the families’ deeply rooted cultural assumptions and individual beliefs are threatened.

A Touch Away
Episodes 5-8

Director : Ron Ninio
Israel/2006/140 min
Hebrew & Russian with English subtitles

This smartly written, superbly acted television series is set in Tel Aviv, where the daughter of a strictly observant religious family is about to enter into an arranged marriage with a wealthy young bridegroom. Sparks fly when a secular family from Russia with a very handsome son moves into the apartment next door. When forbidden love buds between the two young neighbors, the families’ deeply rooted cultural assumptions and individual beliefs are threatened.

Introduction & Post-Screening Discussion

With Evgenia Dodina, Israeli film and television star who appears in Love and Dance, A Touch Away, and Dear Mr. Waldman

Film Sponsors
Polk Majestic Travel Group (episodes 1—4)
Celeste & Jack Grynberg (episodes 5—8)

Speaker Sponsor
The Strear Family Foundation (all episodes)

Strange Fruit

Director : Joel Katz
USA/2002/57 min

Billie Holiday rocketed to fame in 1939 when she introduced the song “Strange Fruit” at New York’s first integrated nightclub. The music and lyrics to the anti-lynching anthem were written by a Jewish school teacher named Abel Meeropol, under the pen name of Lewis Allan. This compelling documentary masterfully combines history, biography and jazz music as it explores the alliance between American Jews and African-Americans in the civil rights struggle.

Film Introduction

By KUVO 89.3 FM music host Rodney Franks

Film Sponsor
Recht & Kornfeld, P.C.
(criminal defense attorneys protecting constitutional rights)

Media Sponsor
KUVO 89.3 FM

Aviva My Love
Music By: Klezmer V’od

Director : Shemi Zarhin
Israel/2006/107 min
Hebrew with English subtitles

Aviva, who works as a hotel cook, spends too much time taking care of everyone else. When she isn’t shoring up her unemployed and depressed husband, her rebellious children and her unstable mother, the working-class woman with a secret talent is carving out the time to write. Aviva’s sister introduces her to Oded Zar, a best-selling novelist and professor, and the older writer instantly recognizes her promise. Aviva hopes that a promised book deal will bring the money they desperately need, but Oded has a far less savory agenda.

Post-Film Discussion

With Robert Denerstein, former film critic at The Rocky Mountain News, and noted film teacher and short film producer

Grand Finale Sponsor
MorEvents (Betsy & Gareth Heyman)

Sponsors:

Title Sponsors

BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Opening Night Sponsor

Coors Brewing Company

Grand Finale Sponsor

Betsy & Gareth Heyman (MorEvents)

Film, Speaker & Festival Sponsors

• Aish-Denver – Center for Jewish Learning
• Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado
• Ellen Beller
• Colorado Council on the Arts
• The Colorado Hebrew Chorale
• Gay & Barry Curtiss-Lusher
• Elaine Gantz Berman & Steve Berman (in honor of Sarita Gantz)
• Lynda Goldstein
• Howard & Hyla Greinetz
• Celeste & Jack Grynberg
• Sharon & Jeffrey Haber
• Marcia & Bernie Karshmer
• Lu & Chris Law
• Ruth Lurie & Arlen Ambrose
• Ozzie Malek
• Kathy Neustadt Hankin
• Polk Majestic Travel Group
• Recht & Kornfeld, P.C.
• The Reiss Family (Shira, Jeffrey, Tory, & Elie)
• Judy Robins Interiors, Inc.
• Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD)
• Anna and John J. Sie Foundation
• The Strear Family Foundation
• Leigh & Matthew Suskin
• Carol & Irwin Wagner
• Jimmy Winokur

In-Kind & Media Sponsors

• Colorado Public Radio
• Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East (ISIME)
• KUVO 89.3 FM
• Rocky Mountain News
• Safeway
• Staybridge Suites

Friends of Elaine Wolf & Sandy Wolf-Yearick

• Marshall & Helene Abrahams
• Jan Anderson
• Robin Chotin & Steven Chotin – The Chotin Foundation
• Fastlane Productions, Inc.
• Marsha & Ian Gardenswartz
• Michelle Graf – IDG Advisors, LLC
• Kathy & Rob Klugman
• Peter Kudla – Metropolitan Homes Inc.
• Evan & Evi Makovsky
• Kathy Neustadt Hankin
• Gary Reece
• Jorge & Francine Topelson
• Judi Wolf

Promotional Reel Production

• Starz Entertainment, LLC
• Gregory Larson , Che Che Mata, Ellen Mednick

Kosher Food Catering

Callaloo Catering

Film Festival Committee

• Sharon Haber, Chair
• Marcia Karshmer, Co-Chair
• Evan Dechtman
• Dana Melmed Friedman
• Betsy Heyman
• Lu Law
• Robyn Loup
• Jeffrey Reiss
• Lary Weintraub
• Jimmy Winokur