STUDY BUDDIES
A BIG BET
Temple Sinai and an Episcopal church will spend a weekend worshipping and studying with AmyJill Levine. Page 4
Mike Leven and other Jewish industry experts offer advice on whether Georgia should gamble on casinos. Page 14
OFF UNTIL ’16
This issue concludes the AJT’s 2015 publishing schedule. Thanks for your support. Look for our next issue Jan. 8.
Atlanta WWW.ATLANTAJEWISHTIMES.COM
VOL. XC NO. 49
DECEMBER 25, 2015 | 13 TEVET 5776
2016 Jewish Film Festival Set for Global Journey
T
he 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival will take perhaps 40,000 moviegoers from Holocaust memories to a quest for the best Israeli cuisine, with stops along the way in Israel and Europe, history and horror, terrorism and therapy, the classics and the cutting edge. A year after becoming the world’s largest Jewish film festival with a total audience of more than 38,600 in its first outing as an independent nonprofit organization, the Atlanta festival is again presenting a challenging mix of movies at venues inside and outside the Perimeter. A new theater for the 16th festival is the renovated SCADshow in Midtown, whose films will include the ACCESS Night showing of the romance “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” on Jan. 28 and a screening of “East Jerusalem West Jerusalem” followed by a performance by star David Broza on Jan. 30. Broza’s performances after the two showings of the documentary about his latest album are among the highlights of the programming enhancing the festival screenings. While the lineup of guests is subject to change, others expected include Bosnian Judeo-Spanish music legend Flory Jagoda with the documentary “Flory’s Flame”; Rain Pryor, Richard Pryor’s Jewish daughter, with “That Daughter’s Crazy”; one of the backpackers who was held in Iran for 26 months as shown in the documentary “The Three Hikers”;
CHAI TIME
For many, Christmas means Chinese food, but for 18 years Chinese has been a daily fact of life for Chai Peking’s Reuven Michoel Robbins. Page 8
Auschwitz survivors Max (Martin Landau, left) and Zev (Christopher Plummer) plot a journey of revenge from their New York nursing home in “Remember,” the opening-night film of the 16th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
and chef Michael Solomonov for the closing-night screening of the documentary about his exploration of Israeli food, “In Search of Israeli Cuisine,” to be followed by a tasting. Like last year, the festival has blocked out screening times for unscheduled encore presentations of the most popular films. But whereas the encores were the day before closing night in 2015, they will be Feb. 17, the day after closing night, in 2016. The 16th annual festival runs from Tuesday, Jan. 26, to Wednesday, Feb. 17, and presents 77 films, 51 of them feature length, from 26 countries. Five of them,
UNFORGETTABLE
Look back at 2015, a year of big anniversaries, important local leadership changes, horrifying terrorism and heartening responses. Page 20
all short films of three to 28 minutes, are world premieres, including a documentary about Atlanta comedian Jerry Farber called “Jerry-Atric.” Nine other films are touted as North American premieres, and four are U.S. premieres. “Remember” isn’t any of those, but the Hollywood talent in front of and behind the camera earned it the role of opening the festival Jan. 26 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Oscar winner Christopher Plummer stars as an Auschwitz survivor, supported by fellow Oscar winner Martin Landau. Academy Award nominee Atom Egoyan directs
INSIDE
Calendar 3
Arts 23
Candle Lighting
3
Cartoon 24
Israel 6
Obituaries 25
Education 7
Home 28
Business 8
Crossword 30
Opinion 10
Marketplace 31
the film, which is being released in the United States 2½ weeks after it opens the Atlanta festival. Tickets for opening night, closing night, ACCESS Night and the Broza shows are $18. Other tickets are $13 for screenings that Michael Solomonov gets to enjoy one start after 4 p.m., of his food finds in $9 for matinees, “In Search of Israeli and $11 for chil- Cuisine,” which closes dren, students, the festival Feb. 16. and people 65 and older. Tickets go on sale at ajff.org and 678-701-6104 on Sunday, Jan. 10. “We are proud to unveil the sprawling lineup for the 2016 AJFF, featuring diverse, high-caliber films from around the globe,” festival Executive Director Kenny Blank said in an announcement of the lineup. “This is a cultural celebration and an artistic showcase meant to feed the soul and the mind, as well as entertain. It is more than just a night at the movies; it is a curated experience that engages and inspires diverse audiences with film through a Jewish lens.” The Atlanta Jewish Times is sponsoring screenings Feb. 4 and 5 of “Je Suis Charlie,” a documentary about the staff members of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo who were slain in a terrorist attack in January. You can view the full lineup and schedule and download the program guide at AJFF.org. The AJT will have the full schedule as part of an expansive festival preview in our first issue of 2016 on Jan. 8. ■ Israel’s crucial film funding, Page 23