EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JCC HOUSTON
Houston Jewish Film Festival MARCH 8-22, 2015
erjcchouston.org/filmfest Run Boy Run
Festival at a Glance 3 | Letter from the Film Chair 4 | Ticket Info and Venues 5 | Opening Night: Run Boy Run 6 | Blumenthal Magic Men Transit
19 | A Place in Heaven Mamele The Green Prince 20 | Closing Night: Is That You? 21 | Community Wide Teen Screening: Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Home Front
7 | Short Film Night
22 | Committee Members and Staff
8 | Above and Beyond
23 | Sponsors and Community Partners
Ida 9 | The Last Mentsch The Art Dealer God’s Slave
24 | Arts & Culture Events 26 | Center for Jewish Living & Learning Events
10 | Touchdown Israel The Outrageous Sophie Tucker 11 | Zero Motivation Arabani 12 | Women’s Night: Orange People Shtisel 13 | Chair’s Choice: The Frisco Kid 14 | HJFF Calendar 16 | Get Cultured: Hanna’s Journey Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem
Every movie ticket from the J gets you 10% off at Laykie’s Gourmet Café at the J
17 | 24 Days Operation Sunflower 18 | Mr. Kaplan A Borrowed Identity
Hours During Film Festival Mon-Thurs: 9:00 AM – 7:30 PM Friday: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Sunday: Hours Vary Call the J for more information
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Letter from the Film Chair
Welcome to the 11th Houston Jewish Film Festival presented by the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC with our venue partners, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Holocaust Museum Houston. The 26 films you will see during the next 15 days represent the works of a group of outstanding producers and directors from many countries including the United States, Israel, France, Germany, Poland, Argentina, the Philippines, and Uruguay. They have been selected by a dedicated team of film buffs who spent countless hours reviewing and debating the merits of various comedies, dramas, documentaries, films about the Holocaust, about Israel, and films of historical as well as current significance. My thanks to all of the volunteers who provided their time, toil, and talent to make this year’s Festival possible. My thanks also to Festival founders Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan who had the imagination and wisdom necessary to create and implement the Festival; they continue to lend their expertise and experience to the committee. A special thanks to my Co-Chair John Dreyfus, for his diligence, enthusiasm, and encyclopedic knowledge of films. Amy Rahmani, the Arts & Culture Program Coordinator at the J has kept me and the entire committee on track, on time, and on focus. Thank you. Finally, the Festival would not be possible without the financial support of our Patrons of the Arts, underwriters, community and corporate sponsors. We appreciate your commitment and dedication to bringing the finest of programs to the J. This year, we have decided to institute a Chair’s Choice film. My selection is a 1979 comedy, The Frisco Kid starring Gene Wilder as a rabbi who ventures across the country to take a position at a San Francisco synagogue. He meets con men, a bank robber, and Indians among others. Chased by a posse, he nevertheless will not ride his horse on Shabbat. Threatened by fire, he will not give up his Torah. Wilder’s performance is funny, touching, and not to be missed. See you at the movies! Helen Wils Film Committee Chair
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Ticket Information INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
$8 Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Member/Patron of the Arts/ MFAH Film Buff/MFAH Member/HMH Member/ Students/Seniors 60+ $10 Public All 5:00 PM Movies at the J are $5
FESTIVAL PASS
$60 Member $80 Public $10 discount for Students and Seniors 60+
Festival and Patron Passes provide entry for films only at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
To purchase tickets and passes, visit erjcchouston.org/filmfest. Get member pricing to HJFF plus programs throughout the year!
Membership starts as low as $180/year! For more detailed information on membership categories and rates, please visit us online at erjcchouston.org/join or call 713.729.3200.
Venues Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Houston 5601 South Braeswood Houston, TX 77096 713.551.7255 erjcchouston.org/filmfest
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1001 Bissonnet Street Houston, TX 77005 713.639.7515 mfah.org/film
Holocaust Museum Houston Morgan Family Center 5401 Caroline Street Houston, TX 77004 713.942.8000 hmh.org
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OPENING NIGHT
Run Boy Run (Lauf Junge Lauf)
Sunday, March 8 | 7:30 PM Wednesday, March 18 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
A saga of courage and compassion, Run Boy Run tells Directed by Pepe Danquart the true story of a nine-year old Polish boy adrift in France/Germany, 2013, 108 min Nazi-occupied Poland dependent upon the kindness of German, Polish, Russian strangers to outlast the Nazi occupation and preserve with English subtitles Houston Premiere his Jewish faith. An escapee from the Warsaw Ghetto, Drama he learns to hide from SS patrols, forage for food, find shelter and an occasional job, and temporary refuge with the wife and mother of partisans who teaches him what he needs to know to pass as Catholic. His ultimate choice is whether to assimilate or assume his Jewish heritage. Patron Sponsors: Helen Wils and Leonard Goldstein 5
Blumenthal
Monday, March 9 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Seth Fisher USA, 2013, 86 min English Houston Premiere Comedy
In this zany comedy, the renowned New York playwright Blumenthal (Brian Cox) is dead, having succumbed to cardiac arrest while laughing at his own jokes. No one is particularly distraught: not his estranged and jealous brother Saul, a constipated college professor of English; not Saul’s wife, who seeks solace in the arms of the dog walker who supplements his income by providing nondog-walking services to others; and not Blumenthal’s son, a pharmaceutical rep who doesn’t want his non-Jewish girlfriend to convert because then she’ll be “enthusiastic.” Blumenthal is sure to delight audiences with its witty dialogue, jazzy soundtrack, and Manhattan scenes.
Magic Men (Ha-Ben Shel Elohim) Monday, March 9 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor Israel, 2013, 100 min Hebrew with English subtitles Houston Premiere Comedy/Drama
The father: a 78-year old Greek Holocaust survivor, adventurer, and magician contemptuous of religion. The son: a devout, insecure Hassidic musician. In this Israeli film, Avraham wants to go to Greece to find the boy who gave him shelter during WWII. Much to Avraham’s dismay, his family insists that his son Yehuda join him on the journey. The two meet Maria, a Greek prostitute; the unlikely trio attempts to locate Avraham’s childhood friend. This is an ambitious and poignant portrait of family relationships, the divide between religious and secular worlds, and the coming together of cultures.
Transit
Tuesday, March 10 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Hannah Espia Philippines, 2013, 92 min English, Hebrew, Tagalog with English subtitles Houston Premiere Drama
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Transit, Philippines’ entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar, examines the lives of Filipino domestic workers in Israel. It is told from the points of view of several of the characters: Janet, a domestic worker and mother to Yael, a teenager born in Israel of an Israeli father; Janet’s boyfriend Moises who takes care of a disabled Israeli and is attempting to keep his 4-year old son Joshua from being deported; and Tina, a recently arrived Philippino maid. The film examines the social and economic struggles facing displaced people across the globe and how immigration laws affect human relationships.
Short Film Night
Tuesday, March 10 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Deserted
Directed by Yoav Hornung Israel, 2013, 25 min
On the final assignment of their course as officer candidates in the Israeli army, two women trek through a harsh desert landscape when one suddenly remembers she’s forgotten something crucial.
Elijah the Prophet Directed by James Cooper Canada, 2013, 9 min
Elijah the Prophet tells the comedic story of Elijah, the pious, chummy and alcoholic prophet, whose yearly antics have graced Jewish households for ages as part of the Passover celebration.
Audition
Directed by Udo Prinsen The Netherlands, 2011, 6 min
Inspired by drawings of Auschwitz prisoners, Audition depicts a young trumpet player trying out for the camp’s orchestra to improve his chances for survival.
Auschwitz On My Mind Directed by Assaf Machnes Israel/Poland/UK, 2013, 16 min
An Israeli teenager tries to win the affection of a girl in his class while on a school trip to a concentration camp.
The Funeral
Directed by Nick Green UK, 2013, 15 min
Arnold is being pulled in two different directions by his mother and wife about his son’s Bar Mitzvah. But when a family tragedy brings everyone together, it has consequences no one quite expects.
The Walk
Directed by Aaron Wolf USA, 2014, 20 min
The kindness of a stranger, played by Peter Riegert, profoundly affects a young Brooklyn boy who is grieving over the death of his father.
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Above and Beyond
Wednesday, March 11 | 7:30 PM Friday, March 13 | 1:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Producer Nancy Spielberg in Attendance March 11 Days before the establishment of Israel, it became obvious that the new state would have to protect itself from invasion by its neighbors. Thus began the birth of what would become the Israeli Air Force. WWII pilots, Jewish and non-Jewish, were recruited at great risk to their lives, and for the American volunteers, their freedom and citizenship. Some were looking for adventure; others were committed to the survival of Israel; all were heroic. This band of brothers recounts its story in this remarkable true-life adventure film directed by Roberta Grossman (Hava Nagila: The Movie; Blessed is the Match) and produced by Nancy Spielberg. Directed by Roberta Grossman USA, 2014, 89 min English Houston Premiere Documentary
Sponsored by June and Leonard Goldberg Patron Sponsors: Joanne and Bruce Levy Nancy Spielberg’s visit generously underwritten by Moira Morris, Calli Saitowitz, and Simone Berry In honor of Smoky Simon
Ida
Thursday, March 12 | 5:00 PM Sunday, March 15 | 11:00 AM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski Poland, 2013, 80 min Polish with English subtitles Drama
* Festival and Patron Passes are not accepted.
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Poland, 1962. Ida, orphaned as an infant and brought up in a convent, is about to take her vows. But before she does, the mother superior wants Ida to meet Wanda, an unknown aunt. At their first meeting, Wanda tells a shocked Ida “You’re Jewish.” The two, pure believer (Ida) and the free-living atheist (Wanda), then embark upon a quest to discover what happened to Ida’s parents, a combination road trip, detective tale, and ultimate melding of black and white worlds to shades of grey. Ida has been nominated for Oscars in Best Foreign Language film and Best Cinematography.
The Last Mentsch (Der Letzte Mentsch)* Thursday, March 12 | 7:30 PM Holocaust Museum Houston
Directed by Peirre-Henry Salfati Germany, 2014, 90 min German with English subtitles Houston Premiere Drama
Marcus Schwarz has denied his Jewish heritage all his life. Having survived the horrors of Auschwitz, he tries to forget by creating a new identity for himself in Germany. But when Marcus decides he wants to be buried in a Jewish cemetery, and the rabbis don’t believe he’s Jewish, he is forced to return to his childhood Hungarian village to prove his identity. With all his family gone and no remaining records— except the faded tattoo on his forearm—Marcus enlists a young Turkish woman to drive him to his village, resulting in a journey that will change them both forever.
The Art Dealer (L’antiquaire)* Saturday, March 14| 6:00 PM Thursday, March 19 | 1:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Directed by Francois Margolin France, 2014, 95 min French with English subtitles Houston Premiere Drama
This chic Parisian thriller is set in the world of Nazi-looted art. A persistent young journalist finds herself caught up in a web of betrayal and complicity as she investigates stolen family paintings and uncovers a story that has been carefully buried for decades. Anna Sigalevitch delivers a captivating performance as a desperate woman searching for truth in a past shrouded in mystery. The cast also includes Michel Bouquet, who starred in the biopic, Renoir. Director François Margolin layers the drama with intrigue and touches of humor, enhanced by the captivating setting of Paris.
God’s Slave (Esclavo De Dios)* Saturday, March 14 | 8:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Directed by Joel Novoa Argentina/Uruguay/USA/Venezuela, 2013, 90 min Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles Houston Premiere Drama/Thriller
A drama based on the 1994 Buenos Aires bombing, God’s Slave follows Ahmed, assigned to a suicide mission, and David, a fiercely determined Israeli special agent seeking to prevent the attack. Ahmed poses as a doctor who lives happily with his wife and young son; though David’s marriage is on the rocks, he remains devoted to his wife and daughter. As time runs out, David identifies Ahmed as the suspect, culminating in violent, if unexpected consequences. Venezuelan filmmaker Joel Novoa earned multiple awards for his compelling debut feature and was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Latin American Filmmakers.
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Touchdown Israel
Sunday, March 15 | 2:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Paul Hirschberger USA/Israel, 2014, 85 min English Houston Premiere Documentary
Who would have believed it? American football is now being played in Israel. Today, football in Israel is thriving, with 11 teams and over 600 amateur players from a crosssection of Israeli society, including Arabs, Christians, secular and Orthodox Jews—even Palestinians. In this Israeli documentary similar to Hard Knocks, sports is the common bond; religion and nationality matter not. Some players wear their helmets over their kippot. Others daven before the game begins. But all are brought together by the common language of football. In a country where off-the-field rivalries run deep, Touchdown Israel celebrates the unifying power of sports amidst the broad religious and cultural diversity of Israel.
The Outrageous Sophie Tucker* Sunday, March 15 | 5:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Directed by William Gazecki USA, 2014, 96 min English Documentary
Before Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Midler, Madonna and Lady Gaga, Sophie Tucker was the first woman to infatuate her audiences with a bold, bawdy, and brassy style unlike any previous performer. Using rediscovered scrapbooks from the entertainer known as “The Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” documentary filmmakers Susan and Lloyd Ecker take you on their seven-year journey retracing Tucker’s 60-year show business career, focusing on the tumultuous early days of this iconic vaudeville superstar who ruled the 1920s Flapper Era in the United States. Commentary by cultural historians and admirers including Tony Bennett round out Sophie’s story.
Did you know? Every movie ticket at the MFAH gets you 10% off at Café Express in the museum. Make it a “dinner and a movie” kind of night! Café Express is open until 7PM on both Saturday and Sunday nights.
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Zero Motivation (Efes Be-Yachasei Enosh)* Sunday, March 15 | 7:00 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
PRIVATE BENJAMIN meets M*A*S*H, speaks Hebrew, Directed by Talya Lavie and keeps kosher. Set in Israel, 2014, 101 min Hebrew with English subtitles a remote desert military Houston Premiere base, a platoon of young Comedy women soldiers, all Israeli conscripts, serve out their time playing computer games, singing pop songs, and conspiring to get transferred to Tel Aviv—while endlessly serving coffee to the men who run the show. Here’s an Israeli film filled with funny, quick-witted, zany women who wield their staple guns like automatic weaponry. If there is a war going on, it’s one against boredom, bad uniforms, dopey rules, and doing everything in triplicate. – Film Forum
Arabani
Monday, March 16 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Yusuf, an Israeli Druze, left his village as a Directed by Adi Adwan young man, married Israel, 2013, 84 min an Israeli-Jewish Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles Houston Premiere woman, and fathered Drama two children, now teenagers. Their parents have recently divorced, and Yusuf, who hasn’t been back to his village in many years, decides to return with his Jewish children. The children are bewildered by the traditions of village life. Grandma isn’t delighted by her son’s return, having done the Druze equivalent of sitting shiva for him, and she is far from welcoming to her grandchildren. Arabani examines the social, religious, and cultural divides separating the two cultures and offers us a glimpse into Druze life.
* Festival and Patron Passes are not accepted.
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WOMEN’S NIGHT
Join us as the J celebrates women in the month of March! Make it dinner and a movie with your friends! Bring your dinner or buy from Laykie’s Gourmet Café at the J, and we’ll provide the Israeli wine.
Orange People (Anashim Ktumim)
Monday, March 16 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Grandma Zohara, an Israeli immigrant Directed by Hanna Azoulay Hasfari from Morocco, has the Israel/Morocco, 2013, 93 min Hebrew, Arabic ability to hold a client’s with English subtitles object in her hands, fall Houston Premiere asleep, and prophesize Drama the future. Tired of the burden of her mystical powers, Zohara is in search of a female heir to continue her work. But who? One daughter, a restaurateur, is not interested even though she has the ability to succeed her mother. Another is a gourmet cook in Paris. A granddaughter is interested but does not have the skill. Moving between past and present, Orange People explores the conflicts between generations, modernity and tradition, identity and memory.
RSVP for dinner at arahmani@erjcchouston.org or call 713.729.3200 ext. 3299 by Thursday, March 12.
Shtisel
Tuesday, March 17 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Alon Zingman Israel, 2013, 90 min Hebrew with English subtitles Houston Premiere TV Series, Drama
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The new Israeli hit TV series Shtisel – from the producers of the beloved series Srugim – focuses on a Haredi family living in Jerusalem. Akiva and Shulem Shtisel, father and son, sit on a little balcony overlooking streets of the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem. A year has passed since mother died. All the other children have left the nest, and only Shulem and Akiva remain - quarreling, making up, and laughing. All will change when Akiva meets Elisheva. Shtisel is a magical glimpse into an often closed-off world, overflowing with surprisingly poignant, if restrained, romanticism. We will be showing the first two episodes.
CHAIR’S CHOICE
The Frisco Kid
Tuesday, March 17 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Join us for a classic Jewish film, The Frisco Kid, a favorite of our Film Chair, Helen Wils. Avram Belinski (Gene Wilder), a Polish rabbi, is 87th of 88 graduates Directed by Robert Aldrich in his Yeshiva class of 1850. His graduation “gift?” A one way ticket USA, 1979, 114 min to San Francisco to become the rabbi at a new synagogue. In this English ultimate Western comic road trip, Avram falls in with con men, Drama a bank robber, Indians, and Trappist monks as he travels across the country. One critic thought that Wilder “gave one of his very best performances” in the film; another wrote that not many actors have been “so willing to celebrate their culture and religious convictions as Wilder does here, perhaps…a trait he picked up from [Mel] Brooks.” Patron Sponsors: Doreen and Basil Joffe 13
Houston Jewish Film Festival | March 8-22, 2015
Calendar of Events SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDN
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8 OPENING NIGHT 7:30 PM | Run Boy Run
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10
11
5:00 PM | Blumenthal
5:00 PM | Transit
5:00 PM | Mr.
7:30 PM | Magic Men
7:30 PM | Short Film Night
7:30 PM | Abov
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16
17
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11:00 AM | Ida
5:00 PM | Arabani
5:00 PM | Shtisel
5:00 PM | Run
2:00 PM | Touchdown Israel
WOMEN’S NIGHT 6:30 PM | Women’s Night Dinner
CHAIR’S CHOICE 7:30 PM | The Frisco Kid
7:30 PM | The In t Sho
5:00 PM | The Outrageous Sophie Tucker 7:00 PM | Zero Motivation
Prod Nanc Atten
7:30 PM | GET Han
7:30 PM | Orange People
Exclu to Th
22 CLOSING DAY 11:00 AM | A Place in Heaven
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COMMUNITY TEEN SCREEN 7:00 PM | Ben Hel High the
2:00 PM | Mamele 4:00 PM | The Green Prince 7:30 PM | Is That You?
Director Dani Menkin in Attendance
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25
Exclu in gra
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Venues Legend 5601 South Braeswood Houston, TX 77096
Holocaust Museum Houston, Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium Theater
Landmark River Oaks Theatre
Evelyn Rubestein JCC, Kaplan Theatre
2009 West Gray Houston, TX 77019
1001 Bissonnet Street Houston, TX 77005
NESDAY
5401 Caroline Street Houston, TX 77004
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
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6
7
12
13
14
. Kaplan
5:00 PM | Ida
6:00 PM | The Art Dealer
ve and Beyond
7:30 PM | The Last Mentsch
1:00 PM | Above and Beyond
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n Boy Run
1:00 PM | The Art Dealer
6:00 PM | Mr. Kaplan
eodore Bikel: the Shoes of olom Aleichem
5:00 PM | Operation Sunflower
1:00 PM | Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem
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ducer cy Spielberg in ndance
T CULTURED: nna’s Journey
with Lunch and a Movie for 60+
7:30 PM | 24 Days
8:00 PM | God’s Slave
7:45 PM | Lounge Open 8:45 PM | A Borrowed Identity
usively for Ages 21 hirty-Somthing
WIDE NING neath the lmet: From h School to e Homefront
usively for teens rades 9-12
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GET CULTURED: The J’s Arts & Culture Events for People in their 20s and 30s
Hanna’s Journey (Hanna Reise) Exclusively for Ages 21 to Thirty-Something
Wednesday, March 18 | 7:30 PM
River Oaks Theatre | 2009 West Gray $10 | Advanced Purchase Recommended Cash only at the door
Directed by Julia von Heinz Germany/Israel, 2013, 100 min German, Hebrew with English subtitles Houston Premiere Drama
Ambitious Berliner Hanna decides that if she is going to succeed in business, she will need some volunteer service work on her resumé. She heads to Israel to work with disabled Jews, cynically explaining, if you’re German, “helping Jews always gets you points, and disabled Jews count double.” Itay, the Israeli social worker supervising Hanna’s volunteer work, cracks jokes about German guilt while openly flirting with her. She resists at first, but soon finds herself drawn to him. Probing the effects of the Holocaust’s looming shadow on third generation Israelis and Germans, the film deftly weaves the personal and the political, illustrating how they are inextricably linked.
Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem Wednesday, March 18 | 7:30 PM Friday, March 20 | 1:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Courtesy of The National Center for Jewish Film
Directed by John Lollos USA, 2014, 75 min English Houston Premiere Documentary
From his childhood in pre-war Vienna, Theodore Bikel was entranced by Sholom Aleichem’s stories. Managing to escape Vienna, his grandmother secretly rescued Sholom Aleichem’s books. So it was natural that as an actor and singer, Bikel became one of the foremost interpreters of Sholom Aleichem’s characters, having played Tevye over 2,000 times. The film features Bikel’s performance of stories and songs from his stage shows as well as monologues portraying the most famous milkman in musical theater history, and interviews with Alan Alda, Fyvush Finkel and granddaughter, Bel Kaufman, author of Up the Down Staircase, a writer in her own right. Film provided by The National Center for Jewish Film jewishfilm.org
Patron Sponsors: Lynn and Armand Shapiro
Lunch and a Movie for Adults 60+ Friday, March 20 | Shabbat Lunch at Noon
$8 Member | $12 Public | Price includes film and lunch 16
RSVP REQUIRED by Monday, March 16 to Esther Bethke at 713.595.8186.
Operation Sunflower
Thursday, March 19 | 5:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
When David Ben Gurion Directed by Avraham Kushnir returned from visiting a Israel, 2014, 105 min concentration camp, he French, English, German recognized the threats to with English subtitles Israel’s annihilation. The Houston Premiere Drama Iranians had missiles and were prepared to launch them. Time is of the essence. Against this background, Ben Gurion orders the development of an “insurance policy:” a nuclear option. The fictional head of the Mossad and a top nuclear scientist are recruited to develop Israel’s nuclear capabilities in a race against time. The mission seems impossible. But working with France and Germany, they must find a way to protect Israel against its potentially imminent destruction while facing their own moral qualms.
24 Days (24 Jours, La Vérité Sur L’affaire Ilan Halimi) Thursday, March 19 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Based on actual events, Directed by Alexandre Arcady 24 Days deals with the 2006 France, 2014, 111 min kidnapping of 23-year old French with English subtitles Ilan Halimi, a French Jew. Houston Premiere The kidnapping made frontDrama page news around the world and gave rise to a massive police manhunt, oftentimes botched and inept. The French police believed the crime was an attempt to extort money from the Halimi family, not an anti-Semitic act despite all of the evidence to the contrary, including an e-mail by the kidnappers that reads “We have a Jew.” This disturbing view of recent French history also explores the tensions between the Jewish, Arab, and black communities in France. Supported by the Rosita and Albert Gaon Sephardic Heritage Program Endowment Fund
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Join us for drinks and dessert in the Joe Frank Theatre of the Arts. Relax in between the films: stay late after Mr. Kaplan or come early before A Borrowed Identity. Open 7:45 – 8:45 PM. Your film ticket or pass provides entry.
Mr. Kaplan (Esperando A Míster Kaplan) Wednesday, March 11 | 5:00 PM Saturday, March 21 | 6:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Seventy-six year old Jacob Directed by Álvaro Brechner Kaplan believes he hasn’t Uruguay/Spain/Germany achieved anything in life— 2014, 98 min compared, for example, to Spanish with English subtitles Houston Premiere Winston Churchill. He feels Comedy/Drama his life is now restricted: he is retired, has lost his driver’s license, is on a no salt diet, and his hearing may be failing. Jacob wants to do something for which he will be remembered. Hearing a news report that an 85-year old war criminal is in the neighborhood, Jacob and his accomplice, a former police officer, begin a search for the alleged Nazi. His search, however, turns up some surprising results in this sweetly comic film.
A Borrowed Identity
Saturday, March 21 | 8:45 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
From award-winning Directed by Eran Riklis filmmaker Eran Riklis (Lemon Israel, 2014, 105 min Tree; Syrian Bride) comes Hebrew with English subtitles his latest entry, A Borrowed Houston Premiere Identity. Eyad, son of an Arab Drama fruit picker whose university career in Jerusalem ended due to his arrest for political activity, is a gifted boy from an Arab village. He earns entry into a prestigious Jerusalem boarding school; his Hebrew is awkward, he lacks cultural knowledge natural to his Israeli classmates, and he is isolated until he is befriended by two of his classmates. Slowly, Eyad sheds his identity as an outsider, makes compromises, and struggles to find his place in the world.
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A Place In Heaven (Makom Be-Gan Eden) Sunday, March 22 | 11:00 AM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Yossi Madmoni Israel, 2013, 117 min Hebrew with English subtitles Houston Premiere Drama
An odd precept in Jewish law permits a person to sell his place in heaven. But would you strike such a bargain for a month’s worth of omelets? Bambi, a brave, heroic, secular Israeli army officer who recently returned from battle, does just that when he enters into a contract with a religious cook. Years later, when Bambi is on his deathbed, alone and embittered, his ultra-Orthodox estranged son, Nimrod, tries to repurchase his father’s place in heaven in this film about father/son relationships, fate, faith, family, salvation, military expediency and the inevitable political fallout.
HJFF RESTORATION HIGHLIGHT
Mamele
Sunday, March 22 | 2:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
The National Center for Jewish Film
Directed by Joseph Green and Konrad Tom Poland, 1938, 97 min Yiddish with new English subtitles Drama
Molly Picon stars as Havche (“Mamele”) in this Cinderella-like musical comedy/drama. No one in the family appreciates her: neither her ne’er do well father, her two sisters, nor her three brothers. She cooks, cleans, washes, sews, rescues her siblings from disaster, and engages in a little matchmaking, a regular scullery maid in this 1938 restored Polish/Yiddish film. And she shines when she sings many of the old Yiddish favorites along with her Prince Charming, a violinist who lives across the courtyard. This picture of pre-war Poland is not to be missed, replete with gangsters, night clubs, sukkahs, and a view of a lost world. Film restoration & new English subtitles by The National Center for Jewish Film | jewishfilm.org
The Green Prince (Hanasich Hayarok) Sunday, March 22 | 4:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Directed by Nadav Schirman Germany/Israel/UK, 2014, 99 min Hebrew with English subtitles Houston Premiere Documentary
This documentary, based on Mosab Hassan Yousef’s memoir, Son of Hamas, relates the story of Yousef’s collaboration with the Shin Bet over a 10-year period. As the son of a Hamas leader, he was given the code name “the green prince.” Juxtaposing Yousef’s story with that of his Shin Bet handler, Gonen Ben Yitzhak, compels the audience to examine the decisions each man made, the dangers resulting from those decisions, and their psychological effect. It is the story of two adversaries embroiled in the clash of history, spy and spymaster, each of whom ultimately places his trust in the other.
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CLOSING NIGHT
Is That You? (Haeem Ze Ata?)
Sunday, March 22 | 7:30 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Director Dani Menkin in Attendance
Ronnie, a 60-year old Israeli film projectionist, has been fired. He travels to the U.S. to visit his brother, owner of Directed by Dani Menkin a used car lot. But Ronnie has a quest: he wants to find USA/Israel, 2014, 84 min Rachel, his lost love. Thus begins the ultimate road trip. English, Hebrew with English subtitles On his journey, he meets Myla, a young filmmaker making Houston Premiere Comedy/Drama a documentary on regrets; Ronnie is a perfect case study, so Myla decides to join him in his search. The two encounter a variety of colorful characters, including an opera-singing cop and a pot smoking grandma—willing to talk about their lives in this gentle comedy directed by Dani Menkin (Dolphin Boy) about the road not taken. Patron Sponsors: Ellen and Daniel Trachtenberg Sponsored by Isabelle and Eric Mayer In honor of John Dreyfus 20
COMMUNITY WIDE TEEN SCREENING
Beneath the Helmet: From High School to the Home Front Exclusively for Teens in Grades 9-12 Wednesday, March 25 | 7:00 PM Evelyn Rubenstein JCC
Presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC, and BBYO in cooperation with Houston Congregational Religious and Jewish Day Schools, along with Local Jewish Youth Groups. This is a coming of age story that highlights five young Israeli Directed by Wayne Kopping high school graduates who are drafted into the army to defend Israel, 2014, 85 min their country. At the age of 18, away from their houses, family, and English, Hebrew with subtitles Houston Premiere friends, these young individuals undergo a demanding journey, Documentary revealing the core of who they are and who they want to be. The film illustrates how these young men and women are protecting not only their homes, but the shared values of peace, equality, opportunity, democracy, religious tolerance and women’s rights. The lessons they learn along the way can be adapted, understood and appreciated by everyone. Post film talkback led by Israeli Shaliach, Niv Prager followed by a Mitzvah Project supporting the IDF.
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Committee Members and Staff 2014-2015 Film Committee
Helen Wils, Chair John Dreyfus, Co-Chair Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan, Founding Chairs Margie Beegle Barbara Bronstein Nada Chandler Joyce Cramer Nancy Epstein Sue Goott
Jerry Greenspan Ellen Hamburg Lindy Kahn Marisa Katz Diane Lee Kraitman Eve Lapin
Sandy Lessig Joanne Levy Beth Nock Miriam Pacht Stefani Twyford Joyce Wilkenfeld
Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston Bobbi Samuels
Joel Dinkin
Deborah Kaplan
Marilyn Hassid
Amy Rahmani
Judy Weil
Jerry Lynch and Lee Snyder
Melanie Beltram
President
Arts & Culture Steering Committee Chair Arts & Culture Program Coordinator Projectionists
Executive Vice President Assistant Executive Director Arts & Culture Assistant Executive Administrative Assistant
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Marian Luntz
Curator, Film and Video
Holocaust Museum Houston Tamara Savage
Managing Director/Director of Public Programs
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Sponsors and Community Partners Supporters Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Patrons of the Arts
Official Hotel of the ERJCC
Director Brian Gavin Diamonds
In-Kind Fleischer Wine: A Division of Mexcor Jenny Tavor Custom Catering
Media Sponsors
Community Partners AIPAC–American Israel Public Affairs Committee
Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
Jewish Family Service
Congregation Beth El Congregation Beth Israel
HSPO Jewish Feminist Reading Group
Congregation Beth Yeshurun Sisterhood
National Council of Jewish Women Greater Houston Section
Congregation Brith Shalom
Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services
Congregation Or Ami
United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston
Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest
Yiddish Vinkel of Houston
Holocaust Museum Houston Houston Chapter of Hadassah
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Arts & Culture MUSIC SHUFFLE Concert Sunday, February 22 | 4:00 PM You get to choose! In this family friendly musical celebration, the audience chooses what pieces will be performed. From Baroque, Classical and Romantic to Jazz, Pop and Broadway, a SHUFFLE Concert performance offers an exciting fusion of great music, for every musical taste. Israeli born Moran Katz, winner of the 2013 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition, leads the ensemble.
Keyboard ConversationsÂŽ with Jeffrey Siegel Great Jewish Composers
Presented in cooperation with the Houston Symphony
Sunday, March 1 | 4:00 PM
Jeffrey Siegel speaks briefly and informally before performing each composition, making the music more accessible and the listening experience more focused and meaningful. This program was selected to pair with the Houston Symphony 2014–2015 Season and includes works by George Gershwin, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.
Michael Tsalka Sunday, March 29 | 4:00 PM Pianist and early music keyboard performer Dr. Michael Tsalka was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel and brings an afternoon of music by Jewish composers to the J. A versatile musician, he performs solo and chamber music repertoire from the Baroque to the Contemporary periods on the modern piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, clavichord, square piano and chamber organ.
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ART Deutser Art Gallery Cinema Judaica: The War Years, 1939-1949 February 20–March 30 This unprecedented exhibition of iconic Hollywood film posters from 1939 to 1949 illustrates how the motion picture industry countered America's isolationism, advocated going to war against the Nazis, influenced post-war perceptions of the Jewish people and the founding of the State of Israel, and shaped the face of contemporary Jewish life.
The Many Faces of Jerusalem: Quilts from Israel Quilters Association April 1–May 20 In 2012, the Israel Quilters Association, invited artists to enter a quilt in an exhibit to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The Association chose Jerusalem for its international, multicultural character. These quilts express their ideas, hopes, memories, and dreams of Jerusalem. The result is a multicolored and multicultural feast for the eyes; the textiles of dreams.
Lamed Vov Project: Paintings by Peter Leventhal April 1–May 20 Joe Frank Theatre of the Arts
The Lamed Vov Project is a special series of paintings by New York artist Peter Leventhal, who paints in the German Expressionist style. This exhibition is a celebration of the good that exists quietly in our midst as well as a commentary on the good that has accompanied us in even the darkest of times.
THEATRE Bad Jews April 16–May 3 Directed by Jordan Jaffe Presented by Stages Repertory Theatre and Black Lab Theatre in collaboration with the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC at the J Daphna has just returned from Israel, empowered by her journey and in love with an Israeli soldier. Meanwhile, her cousin Liam has fallen for an “American Girl” who is anything but Jewish. Battle lines are drawn as the self-absorbed cousins clash over possession of a beloved family heirloom in this riveting new play about claiming the past while building the future. All performances take place at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC. For tickets call 713.527.0123 or visit stagestheatre.com 25
CJLL Spring Scholars Series
From Torah to Table: The Ethics of Jewish Eating Hungry for Jewish learning? Get your fill during this exciting lecture series, positioned between Passover and Shavuot, which highlights how Jewish text, tradition and values coincide at the dinner table. Add some Jewish flavor into your spring holidays as three prominent rabbis from across the denominational spectrum enlighten us with their food for thought.
Per Lecture: $10 Member | $15 Public Per Food Tasting: $7 Series Pass: $45 Member | $60 Public
(includes all Wednesday night food tastings and lectures)
Wednesday, March 25
Healthy Passover Cooking Tips and Tasting Food Tasting | 6:30 PM–7:15 PM Sacred Earth, Sacred Time, Sacred Food Lecture | 7:30 PM From the great rupture in relationship between adamah (earth) and adam (earthling) in the Garden of Eden, to the coming of Shabbat, to manna in the desert, food is central to the Jewish story. Even after being severed from its own and every other land, Jewish culture continues to taste food as sacred. What in all this could help us face the climate crisis of today?
Wednesday, April 29
In the Wilderness: Biblical Foods Catered by Laykie Food Tasting | 6:30 PM–7:15 PM Manna: How a Biblical Food Teaches Us What to Eat Everyday Lecture | 7:30 PM As we move away from Passover and get deeper into our counting of the Omer, we will reflect on the Israelites’ journey out of slavery into freedom. Closely studying the biblical narrative, along with the later commentaries, we will learn about the three foods—hametz, matzah and manna—that trace our journey. Our culminating focus on manna will shed light on our complicated, modern food choices. 26
Wednesday, May 13
Kashrut & Ethical Consumption Lecture | 7:30 PM What is the relationship between ethics and kashrut? Learn about current food justice activism in the Jewish community, different perspectives on the dignity of laborer and new models of activism. We will consider labor issues, environmentalism, trade practices, animal rights and other concerns as we explore Jewish approaches to ethical consumption.
Shavuot Vegan Ice Cream Bar Food Tasting | 9:00 PM
Jewish learning never tasted so good!
It’s not too late…
Register for the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning today! Study with some of the best Jewish educators in the Houston community from across the denominational spectrum and become a part of a meaningful Jewish learning community in the process. Spring courses begin in February and include American Jewish Experience Through Film, Trends in Modern Jewish Worship, Jews in America, and more! Visit erjcchouston.org/melton for details and to register. The Dybbuk American Jewish Experience Through Film
A P RO J E C T O F T H E H E B R E W U N I V E RS IT Y O F J E RU SA L E M
SAVE THE DATE! Yom Ha’atzmaut Community-Wide Celebration Thursday, April 23 | 4:00 PM–6:30 PM
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EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JCC Houston 5601 S. Braeswood | Houston, Texas 77096
OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE ERJCC
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID
Houston, Texas Permit No. 6217
Houston Jewish Film Festival MARCH 8-22, 2015
Use discount code FFBR312 for 10% off a pair of tickets* *discount applies to a pair of full price public tickets and valid only for screenings at the J. Other exclusions may apply.
Above and Beyond
erjcchouston.org/filmfest