Enjoy 13 films from the comfort of your couch!
June 6-13, 2021 Virtual Home Edition 2.0
stljewishfilmfestival.org A program of the Jewish Community Center 314.442.3190 • stljewishbookfestival.org
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HELLO, MOVIE LOVERS! We are back to offer you another fantastic selection of films online, so you can watch them in the comfort of your own home! Our 26th year will offer an amazing array of documentaries and feature films from around the world. While the films will be available to view at your leisure, we hope you will also watch our film conversations and interviews, featuring directors and authorities in pertinent fields. Plus, you can again purchase an All-Access Pass — something we could not do in a theater setting. As a special bonus, those who purchase the pass will also find a short film on a beloved New York drink. So get your popcorn ready, or your chocolates, put on your PJs and find that perfect chair or place on the couch and join us for this wonderful movie-going experience! Marilyn K. Brown, Jeffrey Korn and Paula Sigel Co-Chairs
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL INFORMATION The Festival’s complete lineup of features and documentaries will be available to view on demand at any time from June 6-13. Once a ticketholder begins watching a film, access to it remains available for 48 hours and must be completed by the end of the festival. Conversations and interviews with filmmakers, documentary subjects and local speakers will accompany many of the programs and will be available throughout the Festival.
FILM VIEWING INFO All films and programs will be purchased and shown via our special viewing platform, events.jccstl.com Once you purchase a ticket or pass, we will email information about how to unlock films for viewing during the week of the festival. Complete info can also be found on stljewishfilmfestival.org
Festival tech support is available online! Don’t be nervous about watching films at home. We’re here to help. We will also offer live technical support during the Festival week.
TICKETS Individual movie tickets are $14. One purchase is valid for your entire household. All-Access Passes are $95 and provide access to all 13 films plus a bonus short film! For a two-person household, this is more than a $325 value. Purchase tickets at stljewishfilmfestival.org • Some films are “geo-blocked” by the films distributors which can limit the viewing area. These are noted for applicable films. • Despite being virtual, it is possible for a film to sell out, so please purchase your tickets early. • For more information call 314.442.3190. 2 | 314.442.3179 | stljewishfilmfestival.org
Film Conversation
Local, award-winning chef and restauranteur, Ben Poremba, interviewed by Ellen Futterman, editor of the St. Louis Jewish Light
BREAKING BREAD
Israel • English and Hebrew with English subtitles Director: Beth Elise Hawk Documentary: 86 minutes Availability: Viewable within Missouri and Illinois
Film Available Three days only! June 6-8
Exotic cuisine with a side of politics… Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel was the first Israeli Muslim Arab to win the top prize in Israel’s MasterChef TV competition. She went on to found the A-sham Food Festival in Haifa, a celebration of Arab cuisine inspired by traditional dishes from the Levant food culture. A film about hope, synergy and mouthwatering fare, the film illustrates what happens when people focus on the person, rather than religion; on the public, rather than the politicians. Sponsored by Harvey Kornblum Foundation, Nancy & Ken Kranzberg and Howard N. Lesser
HERE WE ARE
Israel • Hebrew with English subtitles Director: Nir Bergman Feature: 94 minutes Availability: Viewable within Missouri and Kansas A stirring and uplifting tale of fatherly love… Aharon has devoted his life to raising his son, Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. But Uri is autistic and now as a young adult it might be time for him to live in a specialized home. While on their way to the institution, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road, thinking that Uri is not ready for this separation. Or is it, in fact, his father who is not ready? A story about parental love, about change, and separation; about letting go and moving on. Sponsored by Eileen & Larry Schechter
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SERVICE TO MAN
USA • English Directors: Aaron Greer and Seth Panitch Feature: 92 minutes How do we measure success?… Inspired by a true story, it’s 1967, and Eli Rosenberg has a problem... only one medical school in the country will accept him: Meharry, a historically black medical school in Tennessee, a considerable distance from his life in Brooklyn. Michael Dubois has a problem… only one medical school will suffice for him: Meharry, his father’s alma mater. Eli and Michael have another problem: they are outsiders from different backgrounds inside the pressure cooker of medical school. They battle the mysteries of medicine, demanding professors and each other. Sponsored by Barnes Jewish Hospital and Sima & Phil Needleman
Film Conversation
Led by Marylen Mann, Chairman Emeritus at OASIS Institute with Dr. Ira Kodner and Dr. Will Ross. This program is in parternership with the Newmark Institute at the JCRC
LOVE IT WAS NOT
Austria/Israel • English and German/Hebrew with English subtitles Director: Maya Sarfaty Documentary: 82 minutes Astonishing but true… A Nazi officer falls in love with a Jewish concentration camp prisoner, a forbidden romance with decadeslong repercussions. Beautiful Helena Citron is among the first inmates to confront the dehumanizing conditions of Auschwitz. There, she captures the attention of Franz Wunsch, a high-ranking SS officer smitten by her singing voice. Risking execution if caught, their forbidden liaison continues until Helena’s miraculous liberation. The pair don’t meet again until Helena is a witness at Wunsch’s war crimes trial 30 years later. Sponsored by Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity
Film Conversation
Film Director, Maya Sarfaty, interviewed by Warren Rosenblum, PhD, History, Politics and International Relations at Webster University
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ANTISEMITISM
Canada/France/Israel • French with English subtitles Director: Ilan Ziv Documentary: 80 minutes A vitally important film covering a universal and unfortunately ongoing issue… Tracing the insidious origins of antisemitism in France from the Middle Ages to the 1894 Dreyfus Affair to the present day, this film delves deeply and intellectually into the depiction of “the Jew” in society and how that image established an ideology of hate that eventually led to the Holocaust. In the aftermath of the war, a devastated France continued this ideology of antisemitism that set the stage for a modern wave of anti-Jewish sentiment and attacks.
Film Conversation
Led by Karen Aroesty, Director ADL Heartland, and Dr. Mara Cohen Ioannides, Missouri State University
Sponsored by Ellen & Dr. Ronnie Gross, The Silk Foundation and Staenberg Family Foundation
AULCIE
USA/Israel • English/Hebrew with English subtitles Director: Dani Menkin Documentary: 72 minutes The meteoric rise and fall of a legend… One of Israel’s greatest athletes captures the spirit of a nation. Recruited from the basketball courts of Harlem, Aulcie Perry joined Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1976, established himself a leader, and helped defeat the heavily favored Soviets to give team Israel its first European Championship. He adopted a Hebrew name, converted to Judaism, and dated an Israeli model. But the dark side of fame led to a stunning downfall. Returning to Israel after time in prison, Aulcie shares his story of redemption. Featuring electrifying game footage and insightful interviews. Sponsored by Lindsay & Norman Druck, Sue Matlof & Michael Cohen, Merle & Marty Oberman and Stacy & Greg Siwak
Film Discussion
Director Dani Menkin interviewed by Larry Levin, Executive Director of Ozark Land Trust and former Publisher & CEO of the St. Louis Jewish Light 26 th St. Louis Film Festival | 5
KISS ME KOSHER
Germany/Israel • English and Arabic/German/Hebrew with English subtitles Director: Shirel Peleg Feature: 105 minutes Availability: Viewable within Missouri and Kansas What happens with lovers who don’t fit but do belong together?… Sparks fly when two families from different cultural backgrounds collide to plan a same-sex wedding. Israeli Shira is in love with Maria, a German. Berta, Shira’s grandmother who is a Holocaust survivor (and happens to secretly love a Palestinian!), vehemently opposes the match. While Shira’s brother eagerly documents the family chaos for a school video project, Shira and Maria discover the road to happiness is more a minefield, littered with booby traps that could detonate at any time. Sponsored by Laurie & Lee Wielansky
HOWIE MANDEL: BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME Canada • English Director: Barry Avrich Documentary: 88 minutes
Heartwarming, funny, candid… A touching look at the life of wildly inventive comedian and actor, Howie Mandel…a man who uses humor to cope with a world that terrifies him. This intimate portrait examines one of the most beloved and complex comedians and his invulnerable spirit. Told through his own voice and using a wealth of behind the scenes clips, the film examines his extraordinary life and career as well as his painful struggles with mental illness and how he manages a relentless pace in his professional and private life. Sponsored by Aurelia Konrad Charitable Foundation, Gail Glaser, Kuhn Foundation and USA Mortgage 6 | 314.442.3179 | stljewishfilmfestival.org
THE GOOD NAZI
Canada/Israel • English and Hebrew/German with English subtitles Directors: Yaron Niski and Ric Esther Bienstock Docudrama: 52 minutes The unknown tale of a Schindler-type German… Nazi Major Karl Plagge arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania with the occupation force during WWII. The SS was determined to murder every Jew, but Plagge decided to save Jews instead. On the surface, he was commandant of the HKP forced labor camp; in reality he was sheltering hundreds of Jewish families. With today’s government about to tear down the HKP site, scientists arrive to locate hiding places and identify mass graves. The film tracks the stories of a child survivor, an American physician whose mother was saved and Plagge himself.
THE LAST SUPPER
Germany • German with English subtitles Director: Florian Frerichs Feature: 80 minutes Availability: Viewable within Missouri and Kansas A warning letter to the world… On the day Hitler comes to power, the German-Jewish family Glickstein has a family dinner. Most of them, however, (like so many other Germans at that time) don´t take the Nazis seriously. When young Leah reveals her plans to emigrate to Palestine, her family starts arguing. Her father can´t see any reason to leave Germany, the country of their ancestors and the country he risked his life for during WWI. But when Leah´s younger brother indicates that he is an ardent admirer of the Nazi movement, the family is on the brink of being torn apart. Sponsored by Margie Horowitz and the Lux Family Foundation 26 th St. Louis Film Festival | 7
A STARRY SKY ABOVE THE ROMAN GHETTO
Italy • Italian with English subtitles Director: Giulio Base Feature: 100 minutes Availability: Viewable within Missouri and Kansas Indelible memories that must not be erased… The past intertwines with the present as the discovery of a mysterious, yellowed old photograph of a little girl leads Christian and Jewish students on a search for the truth...who is she? Trying to unravel the mystery behind the portrait, the teens embark on a journey retracing a night of horror: the raid on the Roman Ghetto during the Shoah. What they learn inspires them to take a collective stance toward commitment in its many forms, because sometimes indifference is worse than hate. Sponsored by Clarendale Clayton
THE CROSSING
Norway • Norwegian with English subtitles Director: Johanne Helgeland Feature: 96 minutes Availability: Viewable within Missouri and Kansas Uncompromising loyalty and great courage… Set in Norway during WWII, this is the story of 10-year-old Gerda, an intrepid young girl with an adventurous spirit. When she and her more cautious older brother witness the arrest of their parents for their role in the Resistance, the event justifiably shakes the two. Then they meet two Jewish children who are hiding under Gerda’s parents’ protection. Gerda decides the four youngsters should venture into the Nazicontrolled countryside in an attempt to reunite their new friends with their parents. Sponsored by Elaine & Jeffrey Korn and Gloria & Sanford Spitzer 8 | 314.442.3179 | stljewishfilmfestival.org
MA’ABAROT
Israel • Hebrew with English subtitles Director: Dina Zvi-Riklis Documentary: 84 minutes Overlooked Israeli history… Jewish refugees from the Middle East and North Africa reveal the discrimination and harsh conditions which awaited them when they came to 1950’s Israel. Arriving during a time of poverty and austerity, Jews seeking shelter in the Promised Land instead were forced into shantytowns known as ma’abarot. Thrown together from different cultures, already demoralized immigrants waited days for food, showers, and toilets. The troubling testimony of camp refugees is illustrated with never-before-seen archival materials.
Bonus film for All-Access Pass holders!
EGG CREAM
USA • English Directors: Nora Claire Miller and Peter Miller Documentary: 15 minutes Chocolate syrup + milk + seltzer = an egg cream… A short film about the enduring meaning of a beloved chocolate soda drink born on the Jewish Lower East Side. The egg cream contains neither eggs nor cream – it was a product of necessity and hardship, but a source of joy and sweetness. Through and a tour of egg cream establishments led by a filmmaker and his young daughter, exhaustively researched archival imagery, and even a song by Lou Reed, the film examines the Jewish experience in America and the mythology of a simpler time. 26 th St. Louis Film Festival | 9
We Love Our Sponsors Oscar
Howard N. Lesser Golden Globe
ZBT Ellen & Dr. Ronnie Gross
Aurelia Konrad Charitable Foundation
Kuhn Foundation
Elaine & Jeffrey Korn Dorothy & Mel Lefkowitz
Red Carpet Sue Matlof & Michael Cohen Lindsay & Norman Druck Judith Gall Gail Glaser
Margie Horowitz HUEocity Harvey Kornblum Foundation Nancy & Ken Kranzberg
The Lux Family Foundation Sima & Phil Needleman Merle & Marty Oberman Eileen & Larry Schechter
Stacy & Greg Siwak Gloria & Sanford Spitzer USA Mortgage Laurie & Lee Wielansky
Two Thumbs Up Edward Balk Judy Berger B’nai B’rith St. Louis Missouri Lodge #22 Marilyn K. & Steven Brown Linda & Nathan Cohen The Delmar Gardens Family Irene Fox & Floyd Emert Julie & Leonard Frankel
Diane Fredman Wilma & Harvey Gerstein Judith & Alfred Goldman Carole & Jay Goldstein Nancy & Randy Green Natalie & Neil Handelman Joanne & Joel Iskiwitch Phyllis & Stephen Kamenetzky Michael Karasick of Morgan Stanley
Law Offices of Leonard Komen, PC Merle & Richard Linkemer Jean & Stan Margul Shirley Mosinger Sanford Neuman The Pasta House Mary & Sanford Pomerantz Adinah & Heschel Raskas The Rubin Family Foundation
RubinBrown LLP Helen & Julian Seeherman Pamela Sherman-Brown Paula Sigel David Soshnik Patsy & Gershon Spector Karen & Thomas Stern Madeline Elkins & Harvey Wallace
Mitzvah Sponsors Gerald Bamberger Faith & Corey Berger Barb & Dan Bindler Harvey Brown Jaime & Michael Cohen Marla & Ed Cohen Barbara Cooper-Boxer Rita Eiseman Rochelle & Stanley Ferdman
Dorette & Ed Goldberg Martin Gordon The Harris-Newman Fund Howard Hearsh Deborah & Kent Hirshfelder Judy & Keith Kaplan Alan Korn Tannie Lewin Fund Lucy Lopata Transportation Fund
Susie & Steven Lowy Frances & Charles Mannis Hessie & Barry Needle Judy & Stan Plocker Elmer Price Leslie & Jake Reby Peggy & Alan Schaffer Judy Schenberg Ruth & Alvin Siteman
Barbara & David Smith Helen & Dr. Cary Stolar Nick Tompras Janet Weinberg Leslie & Harvey Wolf June & Alvin Wolff Judith & Gerald Zafft Muriel & Randal Zimring
Co-Sponsoring Organizations American Jewish Committee (AJC) Anti-Defamation League Bais Abraham Congregation Central Reform Congregation Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, United Hebrew Cemetery Congregation B’nai Amoona Sisterhood Congregation Shaare Emeth Congregation Temple Israel Jewish Community Relations Council
Jewish Family Services Kol Rinah Sisterhood Miriam School National Council of Jewish Women - St. Louis Section New Mount Sinai Cemetery Association Shaving Israel Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum St. Louis Jewish Light
Our sincere appreciation for sponsorships received after the printing of this brochure. 10 | 314.442.3179 | stljewishfilmfestival.org
St. Louis Rabbinical & Cantorial Association STAGES St. Louis Temple Emanuel United Cemetery Association: B’nai Amoona Cemetery United Hebrew Congregation The Department of Jewish, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies (JIMES) at Washington University in St. Louis Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged Young Israel of St. Louis
2021 St. Louis Jewish Film Festival Committee Festival Co-Chairs: Marilyn K. Brown, Jeffrey Korn, Paula Sigel Film Screeners: Julie Frankel, Jay Goldstein Film Selection: Judy Berger, Dee Berman, Richard Blath, Marilyn Brown, Julie Frankel, Bob Germain, Bruce Glatter, Oscar Goldberg, Tamie Goldenhersh, Jay Goldstein, Eli Goldstein, Martin Gordon, Ronnie Gross, Kent Hirschfelder, Jeffrey Korn, Susie Koch, Len Komen, Leon Kravitz, Jerry Kreisman, Harvey Lehrer, Merle Oberman, Lois Perryman, Judy Plocker, Claire Powell, Jenny Price, Sissy Price, Marlene Sachs, Larry Schechter, Steve Schwedt, Paula Sigel, Patsy Spector, Hillie Ullman, Janet Weinberg Target Marketing: Kent Hirschfelder, Claire Powell, Marlene Sachs Organization Liaison: Patsy Spector, Judy Berger
A Proud Sponsor of The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival.
Brochure Development: Marilyn K. Brown, Bob Germain
Staff Director, Film & Performing Arts: Diane Maier Director Jewish Engagement & Adult Programs: Rabbi Brad Horwitz Technical Director: Laura Skroska
THANK YOU, ZELDA! This year’s festival is dedicated to Zelda Sparks. In her role as Cultural Arts Director at the J, Zelda was the visionary who was instrumental in the founding of the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival 26 years ago. Under Zelda’s leadership, the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival has grown in size and reputation. It is now one of the most successful Jewish Film Festivals in the country due to her dedication, creativity and stewardship. Zelda was an essential part of the J staff family and thanks to all of her efforts, other cultural arts programs at the J such as the New Jewish Theatre, St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, Used Book Sale and Youth Theatre are considered signature programs that have enriched the lives of thousands over the years. Thank you Zelda for your 42 years of service to the St. Louis Jewish community. To make a tribute in honor of Zelda and her 42 years of work bringing quality arts to the St. Louis Jewish community, please contact Bryce Woollen at 314.442.3175.
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