34th Annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival

The In-Person Festival Returns

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE VANCOUVER

Working with successful business owners, executives, high net worth families and individuals, Garry is there through the full cycle of his client’s business, circumstances and life changes providing trusted financial advice. INFORMED ADVICE, TESTED BY TIME.

SHALOM

Celebrating the 34th annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival

It has been three long years since we’ve seen each other at the movies! Somehow the small screen does not replace the visceral experience of seeing films in the company of others the way their creators had envisioned their work to be viewed. In fact some filmmakers are opting to ONLY release films in movie theatres.

Our lineup reflects this new trend, with a particular group of films that will be shown exclusively in the movie theatre, something to keep in mind when you are planning your 18 days of film!

You have informed us in overwhelming numbers that both options are desirable: films screened on the movie theatres’ big screen with Dolby surround sound as well as the option to remain at home viewing films you might have missed at the theatre. This new trend may very well be with us for years to come as it allows the entire Province of British Columbia to access the films.

This year’s film selection is arguably the best we’ve ever been able to source for our community, something for everyone. Of the 33 features and shorts, 27 of the films are Canadian Premieres! In the mix this we year we have 10 films from Israel, 7 from the USA, 5 from Canada, 2 each from France, Italy and Poland, and one each from Columbia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine. Clearly we are an International Jewish film festival.

The number of films directed by women this year is a step towards equity with 40% of the films we present directed by women, while 66% of the films we’ve selected focus on female lead characters.

Enjoy our full-size Program Brochure to plan your next 18 days from March 9th to March 26th.

Our YouTube channel can be accessed on our website and will provide you with a fabulous reel of all the film trailers.

Looking forward to greeting everyone,

Robert Albanese Executive and Artistic Director

Executive Director

Robert Albanese

Board of Directors

David Schwartz President & Chairperson

Evelyn Neaman V ice President

Mel Ackerman Treasurer

Carole Lieberman Secretary

Arlene Howard Outreach

Horatio Kemeny Film Committee

Lisa Milne Social Media

Emma Meyers Social Media

Ian Penn Community Outreach

Deborah Roitberg Special Events

Jennifer West Outreach

Part-time Staff

Julie Berry Website and Office Management

Adam Abrams Webmaster, Program Designer

Cathy Hudson Bookkeeper

Anne Mary Mullen Festival Box-Office

Sandy Gow Festival Projectionist

T HANK Y OU

Visionary Sponsors

Province of British Columbia City of Vancouver

Cineplex Entertainment

Platinum Sponsors

ZLC Wealth with the Support of Garry Zlotnik

RBC Dominion Securities and RBC Wealth Management

Gold Sponsors

Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

Opening Night Sponsors

Legacy Senior LivingThe Leo Wertman Residence

The Wertman Family

Closing Night Sponsors

Isaac and Judy Thau

Film Festival Sponsors

Melvyn Ackerman & Ellen Flanders

Robert Albanese and Harriet Frost

Fran Alexander and Alan Wilson

Susan Albersheim and Steven Barer

Eric and Anne Andrew

John Anthony and Wendy Fouks

Gary Averbach

Ellen Balka

Shirley Barnett - Philip Dayson / The Ben & Esther Dayson

Charitable Foundation

Larry Barzelai and Rhona Gordon

David Batist and Gilda Rayburn

Shuli Ben-Moshe and Sanders Russell and Co. Professional Accountants

Israel Chafetz

Dr. Ann Chala with Julius and Ann Chala

Marie Doduck with Cathy Golden & Bernice Carmeli

Harvey Field and Randa Bloom

Tamara Frankel and Daniel Frankel

Leo Franken - The Spectacle Shoppe

Larry and Miri Garaway

Michael and Sally Geller

Norman Gladstone and Birgit Westergaard

David Goodman

Lorne Greenberg

Mitchell and Lynne Gropper

Jerry Growe and Nomi Kaplan

Ellen Hamer and Gerald Hamer

Jeremy and Yael Horwitz

Arlene Howard and Irv Dardick

Karen James

The Kahn Foundation

Saul and Sheryl Kahn

Hodie Kahn

Dr Harry Karlinsky and Dr Andrea Tuka

Sid and Tyleen Katz

Roxanne Kipnes and Geoffrey Druker

Maureen, David and Jordan Kling

Aliza, Chaim and Tova Kornfeld

Karen Krivel

Irv Laskin and Naomi Kronitz

Carole and Lucien Lieberman

Bill and Risa Levine

Michael Levy

Ed and Debbie Lewin

The Lutsky Families

Bob Markin

Moshe Mastai

Jack and Karen Micner

Cyndi and Max Mintzberg

Evelyn Neaman and Stephen Herman

The Frank and Rosie Nelson Estates

Judy Oberlander and Mark Wexler

David Paperny and Audrey Mehler

Ian and Sandy Penn

Lyle Pullan

Tobin Robbins and Sandra Broudy

Deborah Roitberg and Jack Amar

Harley and Eleanor Rothstein

Barry Sanders and Margo Fluker

Leonard Schein and Barbara Small

David Schwartz and Debby Freiman

Robyn and Basil Segal

Arnold and Anita Silber

Herb and Barbara Silber

Nancy Stern and Stephen Schachter

Phil and Diane Switzer

Temple Sholom

Aron and Neri Tischler

Art Toft

The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

The Weinberg Residence

Special Thanks

We gratefully acknowledge:

Leonard Schein

Ellis Jacob

The Management and staff of the Fifth Avenue Cinemas

Garry Zlotnik and the Staff at ZLC Wealth

Ezra Shanken and Shelley Rivkin of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver

Marcie Flom of the Vancouver Jewish Community Foundation

Shannon Gorski of The Betty Averbach Foundation

The Isaac and Sophie Waldman Endowment Fund

Jessica Gutteridge and the staff of the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre

Eldad Goldfarb and the staff of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver

The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

Eli Gorn

Tony McAleer

Adelina Suvagau

Ayelet Vardi

Donna Becker of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture

Cynthia Ramsey of the Jewish Independent

Eli Joseph of the Royal Bank of Canada

Marc Correia and Kelly Reynolds of RBC Dominion Securities

And all our fabulous, wonderful volunteers!

THE FILMS

Dead Sea Guardians

The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival in partnership with The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver have established...

THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL L EGACY F UND

The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival is more than an annual festival.

We offer engaging year-round programs for our thriving community.

The need for the Film Festival to offer more has never been greater.

Our Legacy Fund will provide a stable source of long-term funding. Your contribution to the Legacy Fund will support programming and services for generations.

Robert Albanese , Executive Director, Vancouver Jewish Film Festival

Our goal: $1,000,000

Currently: $441,984

“Your

Proud to sponsor the

34th annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival

F ilm is a g ateway to creativit y and cultur al discover y.

Thank you to the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival and its important role in building vibrant communities.

TICKET INFO

Purchase advance tickets

• Online 24/7 at www.vjff.org right up until showtime, as long as tickets are available

• By phone

604.266.0245

Monday–Thursday, 10–5 until Wednesday, March 8

• In person at the VJFC office

The Peretz Centre, 6184 Ash Street

Monday–Thursday, 11-5 until Wednesday, March 8

Visa, MC and cash

Note: there is a $2 transaction charge for each phone or in-person order.

Purchase tickets during the Festival

• March 9-16 during VJFF showtimes: At the Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard St

At the VJFF Table starting 30 minutes prior to start of first VJFF film of the day. On sale until 20 minutes after the last show starts. Note: at the Fifth Avenue, you must be 19+ to attend.

• March 17-19 during VJFF showtimes:

The Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre, 951 West 41st Ave

At the VJFF table in the lobby 30 minutes prior to start of first VJFF film of the day. On sale until 20 minutes after the last show starts.

Visa, MC and cash; no debit or AMEX. No transaction charge at the venue.

Pricing

All Access Pass for In-Person Screenings ....... $72

Admission for one person to all screenings. Subject to availability; please arrive 20 minutes before showtime. Includes Gala and membership. Must be 19+ to use.

All Access Pass for Online Screenings ............ $72 availability

All Access PREMIUM Pass for In-Person and Online Screenings .................. $108

Single Tickets (In-person and online)

General Admission ..................................................$18

Seniors (65+) ............................................................$15

Post-Secondary Students $15

Opening Night Ticket $20

Prices do not include GST.

Screening locations

March 9-16 at The Fifth Avenue Cinemas

2110 Burrard St. Must be 19+ to attend any film at this location.

March 17-19 at The Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre, 950 W 41st Avenue. Open to youth; see vjff.org for individual film ratings and classification to attend.

The legal stuff: Everyone attending a screening at The Fifth Avenue Cinemas must be 19+, due to the liquor licence in place. • Everyone 18+ attending an unclassified screening must have, through the purchase of a ticket or pass, registered their email or address with the VJFF to become a member of the VJFC Society as required by BC law and the Consumer Protection Branch for Film Classification. • VJFF does not offer refunds or exchanges except in cases of technical failure so please review your order before completing the transaction. • Viewing films online is not regulated by the Consumer Protection Branch for Film Classification.

vjff.org/youtube

@VJFF

@vanjewishfilm

facebook.com/jewishfilmfest/

For more information or assistance: 604.266.0245 / www.vjff.org / film@vjff.org

OPENING FILM followed by Reception Party

HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

CLOCK Thursday, March 9 at 7pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

After the film, a reception at the BMW Store begins at 9:15pm

HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG IS THE DEFINITIVE exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, “Hallelujah.” This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The songwriter and his times; the song’s dramatic journey; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom “Hallelujah” has become a personal touchstone. Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage, and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards: Nominee - Best Music Documentary

Year 2022

Country USA

Director Dayna Goldfine and Daniel Geller

Language English

Runtime 118 minutes

Genre Documentary, Music

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

The Wertman Family

Dedicated in loving memory of Cristina Wertman z"l and Regina Wertman z"l

You Will Not Play Wagner

CLOCK Friday, March 10 at 1pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

PERFORMING WAGNER HAS BEEN UNOFFICIALLY BANNED IN ISRAEL SINCE the creation of the State because the composer was a cultural touchstone of Nazism. But could Wagner’s music transcend those anti-Semitic views of its creator? When Ya’akov, an Israeli conductor, announces he will play Wagner in the finals of the Esther Greenbaum International Conductors’ Competition, Esther, a Holocaust survivor and founder of the competition, must face a moral dilemma: whether the trauma of the past justifies stifling the future of young talent.

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Lilia Levitina

Cast Annette Miller, Avi Hoffman, Ofek Cohen

Language English Runtime 64 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating

All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Ethel Kofsky and Don Rosenbloom

Roz Kipnes and Geoffrey Druker

Haute Couture

CLOCK Saturday, March 11 at 7pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

ESTHER IS AT THE END OF HER CAREER AS HEAD SEAMSTRESS AT DIOR Avenue Montaigne workshop. One day her handbag is stolen in the Metro by a young woman, Jade. Instead of calling the police to arrest Jade, Esther decides to take her under her wing. She sees in her the opportunity to pass on her skills: the craft of dressmaking, her only wealth.

In the frenetic world of Haute Couture, Esther will give Jade la “beauté du geste”, a way to reach beyond herself.

Year 2022

Country France

Director Sylvie Ohayon

Cast Nathalie Baye, Lyna Khoudri, Pascale Arbillot

Language French with English subtitles

Runtime 80 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Ian and Sandy Penn

Nancy Stern and Stephen Schachter

The Ben and Esther Dayson Charitable Foundation

Burning Off the Page

CLOCK Saturday, March 11 at 9pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

DISCOVER THE LEGACY OF EROTIC YIDDISH POET CELIA DROPKIN, WHO dared to put her lust and longing shamelessly front and centre in her poetry. Her radical life and work are igniting new recognition.

It’s New York City in the Roaring Twenties, and Celia Dropkin is shocking and delighting the literary world with work that generated huge ripples… right up to today. She was a liberating spirit with little regard for social norms – a forerunner for greater sexual freedom for women. Nothing short of radical for her times. And she did all this in Yiddish!

At the heart of the film is a dramatic portrayal of Celia by acclaimed actor Gabrielle Rose, reading from recently uncovered memoirs about a passionate love with an older man who eventually betrays her.

Through these heartfelt, often tormented feelings, the viewer gets a unique insight into the timeless erotic art that Celia Dropkin would become known for. Celia Dropkin’s work expands not only what it means to be a sexual being and Jewish but to be utterly, shamelessly human.

Special Guests: Director Eli Gorn with Author Faith Jones

Year 2023

Country Canada

Director Eli Gorn

Language English, Yiddish with English subtitles

Runtime 90 minutes

Genre Documentary

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Deborah Roitberg and Jack Amar

David Paperny and Audrey Mehler

Horatio Kemeny

The Cure for Hate

(A Work-in-Progress Sneak Preview)

CLOCK Sunday, March 12 at 1pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas play-circle Available online March 19-26

TONY MCALEER IS A FORMER SKINHEAD AND HOLOCAUST DENIER WHO went on to become a founding member of the anti-hate activist group Life After Hate. Profoundly aware and deeply ashamed of the lineage of hate he’d once promoted, Tony had long contemplated travelling to Auschwitz in the spirit of tshuvah - to bear witness to the inconceivable ravages of the Holocaust, and deepen his personal work against the rise of extremist politics. This film documents his personal journey of atonement to Auschwitz/Birkenau - exploring the conditions that allowed for the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe. The film sheds light upon how men get into, and out of, violent extremist groups and serves as a cautionary tale for our time that underscores the dangers in allowing hate to be left unchecked.

With Guest: Tony McAleer

Year 2022

Country Poland, USA, Canada, Germany

Directors Peter Hutchison, Tony McAleer

Language English

Runtime 85 minutes

Genre

Documentary

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Temple Sholom

Dr. Ann Chala, Julius Chala and Ann Chala

Mary Magdalene in Conversation with Lilian Broca

CLOCK Sunday, March 12 at 3:30pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26 k World Premiere

THE DOCUMENTARY MARY MAGDALENE IN CONVERSATION WITH LILIAN Broca, featuring the award winning artist Lillian Broca, is a visual and intellectual feast that forcefully confronts and challenges long-ingrained historic and contemporary norms of female inequality. In these days of feminine discourse relating to the reassessment of women’s issues, the biblical figure of Mary Magdalene, more than anyone, deserves to be revisited and re-evaluated.

With Guests: Director Adelina Suvagau and Lilian Broca

Year 2022

Country Canada

Director Adelina Suvagau

Language English

Runtime 90 minutes

Genre Documentary, Visual Art

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Horatio Kemeny

Jerry Growe and Nomi Kaplan

Only In Theaters

CLOCK Sunday, March 12 at 5:45pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas k Canadian Premiere

THERE’S BEEN A LAEMMLE IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS SINCE THERE’S BEEN A movie business. Only in Theaters chronicles four generations dedicated to the art of film. This is a story about a family business, but also about the future of cinema in a post-COVID world.

Year 2022

Country USA

Director Raphael Sbarge

Language English

Runtime 94 minutes

Genre Documentary, Biography

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Estates of Frank and Rosie Nelson

The Lutsky Families

Maureen and David Kling

Where Life Begins

CLOCK Sunday, March 12 at 8pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26 k Canadian Premiere

A JEWISH FAMILY FROM AIX-LES-BAINS COMES TO A FARM IN CALABRIA for a brief stay every year to carry out a sacred mission: harvesting citrons for Sukkot. Here Elio, the farm owner, meets Esther, the rabbi’s daughter, who is struggling with the constraints imposed by her religion. Through this relationship, Esther will understand the importance of freedom and find her path, and, in the same way, Elio will find the peace he had lost for a long time. A true gem of a film, with perfect pacing, exceptional acting and beautiful imagery.

Year 2022

Country Italy, France

Director Stéphane Freiss

Cast Lou de Laâge, Riccardo Scamarcio, Pierre-Henry Salfati

Language Italian, French with English subtitles

Runtime 99 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Neri and Aron Tischler

Robyn and Basil Segal

Fran Alexander and Alan Wilson

Ed and Debbie Lewin

iMordecai

CLOCK Monday, March 13 at 1pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas k Canadian Premiere

A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR BORN AND RAISED IN A DIFFERENT TIME MUST now face the realities of the modern world when confronted with an unfamiliar object... an iPhone. Will Mordecai be able to fit into a world that has changed so much around him?

Based on a true story, iMordecai stars Academy Award-nominated and two-time Emmy Award-winning actor Judd Hirsch as Mordecai Samels, and Academy Awardnominated actress Carol Kane as his wife, Fela. Both are survivors from Poland, now living in Miami. Their son, Marvin, Academy Award-nominated actor Sean Astin, is an ambitious cigar maker trying to support his own family while still being there for his aging parents.

An uplifting comedy and a love letter to the city of Miami, iMordecai urges us all to live the one life we have to the fullest.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Miami Jewish Film Festival: Winner - Audience Award, Best Narrative Film

Year 2022

Country USA

Director Marvin Samel

Cast Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, Sean Astin

Language English

Runtime 82 minutes

Genre Comedy, Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Arlene Howard and Irv Dardick

Michael and Sally Geller

Herb and Barbara Silber

The Weinberg Residence

All I Can Do

Kol Ma she’Anni Yekhola

CLOCK Monday, March 13 at 3:30pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

REUT, A YOUNG PROSECUTOR, IS NAVIGATING THE PARTNER TRACK OF THE male-dominated legal system. She’s told that taking on a sexual assault case will help her prospects for advancement. The case is based on the sole testimony of the victim, Efrat.

Reut is reluctant, but as the trial progresses, Reut learns the true nature of strength, love and sisterhood.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Awards of the Israeli Film Academy:

Nominee - Best Supporting Actor, Moni Moshonov

2022 Jerusalem Film Festival:

Nominee - Haggiag Competition for Full-Length Israeli Feature Films

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Shiri Nevo Fridental

Cast Ania Bukstein, Sharon Strimban, Moni Moshonov

Language Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 87 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Bill and Risa Levine

Michael Levy

Diane and Phil Switzer

Perfect Strangers (Zarim Mushlamin)

CLOCK Monday, March 13 at 5:45pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas k West Coast Premiere

THE ISRAELI VERSION OF THE ITALIAN FILM PERFECT STRANGERS IS ABOUT several couples at a dinner party who agree to read aloud all their texts and play all their conversations on their speakerphones. Lior Ashkenazi’s comedy-drama of manners focuses on middle-class, secular Israelis, the kinds of people who live in the suburbs and like to barbecue – ordinary people who are much like their counterparts around the world.

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Lio Ashkenazi

Cast Hanan Savyon, Rotem Abuhab, Yossi Marshek

Language Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 90 minutes

Genre Drama, Comedy

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Bob Markin

Arnold and Anita Silber

David Paperny and Audrey Mehler

SHTTL

CLOCK Monday, March 13 at 8pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

ONE OF THE MOST SPELLBINDING FILMS OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL, SHTTL beautifully captures the life and loves of a Yiddish-speaking village on the eve of the Nazi invasion of Soviet Ukraine. Mendele, who is living a modern, secular life in Kyiv, finds himself drawn back to the familiar and comforting world of the shtetl. Unravelling the simmering tensions between tradition and modernity, director Ady Walter’s debut masterpiece, which is filmed in one extraordinary long shot, recreates a world on the precipice of disaster.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

Year 2022

Country Ukraine, France

Director Ady Walter

Cast Moshe Lobel, Kostiantyn Afanasiev, Vitaliia Barco

Language Yiddish with English subtitles

Runtime 114 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

2022 Rome Film Fest: Winner - Audience Award SPONSORS

Karen Krivel

Neri and Aron Tischler

Aliza, Chaim and Tova Kornfeld

THANK YOU

VISIONARY SPONSORS

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

CORPORATE SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSORS

COMMUNITY SPONSORS

2023 FESTIVAL CALENDAR

The Cure for Hate Page 14

Mary Magdalene in Conversation Page 15

S UN 19

Haute Couture Page 12 9pm Burning Off The Page Page 13

SAT 18

’68 Page 40

FRI

S UN 12 THU 9 VJFF

1pm

FRI 17

MO N 13 1pm

Alegria Page 41 5:45pm Matchmaking Page 42 8pm The Shadow of the Day Page 43

Karaoke Page 39

Tahara Page 38

Online selections available from March 19–26

iMordecai Page 18

3:30pm

All I Can Do Page 19

Three Minutes: A Lengthening

CLOCK Tuesday, March 14 at 1pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas k Canadian Premiere

THREE MINUTES: A LENGTHENING, A STUDY OF NOT JUST HISTORY BUT how we unpack and interpret footage of it. In 2009, a man named Glenn Kurtz found a 16mm home movie in his parents’ closet, footage from a vacation that his grandfather took to Poland in 1938. Stigter’s film opens with this uncut footage. We see dozens of people in a Jewish community gathering in a square, many staring straight at the camera while others go about their days or come together for some sort of event. There’s only one blurry sign and few landmarks, so it’s hard to tell exactly who these people are and what they’re doing... but that didn’t stop Glenn Kurtz.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Atlanta Jewish Film Fest: Winner, Best Documentary

2022 Dublin International Film Fest: Winner, Best Documentary

Year 2021

Country Netherlands, United Kingdom

Director Bianca Stigter

Cast Helena Bonham Carter (voice), Glenn Kurtz, Moszek Tuchendler

Language English, Polish, German, Yiddish with English subtitles

Runtime 69 minutes

Genre Documentary

Rating

All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Mel Ackerman and Ellen Flanders

Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

The Artist’s Daughter, Oil on Canvas

CLOCK Tuesday, March 14 at 3:30pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26 k Canadian Premiere

SHE JOINS A GUIDED TOUR OF AN EXHIBITION BY A FAMOUS PAINTER. THE man in the self-portraits is her father, but only a few people know that. She contacts the artist for the first time in a decade and shares her idea of making a film about their relationship, rekindled by his artwork. Excited, the artist sends her to film his exhibition. As the work on the film develops, she discovers that meeting the man behind the portraits is her real challenge. The Artist’s Daughter paints a bewildering, surprising portrait of a relationship – a portrait that can only exist in cinema.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Awards of the Israeli Film Academy: Winner - Best Documentary under 60 Minutes

2022 DocAviv Film Festival: Winner - Best Debut Film

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Margarita Linton

Language Russian, Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 59 minutes

Genre Documentary

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Miri and Larry Garaway

David Batist and Gilda Rayburn

Shorts Program 1

CLOCK Tuesday, March 14 at 5:45pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas play-circle Available online March 19-26

Kinderland k Canadian Premiere

A DOCUMENTARY FILM THAT TELLS THE STORY OF TWO SECULAR JEWISH summer camps in upstate New York. Both camps were founded by secular workingclass Jews on either side of the leftist political divide. Kinderland was communist; Kinder Ring (run by The Worker’s Circle) socialist. Despite numerous commonalities, they enjoyed a legendary feud from opposite ends of Sylvan Lake.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2021, Santa Fe International Film Festival: Winner - Best Documentary Short

BrownWhite k Canadian Premiere

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISRAELI biracial kids, BrownWhite explores how skin colour influences the development of identity. Weaving their lived experiences with findings from academic research, the film reveals these kids’ dilemmas around identity in a world that’s more complicated than brown or white.

GooDeed

BASED ON A SHORT STORY BY ETGAR Keret, GooDeed tells the story of a wealthy woman whose life takes a turn when she discovers that giving money to the homeless gives her a purpose.

With Guest: Director Ayelet Vardi

Kinderland

Year 2021

Country USA

Director Amy Grappell

Language English Runtime 31 minutes

Genre Documentary

BrownWhite

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Ruchama Ehrenhalt

Language Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 10 minutes

Genre Documentary, Short Genre Animation, Short

GooDeed

Year 2022

Country Canada

Director Ayelet Vardi

Cast Laura Moss, Gurbir Johal, Cara Halseth, Sarah Tolle

Language English

Runtime 7 minutes

Genre Comedy, Short

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Cyndi and Max Mintzberg

Kinderland

My Neighbor Adolf

CLOCK Tuesday, March 14 at 8pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas k Canadian Premiere

IN THE QUIRKY MY NEIGHBOR ADOLF, MR. POLSKY, A HOLOCAUST survivor, lives in rural South America in total seclusion... until, into the only other house nearby moves Mr. Herzog – who Polsky grows to suspect is none other than Adolf Hitler (despite local Israeli intelligence officer skepticism). As Mr. Polsky reluctantly gets closer to Mr. Herzog to gather evidence against him, the two forge an uneasy relationship. The film is filled with great acting and a few really interesting spins; the subject matter is serious and brings up some mind-boggling aspects of history.

The overall story is positively inspiring and a tale of kindness and empathy. Director Leon Prudovsky brings us a gently dark yet touching human dramedy.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Haifa International Film Festival:

Nominee - Best Film

2022 Locar no International Film Festival:

Nominee - Audience Award

Nominee - Variety Piazza Grande Award

Year 2022

Country Israel, Colombia, Poland

Director Leon Prudovsky

Cast David Hayman, Udo Kier, Danharry Colorado

Language English, Spanish, German with English subtitles

Runtime 96 minutes

Genre Comedy, Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Margo Fluker and Barry Sanders

Lost Transport

Transportul pierdut

CLOCK Wednesday, March 15 at 1pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

IN THE SPRING OF 1945, A TRAIN DEPORTING HUNDREDS OF JEWISH prisoners is stranded near a small German village when the German troops flee the train from the approaching Red Army. Condemned to each other and in a context of deep mistrust, desperation and revenge, an unexpected friendship emerges between Russian sniper Vera, German village girl Winnie and Jewish-Dutch woman Simone in this story of survival amidst the new unknown.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Stony Brook Film Festival: Winner - Special Recognition, Closing Night Film

Year 2022

Country Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany

Director Saski Diesing

Cast Hanna van Vliet, Eugénie Anselin, Anna Bachmann

Language Dutch, German, Russian with English subtitles

Runtime 100 minutes

Genre Drama, History

Rating

All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Marie Doduck with Bernice Carmeli and Cathy Golden

Norman Gladstone and Birgit Westergaard

Jack and Karen Micner

Dedicated in loving memory of Chaim Micner (z "l), and Kela (z "l) and Luis (z "l) Guincher

Dead Sea Guardians

CLOCK Wednesday, March 15 at 3:30pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

THE DEAD SEA: SHARED BY ISRAELIS, JORDANIANS AND PALESTINIANS AND the lowest point on Earth. Tragically, the Dead Sea is drying up, causing widespread damage, including huge sinkholes, abandoned beaches and collapsing roads; natural resources have been exhausted and are urgently signalling their demise. If action is not taken soon, very little of the Dead Sea will remain.

Three people – a Jordanian, an Israeli and a Palestinian – feel they cannot just stand by and do nothing. They decide on a heroic act, an unprecedented, extremely dangerous swim across the Dead Sea, from Jordan to Israel, which will draw the world’s attention to the plight of the vanishing Sea. This story can only happen now, when everyone and everything has been brought to their knees – the dying Sea, the water-deprived countries, and the people who live along its shores.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2021 Haifa International Film Festival

Nominee - Best Documentary Film

2022 Riviera Inter national Film Festival

W inner - Jury Prize (Special Mention)

Nominee - Best Documentary

Year 2021

Country Israel

Director Ido Glass, Yoav Kleinman

Language Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

Runtime 75 minutes

Genre Documentary

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Ian and Sandy Penn

Sid and Tyleen Katz

Larry Barzelai and Rhona Gordon

Filmmakers for the Prosecution

CLOCK Wednesday, March 15 at 5:45pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas play-circle Available online March 19-26 k Canadian Premiere

ADAPTED FROM SANDRA SCHULBERG’S MONOGRAPH, FILMMAKERS FOR the Prosecution retraces the hunt for film evidence that could convict the Nazis at the Nuremberg Trial. The searchers were two brothers in their twenties, Budd and Stuart Schulberg, serving under the command of OSS film chief John Ford. The motion pictures they presented in the courtroom became part of the official record and shape our understanding of the Holocaust to this day. Seventy-five years after the trial, French journalist and filmmaker Jean-Christophe Klotz returns to the German salt mines where films lay burning and uncovers never-before-seen footage. Klotz’s riveting film fills in the gaps of how these groundbreaking materials were sourced and poses still-pertinent questions about documentarians’ obligations to posterity.

Year 2022

Country France, USA

Director Jean-Christophe Klotz

Cast Zuzanna Surowy, Konrad Cichon, Pawel Królikowski

Language English, French with English subtitles

Runtime 58 minutes

Genre Documentary

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Aliza, Chaim and Tova Kornfeld

Evelyn Neaman and Stephen Herman

Irv Laskin and Naomi Kronitz

Lynne and Mitchell Gropper

Our (Almost Completely True) Story

CLOCK Wednesday, March 15 at 8pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

A TALL, AGING “SHIKSA” ICON MEETS A SHORT JEWISH LEPRECHAUN IN A bird store–what are the chances? Written by and starring the legendary Mariette Hartley and Jerry Sroka, Our (Almost Completely True) Story shares the hilarious, vulnerable realities for aging actors and the search for love as seniors in Hollywood.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Cleveland International Film Festival: Nominee - American Independents Competition, Don Scardino

Year 2022

Country USA

Director Don Scardino

Cast Mariette Hartley, Jerry Sroka, Bernie Kopell

Language English

Runtime 92 minutes

Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

ZLC Wealth with the support of Garry Zlotnik

HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

CLOCK Thursday, March 16 at 1pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG IS THE DEFINITIVE exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, “Hallelujah.” This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The songwriter and his times; the song’s dramatic journey; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom “Hallelujah” has become a personal touchstone. Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage, and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards: Nominee - Best Music Documentary

Year 2022

Country USA

Director Dayna Goldfine and Daniel Geller

Language English

Runtime 118 minutes

Genre Documentary, Music

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Leonard Schein and Barbara Small

Farewell, Mr. Haffmann

Adieu Monsieur Haffmann

CLOCK Thursday, March 16 at 3:30pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas

play-circle Available online March 19-26 k Canadian Premiere

AFTER THE NAZI OCCUPATION OF PARIS, A TALENTED JEWELLER, JOSEPH

Haffmann, arranges for his family to flee the city and offers one of his employees the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. Superbly directed, Farewell, Mr. Haffmann masterfully guides the viewer through the world of Vichy France, where lives are irrevocably shaped by the twin scourges of war and the black market. Rich in moral complexity and empathy, with several twists too good to spoil, this is grand, big-screen adult entertainment at its finest.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Gold Coast International Film Festival: Winner - Audience Award

2022 Cleveland Jewish Film Festival: Winner - Audience Award

2022 Aspen Filmfest: Winner - Audience Award

2022 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival: Winner - Audience Award, Best Narrative

Year 2021

Country France, Belgium

Director Fred Cavayé

Cast Daniel Auteuil, Gilles Lellouche, Sara Giraudeau

Language French with English subtitles

Runtime 105 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSORS

Ellen Hamer with Gerald Hamer

Saul and Sheryl Kahn with Hodie Kahn

Lorne Greenberg

Lyle Pullan

Jeremy and Yael Horwitz

Shorts Program 2

CLOCK Thursday, March 16 at 5:45pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas play-circle Available online March 19-26

I’ll Be Frank k Canadian Premiere

AFTER RECEIVING A GERMAN PASSPORT, AARON TAKES TO HIS grandfather Frank’s memoir to understand his connection to his newfound identity. Guided by Frank’s animated memories, Aaron searches for traces of his family’s life in Germany and for his own connection to the place his family once called home. But when his research leads him down a dark path, Aaron is forced to confront a trauma that has long lay hidden under the surface of his family’s identity.

Holy Holocaust

k Canadian Premiere

A DARK FAMILY SECRET FROM THE past is revealed unexpectedly and opens an abyss between two women who, for 22 years, believed that they could rise above historical, political, and geographical obstacles.

The Basketball Game

THIS ANIMATED SHORT TELLS THE story of an epic basketball game between kids attending Jewish camp and students of a notorious local Holocaust denier. Nine-year-old Hart is attending Jewish summer camp for the first time. He is both curious and afraid. What awaits him on the basketball court?

With Guests

SPONSORS

I’ll Be Frank

Year 2022

Country Germany, Australia

Director Aaron Lucas

Cast John Gaden

Language English, German with English subtitles

Runtime 52 minutes

Genre Documentary

Holy Holocaust

Year 2021

Country Israel

Director Noa Berman-Herzberg

Cast Noa Berman-Herzberg, Gabriela Börschmann

Language English

Runtime 17 minutes

Genre Short, Animation, Drama

The Basketball Game

Year 2011

Country Canada

Director Hart Snider

Cast Hart Snider

Language English

Runtime 6 minutes

Genre Animation, Short

Rating

All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

I’ll Be Frank

Judy Oberlander and Mark Wexler Moshe Mastai

My Boss Charlie

Ohev otkha Charlie

CLOCK Thursday, March 16 at 8pm / Fifth Avenue Cinemas k Canadian Premiere

MICHAEL ALONI (AKA KIVA IN SHTISEL) STARS IN MY BOSS CHARLIE, a romantic comedy in which he plays a nerdy film director, who along with his crazy crew are filming a reality show starring a glittery singer who stays for a week at the house of Charlie, the head of a brutal crime family. Charlie drags them into their dark and deadly world as they get entangled with the local mafioso. Aloni co-stars with Israeli pop star and future 2023 Eurovision star Noa Kirel.

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Shay Kanot

Cast Michael Aloni, Alon Aboutboul, Noa Kirel

Language Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 95 minutes

Genre Comedy

Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only

SPONSOR

Royal Bank of Canada

Tahara

CLOCK Friday, March 17 at 1pm / Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

THIS INDIE AWARD WINNING FILM WAS CALLED BY COMINGSOONAS: "ONE of the most original films in the coming-of-age subgenre in a long time." In this acerbic teen comedy, a funeral becomes a battleground between best friends Carrie and Hannah (Rachel Sennott, breakout star of SHIVA BABY). When a Hebrew school classmate commits suicide, the two girls attend her funeral as well as the "Teen Talk-back" afterwards.The session hosted by their synagogue is designed to be an opportunity to understand grief through Judaism. But Hannah, more interested in impressing her crush Tristan, convinces Carrie to practice kissing with her instead. This unlocks feelings that turn Carrie's world upside down. The scene develops into a depiction of unrequited crushes, toxic friendships, and wavering faith.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2021 Denver International Film Festival: Winner - Best Feature Film

2020 L.A. Outfest: Winner - U.S. Narrative Feature

2020 NewFest: New York’s LGBT Film Festival: Winner-DirectorialFeatureDebutBlackLGBTQ+FilmmakerAward

Year 2020

Country USA

Directors Olivia Peace

Cast Madeline Grey DeFreece, Rachel Sennott, Daniel Taveras

Language English

Runtime 78 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating Subject to Classification

SPONSORS

Ellen Balka

Tamara Frankel with Daniel Frankel

Karaoke

CLOCK Saturday, March 18 at 8pm / Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre

MOSHE ROSENTHAL’S COMEDIC CAUTIONARY TALE ON LOVE, FRIENDSHIPS, and the art of karaoke is worthy of applause (and the cast of Karaoke excel in their performances). “That’s the beauty of karaoke – you don’t have to know how to sing. You sing to express yourself” states Itzik (Lior Ashkenazi), the charming neighbour of Meir (Sasson Gabay) and Tova (Rita Shukrun) at his intimate penthouse-suite karaoke party. It’s also the theme of the film, even when the music stops, life is a performance full of vulnerability, mistakes, and if you’re lucky, some fun too. Karaoke is an offbeat, comedic journey that delights and surprises.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2022 Awards of the Israeli Film Academy:

Winner - Best Actress, Rita Shukrun

Winner - Best Actor, Sasson Gabay

2022 Jerusalem Film Festival: Winner - Audience Award, Israeli Competition

Winner - Israeli First Film

2022 Raindance Film Festival:

Winner - Best Screenplay

Winner - Best Director

2022 Virginia Film Festival: Winner - Programmer’s Choice Award, Narrative Feature

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Moshe Rosenthal

Cast Sasson Gabay, Rita Shukrun, Lior Ashkenazi

Language Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 100 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating Subject to Classification

SPONSORS

Karen James

Bill and Risa Levine

Art Toft

Leo Franken - The Spectacle Shoppe

March ‘68

CLOCK Sunday, March 19 at 1pm / Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre

play-circle Available online March 19-26

k Canadian Premiere

WARSAW, MARCH 1968. STUDENTS ARE PROTESTING AGAINST THE unlawful expulsion of their colleagues from the university. Hania and Janek are among the protesting youth. Their families are on both sides of the March barricade. A universal and timeless story about a student couple madly in love with each other in a country overwhelmed by a rebellion of young people against authorities that want to take away their spiritual freedom, civil liberties and sense of national identity.

Year 2022

Country Poland

Director Krzysztof Lang

Cast Vanessa Aleksander, Ignacy Liss, Ireneusz Czop

Language Polish with English subtitles

Runtime 117 minutes

Genre Drama, History

Rating Subject to Classification

SPONSOR

Horatio Kemeny

Harley and Eleanor Rothstein

Deborah Roitberg and Jack Amar

Alegria

CLOCK Sunday, March 19 at 3:30pm / Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre play-circle Available online March 19-26 k West Coast Premiere

YAEL, ALEGRIA’S NIECE, IS MARRYING A BOY FROM MELILLA. YAEL’S WHOLE family will come from Israel for the event and Alegría is not ready for it. The film uses the upcoming wedding event as a jumping-off point to explore the unique ancestry of this autonomous city - Melilla and its fusion of the four cultures that have coexisted in the city over the years: Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu. A beautiful exploration of the bonds that break and mend, and of friendships and motherhood.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

2021 Seville European Film Festival

2021 Guadalajara International Film Festival

2021 Almería International Film Festival:

W inner - Best Director

Nominee - Best First Film

2022 Premios Carmen:

W inner - Best Art Director

Nominee - Best Director

Nominee - Best Supporting Actress

Year 2021

Country Spain

Director Violeta Salama

Cast Cecilia Suárez, Laia Manzanares, Sarah Perles

Language Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 105 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating Subject to Classification

SPONSORS

Art Toft

Dr. Harry Karlinsky and Dr. Andrea Tuka

Harvey Field and Randa Bloom with Tobin Robbins and Sandra Broudy

Robert Albanese and Harriet Frost

Matchmaking (Bachurim Tovim)

CLOCK Sunday, March 19 at 5:45pm / Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre k Canadian Premiere

THIS DELIGHTFUL ROMANTIC COMEDY TAKES US THROUGH A ROMEO AND Juliet-like saga of young, eligible modern Orthodox singles looking for a match. Our main bachelor, Moti, spots Nechama and is instantly smitten, but isn’t allowed to date the charming young woman because she comes from a Mizrahi family. This apparently outrageous racism is shared by the loving, concerned parents of both Moti and Nechama, who seem to want the best for their children even if they find it hard to get over their prejudice.

Year 2022

Country Israel

Director Erez Tadmor

Cast Amit Rahav, Liana Ayoun, Maor Schwitzer

Language Hebrew with English subtitles

Runtime 98 minutes

Genre Comedy

Rating Subject to Classification

SPONSORS

Shuli Ben-Moshe

John Anthony and Wendy Fouks

David Schwartz and Debby Freiman

The Shadow of the Day (L’ombra del giorno)

CLOCK Sunday, March 19 at 8pm / Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre play-circle Available online March 19-26 k Canadian Premiere

SET IN THE PICTURESQUE PROVINCIAL TOWN ASCOLI PICENO IN CENTRAL ITALY, THE Shadow of the Day is a dramatic love story set in the late 1930s. Luciano (Riccardo Scamarcio, Where Life Begins), a wounded World War I veteran and a sympathiser of Fascism like most Italians at the time, runs a classy restaurant overlooking the town’s ancient square. One day, Anna (Benedetta Porcaroli, Baby) appears, looking for work. A young woman with a dangerous secret, she is hired for a job in the restaurant. Slowly, affection creeps in between the two and among the many dangers Luciano faces, there is the greatest of all: love.

Year 2022

Country Italy

Director Giuseppe Piccioni

Cast Riccardo Scamarcio, Benedetta Porcaroli, Waël Sersoub

Language Italian with English subtitles

Runtime 125 minutes

Genre Drama

Rating Subject to Classification

SPONSORS

Isaac and Judy Thau