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SHOES FROM AMERICA / BOTINKI IZ AMERIKA

TITLE: SHOES FROM AMERICA / BOTINKI IZ AMERIKA
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Arkadiy Yakhnis / Michael Frenschkowski, Sophokles Tasioulis
COUNTRY: Russia/Germany
LANGUAGE: Russian, Polish, and German, English subtitles
TIME: 89
SOURCE: MDC International GmbH, Berlin
TEXT: W.: Ramaz Chkhikvadze, Viktoria Malektorovich, Taras Denisenko, Viktoria Avdeenko. 1945. 70-year-old Isaac, is the only one Jew from his village somewhere in the western Ukraine who survived the Nazi occupation. He spent the terrible years alone in the basement of his neighbor's house, and his survival cost him his sanity. The Holocaust survivor now awaits the coming of the Messiah, who will reunite him with all of his perished loved ones. Here and there, one at a time, survivors return to the village, including some of his family members, among them his son-in-law. Isaac knows that his wife, daughter and grandson will not return, yet he launders their clothes and hangs apples on the branches of the trees in anticipation of their reunion. One of his walks takes him to the remains of the graves in the Jewish cemetery, where he encounters a 40-year-old gypsy woman, who, though she too knows that her family perished in the Holocaust, tries to maintain a joyful appearance. A tender relationship develops between the two... Arkadiy Yakhnis, a graduate of the film academy in Moscow, brings us a film about interpersonal relations, about the meeting of cultures, about love as a force uniting human beings-creating narratives that reach far beyond a description of Jewish suffering. At the same time, this is a story of Jewish fate, of the need for continuity and the necessity to overcome grief and to build new, normal Jewish life. WOLGIN COMPETITION Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

THE LAWYERS / HAPRAKLITIM

TITLE: THE LAWYERS / HAPRAKLITIM
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Amalia Margolin / Liora Landau
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 45 minutes per episode
SOURCE: Omer TV Communication Ltd., Tel Aviv
TEXT: W.: Moshe Ivgy, Ronit Elkabetz, Mark Evanir, Ruti Burenshtein, Tzahi Grad Murder, rape, heritage battles, a bride whose wedding was ruined on her wedding night, a couple in a divorce process struggle over their dog, these and more… human stories loaded with impulse that burst between the court walls, are the dramatic elements, on which the series, The Lawyers, is based. The courtroom is the arena where the prosecutors and defendants, lawyers and judges contend. These dramatic conflicts must reach a ruling by the end of the day, for better or for worse. On the way to the expected ruling, the series exposes its heroes, looks at the interactions between the lawyers and their clients, among the lawyers themselves, examines the relationship (or the gap) between law and justice, and focuses on the "behind the scenes" of the legal world: a world of schemes, intrigues, loaded with dark as well as noble instincts, a world of poetic moments as well as cruel ones. The series wishes to present the beautiful and repugnant, the low and sublime, the dramatic and amusing, the human that is in all of us. The Lawyers is a contemporary series that moves forward rapidly, telling dramatic, impulsive and humorous stories using up-to-date directing, shooting and editing techniques. Folded into each episode are different stories and plot layers, integrating with each other and exposing the heroes and through them, Israeli society with its different faces and sectors. WOLGIN COMPETITION-Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

THE GIL & MOTI WEDDING PROJECT

TITLE: THE GIL & MOTI WEDDING PROJECT
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Moti Porat, Gil Nader
COUNTRY: Netherlands
LANGUAGE: English, Dutch and Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 30
SOURCE: Van der Lippe, Amsterdam
TEXT: The Gil & Moti Wedding Project emphasizes the gap created by the decision to perform a private act on a public stage. The film like the event (The wedding of Gil & Motti in Rotterdam in June 2001) floats between reality and fiction, documenting a scripted event and casting real characters as themselves. It comments upon the demand of society to the representation of the self as a desired object and brings an idealistic gay image to a mainstream public view. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

URI AVNERI: A WARRIOR FOR PEACE / HANIDON: URI AVNERI

TITLE: URI AVNERI: A WARRIOR FOR PEACE / HANIDON: URI AVNERI
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Yair Lev / Doron Tsabari
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 75
SOURCE: Guerilla films, Tel Aviv OR Ruth Diskin Films Ltd. , 8 Tverya Street, Jeruslaem 94543. tel 972 2 6222 086 Fax 972 2 625 6047 RuthDis@netvision.net.IL
TEXT: Journalist and peace fighter Uri Avneri is a man who Israelis have loved to hate for over 50 years. "The last Mohican of the radical left", Avneri has devoted his life to promoting the idea of two states for two nations, and for this he has paid a price: the head of the General Security Services proclaimed him Public Enemy #1, the offices of his newspaper were burned down and several attempts were made at his life. Despite his significant contribution to shaping the State of Israel, Avneri lives on the fringe of Israeli public opinion, and is a living example of the saying "one cannot be a prophet in ones own city". Uri Avneri: A Warrior for Peace deals with memory and oblivion through the story of a complex and controversial man whose life encompasses the spirit of a period and the history of a nation, one of the last of a generation for whom ideology, political fervor and the belief that it is possible to change the world (or at least, to build a just society in Israel) did not provoke contemptuous post-modern derision. The film combines interviews with associates and archival footage to recount Avneri's life story, while following Avneri and his wife Rachel during the dramatic two years preceding and during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, a period that turned Avneri's dream into a more remote possibility. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002. Winner of the Wim Van Leer Award in the Spirit of Freedom

TV DRAMA: VOICES FROM THE HEARTLAND-IT WAS GREAT / SHI'UR MOLEDET - HAYA NEHEDAR

TITLE: IT WAS GREAT / SHI'UR MOLEDET - HAYA NEHEDAR
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Sivan Arbel / Asaf Amir
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 52
SOURCE: Norma Productions, Tel Aviv
TEXT: W.: Alex Peleg, Dina Doronne, Ilanit Ben Yaakov, Yasmin Kidar, Alon Neuman, Uri Gotlib. The Barnea family of Givatayim goes for a three day family vacation to Hungary. Father and mother initiate the trip in order to renew a past tradition of family trips that ranged from Wadi Qelt to Herodion. At least 15 years have passed since their last excursion and the three daughters, aged 26-32, have mixed feelings about the plan. Tami, the eldest, is happy to get out for a vacation; Aya, the middle daughter, imagines the worst possible; and Shiri, the youngest, thinks it is a crazy idea. At the picturesque hotel on the shores of Lake Neusiedlersee, they share a single corridor, with rather thin wallpapered walls, and for the first time in years are forced to deal with the problems and tensions that are repressed in everyday life. Most of the dramas happen around the small details of family holidays: the struggle for privacy, jealousy, conflicts and the agreement not to make a big deal out of anything. The hero of the film is the Israeli "everything's OK" family, for whom the trip to Hungary forces to face the gap between its self-image and reality. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

TV DRAMA: VOICES FROM THE HEARTLAND - SERIES

TITLE: TV DRAMA: VOICES FROM THE HEARTLAND - SERIES
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
SOURCE: Ruth Diskin Films Ltd. , 8 Tverya Street, Jeruslaem 94543. tel 972 2 6222 086 Fax 972 2 625 6047 RuthDis@netvision.net.IL
TEXT:
Out of the Award Winning Drama Series – “Voices from the Heartland”
Produced by: Reshet/2nd Channel
Series Creators: Renen Schorr, Orit Azoulay
Series Originators: Chaim Sharir, Renen Schorr
Mother V
(Fic., 52 min., BETA, 2001)
Written by: Avida Livny, Shahar Rozen
Directed by: Shahar Rozen

Synopsis:
Hana Vazana, a religious woman in her 60s, leaves a southern small town to visit her son Menahem who is locked up in solitary confinement by the Mediterranean, charged with revealing state secrets. She sets out, despite family opposition, to bring her son to apologize to his father who is lying in intensive care. Along the way, fraught with obstacles, she joins up with a young Bedouin who helps her learn the truth about her son, about herself, and to achieve independence for the first time in her life.
Major Cast: Levana Finkelstein, Walid Abu Latifan, Misha Asherov, Vladimir Friedman, Evelyn Hagoel, Avi Malka


Poker Face
(Fic., 52 min., BETA, 2001)
Written & Directed by: Eitan Anner
Synopsis: For the past 16 years, every Friday night, Anna and Alex and three couples meet for their weekly poker game. Alex is not yet 60, but his memory problems are getting worse and the group decides to vote to decide whether Alex will have to give up his seat at the table. Anna knows that if they lose, Alex will be miserable. She puts on her poker face and goes to war.
Major Cast: Sandra Sade, Sasson Gabai, Michael Warshaviak, Shabtai Konorti, Ischak Heskia, Rozina Cambos

Slaves of the Lord
(Fic., 50 min., BETA, 2002 – new release)
Written & Directed by: Hadar Friedlich
Synopsis: Passover is coming and so is Tamar’s Bat-Mitzvah, the day she will become responsible for her deeds. Tamar lives in religious village and is preparing for her speech with her teacher, when she learns about the connection between external cleansing for the Passover holiday and internal purification .Tamar constantly searches for answers in the holy books and concludes that she is impure and that so is everything she touches. She tries to clean everything and not touch anything. Tamar succumbs to her fear. She runs to the ritual bath (Mikve) for a final dip.
Major Cast: Maya Eshet, Razya Israeli, Itay Barnea, Irit Sheleg, Robert Henig, Adi Barsheshet


Three Fingers
(Fic., 48 min., BETA, 2001)
Written & Directed by: Daphna Levin
Synopsis: Retired Duvik saws off three of his fingers in his amateur woodworking shop. Ofra, his faithful wife, rushes him to the hospital, but in the emergency room realizes that she left the bag containing the amputated fingers in the car. When she goes to the parking lot to fetch the fingers, she’s surprised to see her car driving away. She jumps into a waiting taxi and begins a chase after the fingers with the foul-mouthed driver. An entertaining road movie about couples, marriage and love.
Major Cast: Dalia Friedlanad, Arik Lavie, Katia Zimbris, Oshik Levi

Shofar (ZAKUTA)
(Fic., 52 min., BETA, 2001)
Written by: Dov Elbaum
Directed by: Daniel Syrkin
Synopsis: The Zakutas are a poor family from the slums of Bnei Berak. Amram, a 40-yaer-old Torah scholar, earns a living writing mezuzot. His wife Yaffa cares for their autistic son Yitzhaq-Shlomo. One afternoon, the boy enters the neighbor’s apartment and a miracle occurs. From that moment, a great crowd gathers around the home of the Zakuta family and changes their lives. A story of marriage, belief and parenting in crisis.
Major Cast: Shimon Mimran, Orna Fitousi, Daniel Peri Nadav, Igal Sadeh

It Was Great
(Fic., 52 min., BETA, 2002 – new release)
Directed by: Sivan Arbel
Written by: Asaf Harel, Sivan Arbel
Synopsis: The Barnea family goes for a three day family vacation to Slovakia. At least 15 years have passed since their last excursion and the three daughters, aged 26 to 32, have mixed feelings about the plan. Tami, the eldest, is happy to get out for vacation; Aya, the middle daughter, imagines the worst possible; and Shiri, the youngest, thinks it is a crazy idea. At the picturesque hotel they share a single corridor, with rather thin wallpapered walls, and for the first time in years are forced to deal with the problems and tensions that are repressed in everyday life. The hero of the film is the Israeli “everything’s OK” family, forced to face the gap between its self-image and reality.
Major Cast: Alex Peleg, Dina Doronne, Ilanit Ben Yaacov, Yasmin Kidar, Maya Kadishman, Alon Neuman, Uri Gotlib


Buchachi
(Fic., 52 min., BETA, 2001)
Written by: Nati Adler, Shlomi Peri
Directed by: Nati Adler
Synopsis: Buchachi, a cook at an air force base, humbly accepts the military hierarchy that places the pilots at the top of the pyramid. Against the background of a fierce sing-out between the cooks and pilots during Independence Day celebrations at the base, a new soldier arrives who casts new light on the cook’s status. Buchachi, for the first time in his life, fights for his values.
Major Cast: Moshe Folkenfkik, Jonathan Rozen

Caravan 841
(Fic., 52 min., BETA 2001)
Written by: Zion Rubin, Dorit Hakim
Directed by: Zion Rubin
Synopsis: Moshe, an 11 year-old Ethiopian boy, lives in dwindling “Atidim” caravan site in the Western Galilee and is awaiting the arrival of his mother from Ethiopia. She will not arrive and he is torn between Aharon, a 60-year-old repentant Jew who teaches him Torah, and Walter – an impulsive African American saxsophone player who has a jazz club at the edge of the site. Aharon gives Moshe a magic box and promises him that it will bring his mother to Israel. Walter gives Moshe the strength to believe only in himself.
Major Cast: Avi Ashkenazi, Yossi Vasa, Shiri Ashkenazi, Ayala Ainghedashet

TV DRAMA: VOICES FROM THE HEARTLAND: SLAVES OF THE LORD / SHI'UR MOLEDET: AVDEI HASHEM

TITLE: VOICES FROM THE HEARTLAND: SLAVES OF THE LORD
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Hadar Friedlich / Mosh Danon, Eylon Ratzkovsky
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 50
SOURCE: Reshet and JCS Productions, Tel Aviv
TEXT: Original Music by Shem Tov Levi. W.: Maya Eshet, Razya Israeli, Itay Barnea, Irit Sheleg, Robert Henig, Adi Barsheshet. Passover is coming and so is Tamar's Bat-Mitzvah, the day she will become responsible for her deeds. Tamar lives in a religious small town and is preparing for her speech with her teacher, Esther, when she learns about the connection of external cleansing for the Passover holiday, and internal purification. At a family dinner, Tamar discovers that any custom becomes a vow if repeated over time. Since she used to tell herself "shut up" whenever she wanted to silence her thoughts, she begins to repeat it often. Tamar's only friend, Rachel, lures her to sinful mischief: peeping into the Mikveh (Bath House), turning a light on during the Sabbath, etc. They even sneak to bathe at the Mikveh when Tamar gets her first period. Frightened, Tamar searches for answers in the holy books and concludes that she is impure and that so is everything she touches. She tries to clean everything and not touch anything. After the ceremonial check for bread before Passover, Tamar gets up to ensure nothing was left behind. In a moment of despair she even scatters breadcrumbs all over, but Tamar can't bare being sinful. And she gets up again and on all four tries, in vain, to cleanse the sin which carries the harshest punishment. Tamar succumbs to her fear. She runs to the baths and goes in for a final dip. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

LOCAL ANGEL / MAL'ACH MEKOMI

TITLE: LOCAL ANGEL / MAL'ACH MEKOMI
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Udi Aloni / Shimon Azulay, Udi Aloni
COUNTRY: Israel/USA
LANGUAGE: English, Hebrew and Arabic, English subtitles
TIME: 70
SOURCE: Local Angel LLC, New York
TEXT: In the wake of the WTC disaster and the escalating events in the Middle East, New York-based Israeli artist and filmmaker Udi Aloni sets out on an intensely personal, yet all-encompassing journey. From shots of the devastation in New York, he continues on to Israel with his camera and crew. Interspersed with Aloni's thoughts, are fascinating exchanges with Jewish and Palestinian poets and thinkers, Palestinian rap artists, footage of peace rallies in Israel, as well as a visit to Arafat's besieged headquarters in Ramallah. Accompanying Aloni are Shulamit Aloni, his mother - the former Education Minister and the founder of the civil rights and peace movement in Israel - and Hanan Ashrawi, a freedom fighter and Palestinian leader. This meeting, and the film as a whole, tender an alternate discourse and, with remarkable subtlety, engender a sense of hope and mutual understanding during a time of great despair. Aloni's theological-political journey is a continuous imaginary discourse with two preeminent 20th century Jewish scholars, Walter Benjamin and Gershom Shalom. This discourse presents a radical interpretation of Judaism, Zionism and messianic sentiment. Music plays an important part in Aloni's odyssey, as liturgical and secular, Western and Middle Eastern sounds fill the soundtrack. Local Angel is a generous, lush, imaginative and fluid composition, a feast to the senses and a symphony celebrating the human spirit. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR-ADOLF HITLER AT MY DOOR / AHAT SHTAIM SHALOSH ARBA - MIGERMANIA HITLER BA

TITLE: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR-ADOLF HITLER AT MY DOOR / AHAT SHTAIM SHALOSH ARBA - MIGERMANIA HITLER BA
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Tami Gross, Yuval Cohen / Orna Yarmut
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew and German, English subtitles
TIME: 55
SOURCE: Orna Yarmut Productions, Ltd., Tel Aviv
TEXT: "My mother swore that she would never set foot on German soil. Now I'm here." Thus begins the story of Tami, an Israeli journalist who goes to Germany to prepare an article on Israelis who choose to live there: Dr. Ruth Hertz, a judge in Cologne, Dr. Yoram Levi, a plastic surgeon in Garmisch, Naomi Teresa Solomon, a photographer in Weimar, and Prof. Michael Wolfson, a lecturer in history at the German army officers' academy in Munich. Tami, who ignored the fate of her family in the Holocaust and never bothered to read the letters her grandfather and grandmother and aunt sent before they perished, demands an answer of those she interviews to the question of how they are able to live in Germany. But gradually, her journalist's mask evaporates and for the first time in her life she comes to terms with the sense of guilt that she has carried for decades. During her journey, she is flooded by memories of her childhood in Tel Aviv, memories dripping with the terror of silence surrounding her family history and her parents' fondness for German culture. In Germany, of all places, she obtains a deeper insight into the significance of denial and memory. Co-prod: Wolfgang Kotzke E Motion Picture Baden Baden, Germany. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

SWEET WAS THE MUD / AFILU HABOTZ HAYA MATOK

TITLE: SWEET WAS THE MUD / AFILU HABOTZ HAYA MATOK
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Ami Teyer, Ran Kotzer / Zivit Davidovich
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew
TIME: 50
SOURCE: United Studios of Israel, Herzliya
TEXT: Ashkava, Hanoch Levin's final play, includes the insight he took with him to the grave: Even if life is no great joy, death is no solution. This is terribly simplistic given the complexity of Levin's texts, but this play, unlike his others, is an elegy to the lost opportunity of one who doesn't take what life has to offer. Hanoch Levin lived and wrote from the standpoint of a refugee. Although he was born in Israel and lived his life in Tel Aviv, Israeli identity for him was an inflated balloon of crudity, roughness and fraud-an artificial identity that hides within it the eternally rootless, persecuted Jew. "He was thin and shrunken, as if he didn't want to take up too much room," says Geta Munte - like his parents' grocery, hidden within a ramshackle building, like his father who was a modest and honest man, like Jews who always walked close to the fence so that they would not be noticed. He inherited his love of theater from his older brother. He wrote dozens of plays about lives without hope or mercy, all with tremendous longing for death. Only on his own deathbed, when little remained of life, was Ashkava written. In that play, based upon three stories by Chekhov, Levin puts a statement contrary to all we knew about him in the mouth of his hero: "What a mistake it is not to live." Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

ME WITHOUT YOU

TITLE: ME WITHOUT YOU
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Sandra Goldbacher / Finola Dwyer
COUNTRY: UK
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 107
SOURCE: MeWithoutYouMOVIE.com Fireworks Pictures/Samuel Goldwyn Capitol Films, UK
TEXT: With: Anna Friel, Michelle Williams, Oliver Milburn, Trudie Styler, Marianne Denicourt, Steve John Shepherd. Hampstead, north London, sometime in the mid-1970s. Marina and Holly are best friends. Holly is an only child to protective parents, respected members of the Jewish community. Marina is the daughter of a rather complicated mother whose main efforts are devoted to maintaining her physical appearance. Several years pass, the punk era arrives. There were signs of attraction between Holly and Nat, her girlfriend's brother, and one night these are consummated. Nat wants to continue the relationship, but his sister doesn't bother to pass on his love letter to her girlfriend. A few more years pass and now, during the '80s, both girls are at college. While Holly is politically active and applies herself to her studies, Marina devotes most of her time to partying - as usual, at her girlfriend's expense. At the end of the '80s, their twisted and uneven friendship finally comes to an end. Holly will now attempt to achieve happiness on her own terms, without relying upon Marina... Sandra Goldbacher follows the dysfunctional friendship between the two women with neither excessive embellishment nor undue seriousness. Me Without You is a light film that utilizes considerable humor to portray the depth of the characters as well as the styles of the different periods through which their lives pass. Such a story would not be possible without the psychological depth provided by brilliant actresses, Michelle Williams and especially Anna Friel Venice and Jerusalem Film Festivals 2002.

Me Without You (2001)

TITLE: Me Without You (2001)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Sandra Goldbacher
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 107
SOURCE: MeWithoutYouMOVIE.com Fireworks Pictures/Samuel Goldwyn
TEXT: Directed by Sandra Goldbacher (The Governess). Story follows the uncomfortably close friendship between two girls from adolescences (1970s) through parenthood(1980s). Holly, (Michelle Williams) is the young Jewish girl from a stable family, complete with challah on the table, while non-Jewish Marina's (Anna Friel) mother is swilling gin. Throughout the film Holly is seen as the thoughtful, deep one. It's the '70s, and young Holly dreams of the glamorous adult life that will no doubt be hers someday, somewhere beyond her parents' sedate Jewish home in London. It's not that her parents don't love her; to the contrary, they're chronically overprotective. But even as they're pushing Holly to aim high, her mother has a confidence-draining habit of letting slip how mousy she thinks Holly is. Clever is good, she tells Holly, but pretty is better. And pretty is Holly's best friend and next-door neighbor, Marina. A vibrant film, replete with colorful vintage clothes and a stellar soundtrack, "Me Without You" is a highly enjoyable pop-culture trip even when soap opera melodramatics threaten to sink the movie in bathos. According to the SF Jewish Bulletin: Goldbacher wrote the screenplay, and presumably she drew on her own adolescence in depicting Holly's family life. Either way, a specific and familiar portrait of Jewish life in Britain emerges -- although it's not commented upon. Within the walls of their home, Holly and her parents are observant Jews. They sit down to a Shabbat meal every Friday night, complete with candles and challah. But to the outside world, they're fully assimilated and British to the core. So it's no surprise that Holly always feels like an outsider, never quite fathoming how most people manage to be happy in their humdrum lives. She's going to be a writer of some sort and make a difference. That is, unless her crush on Marina's older brother unexpectedly evolves into something more. "Me Without You" delineates the rivalries, jealousies and unconditional support that denote adolescent best friends. Holly wistfully wishes she were more attractive (though she's hardly ugly, given that she's played by Michelle Williams of "Dawson's Creek"), even as she sees the kind of guy trouble that the precocious Marina (Anna Friel) attracts. Holly makes the mistake of falling for one of her professors (Kyle MacLachlan) -- albeit a handsome, Jewish one. But Marina, whose self-esteem and power are (like her mother) tied up with nabbing any guy she chooses, also makes a play for Daniel. Needless to say, once Holly finds out she breaks off her friendship with Marina. But there's plenty more ups and downs in store for the two women.

INVASION (Israel 2002) – Animation

TITLE: INVASION (Israel 2002)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Micha Kredo, Michael Rozanov
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE:
TIME: 2 minutes animation
SOURCE: Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem
TEXT: The white army controlled by an evil general, is planning to invade a parallel world in which the resident spends his life in tranquility. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

AVINU MALKEINU (Israel 2002) – Animation

TITLE: AVINU MALKEINU (Israel 2002)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Uri Karnot
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE:
TIME: 3
SOURCE: Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem
TEXT: Lost people in the desert looking to be saved, but pay the price of salvation. Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

GIANT STEPS (Israel 2002)

TITLE: GIANT STEPS (Israel 2002)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Michal Levy
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE:
TIME: 2
SOURCE: Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem
TEXT: Interpretation to the music of John Coltrane. John Coltrane's musical approach is connected to architectural thought. Jerusalem Film Fest 2002

MARIA MORENA (Israel 2002) – Animation

TITLE: MARIA MORENA (Israel 2002)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Ori Naor
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE:
TIME: 2
SOURCE: Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem
TEXT: The story of a woman trying to fit in an unfamiliar world, a world of fantastic dimensions. Influenced by the artistic style of Botero Jerusalem Film Festival 2002.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

TITLE: A FAMILY AFFAIR
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Helen Lesnick
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 108 min in 35 mm
SOURCE: Atta Girl productions Inc / Valerie B Pichney / PO Box 130874 / Carlsbad California 92013 / 760 603 0121 / vbp@znet.com / www.attagirlprods.com
TEXT: The course of true love doesn’t always run straight for Rachel Rosen in Helen Lesnick’s delightful romantic comedy. For one thing, Rachel’s a lesbian, no question about that. But she has a problem with relationships – she left New York City for San Diego to put distance between herself and her perpetually unfaithful (ex)girlfriend, Reggie (Michele Greene, who gave us the first televised lesbian kiss as Abby Perkins on LA Law). But Rachel’s PFLAG mom won’t rest until she sees her daughter settle down with a nice girl (preferrably Jewish). After countless horrific blind dates, mom sets Rachel up with Christine, and, surprisingly, they hit it off so well, in no time at all they’re talking marriage. But is Rachel ready to commit, and what happens when Reggie reappears? Will Rachel go back to her or stay with Christine? From your lips to God’s ears…

Boychick

TITLE: Boychick
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Glenn Gaylord
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 12 min in 35mm
SOURCE: NiceJewishBoy Productions / Glenn Gaylord / 1016 N Croft Ave / Los Angeles California 90069 / 323 654 8745 / boychickmovie@aol.com http://members.aol.com/boychickmovie/
TEXT: Think "Fiddler On The Roof of a Gay Disco" meets "Hit Me Baby (One More Time)" and you've got BOYCHICK. A short comedy. Glenn Gaylord has a great sense of rhythm, and Boychick is at times laugh-out-loud funny, thanks to the director's deft touch. He's able to find a distinct comic tone from the start, which remains focused throughout. The film centers on a high school boy named Boychick (Ben Lang), who fantasizes about Britney Spears-esque pop star Ashley Hart (Lindsey Girardot), but not because he harbors the same fantasies many young men of his age have about the teenage sex symbol. On the contrary, he wants Ashley to teach him her moves so he can woo a male classmate that he has a crush on (Gregg Siff). The movie shifts back and forth between Boychick's dream world and real world, leading to a conclusive dance number where Boychick is finally able to conquer his inhibitions and really strut his stuff. The film's depiction of the confusing period of life also known as high school is extremely engaging. Boychick is the classic reticent teenager who hides in his bedroom at home and silently observes from the background at school. Ben Lang is solid in the title role, making sure not to take his character too over the top. By the end of the film, who doesn't want him to impress the untouchable boy of his dreams? Gaylord and choreographer Kelly Devine stage the dance sequences in a very humorous fashion, and the director wisely refuses to allow these moments to overwhelm the other strong elements at play. It looks great, moves at an upbeat pace and is a total crowd pleaser.

Tzazit

TITLE: Tzazit
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Yossi Forkush
COUNTRY: ISRAEL
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 55min FORMAT: Betacam sp (Beta 600)
SOURCE: BASIC THRILL FILMS Emek Haela st. 11 Ramat Gan Israel / www.tzazit.com / BASIC THRILL FILMS Shpigelman st. 12 Netanya Israel phone: +972-54-709871 forkush@netvision.net.il
TEXT: "TZAZIT" is the first "real" project filmed under the new production company, its also the first horror Bmovie done in Israel (minus the shower scenes). Due to the budget of $100,000, (typical Israeli one hour TV drama is done for around $120-130K), we manage to produce the best looking drama in Israeli television history. It was shot during 13 days, 95 percent of the time at night or "day for night", which means lightning every shot, we used cranes, steady cam, CG fx, smoke, make up fx, everything is done for the first time. We had a small crew of a average 15 people on set, not including actors, we used fresh talent and top notch crew members side by side, and together created what people called: "the most surprising and fresh thing " shown in this country for last few years. CAST: Rami Rushkevitz, Chava Shapira, Didi Gat, Evyatar Lazar... DP: Adi Gal SOUND: Alon shapira SOUND MIX: Alex Claude GAFER: Shimon Belfer PRODUCED BY: Yossi Kishik, Udi Ran, Yossi Forkush GANERE: horror/comedy RUNNING TIME: 55min FORMAT: Betacam sp (Beta 600)

More Precious Than Gold

TITLE: More Precious Than Gold
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Alexander Cherney
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: English
TIME:
SOURCE: in the USA; Maple Lake Releasing at http://www.maplelake.mb.ca/
\ In Israel: Rena Zukowsky Studio RIF P. O. Box 21393 Hadera, Israel Tel/Fax:  972-4-620-2128 zuks@matav.net.il
TEXT: More Precious Than Gold", an animated film made by Studio RIF The story takes place many years ago on a sailboat in ancient Israel. Three merchants traveling on board all boast of their fabulous goods. Only one passenger sits quietly, poring over his books, but assures the merchants that what he carries with him is extremely valuable. The poor man is ridiculed by the others until one day, pirates attack the ship and plunder everything against the background of a rousing pirate song. The elderly scholar, however, is unperturbed. As the ship nears its port, the Jewish people give the old man a joyous welcome, much to the surprise of the bankrupt merchants. It becomes clear that the elderly gentleman is one of the Wise Men of Israel and he humbly explains: “The knowledge that I have acquired in my learning – this is my merchandise. No one can be robbed of knowledge. I wish to pass along this gift of knowledge to my people.” Personal Statement From Director Alexander Cherney: "My purpose in creating 'More Precious than Gold' was to bring a famous Jewish folklore tale, which is still highly relevant, to modern day audiences. I wanted the timeless message of this film to serve as an important warning about what is really valuable in life – upsets and disasters can strike suddenly and unexpectedly – but some things cannot be destroyed. It is my hope that I have conveyed this idea in an entertaining way that will leave the viewer with a positive impression and something to think and talk about." http://asifa.net/israel/rif-gold.html

The Bombay Jews

TITLE: The Bombay Jews
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Rajesh Latkar
COUNTRY: INDIA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME:
SOURCE: rajeshlatkar@yahoo.co.in
TEXT: Rajesh writes; “I have made a Documentary film –The Bombay Jews…” The Bombay Jews. In 1960 there were 20000 Jews staying in India. Mostly in big cities like Mumbai ( Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, etc. Today there are only 5500 left in India and more than 70% of them stay in the Bombay province [ Mumbai and Thane ] this makes the Bombay’s Jewish community a very special one. India has been one of the greatest hosts to Judaism, as India is to all the religions of the world. Indian Jews are very proud of their Indian culture, native language, and Indian way of life. This is an extra feather in their cap. Indian Jews staying in Israel protect and nurture their Indian heritage with great passion. Majority of Indian Jews now stay in Israel. Here, one very important point should be emphasized that Jews of India migrated to Israel by their own will, influenced by the religious considerations and not by force or persecution. Indian Jewish Community is mainly divided in three sects. Bene Israels from Konkan and Mumbai, Baghdadis from Mumbai and Kolkata, and Cochinis from Kerala. Existence of Judaism on the Indian soil dates back to many centuries and was less known to the western world. Western Jews are now in constant contact with their Indian counterparts and work hand in hand for the development and progress of the community here. Bombay thus has become an important Jewish center for the world Jewry. The Documentary covers following points: India and Judaism, Bombay and Judaism, Hebrew and Marathi language, Important Synagogues, Bene Israels, Customs, Inter Faith meeting after11th September in a synagogue, and Challenges ahead for the community. The music is traditional Bene Israel music, which is basically a mix of Indian classical music, Marathi Musical Theatre and Indian traditional instruments. India has the unique distinction, of being a nation where Jews have always practiced their faith without any fear and never ever faced any kind of discrimination, in a totally Non-Jewish environment.

Also see THE BOMBAY JEWS (Compact Disk) Duration 29 Minutes. Price for Institutional/University Libraries $95+$7.50 (Air Mail Postage) Price for Individuals $65+$7.50 (Air Mail Postage). Indian Jewish Community is mainly divided in three sects Bene Israels from Konkan and Mumbai (Bombay) , Baghdadi from Mumbai (Bombay) and Kolkata, and Cochinis from Kerala. In 1960 there were 20000 Jews staying in India. Mostly in big cities like Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, etc.Today there are only 5500 left in India and more than 70% of them stay in the Bombay province [Mumbai & Thane] this makes the Bombay’s Jewish community a very special one. The Documentary covers following points : India and Judaism, Hebrew and Marathi Language, Important Synagogues, Bene Israels, Customs, Intern Faith Meetings and Challenges ahead for the Community. This Documentary also Contains Traditional Music in Background. To know more about this Documentary visit http://www.bpagency.com/jewsinst.asp
FOR ORDERING, PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK
http://www.bpagency.com/pages/bombayjews.htm

The 3 Little Wolfs

TITLE: The 3 Little Wolfs
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Joey Craine
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 81 Digital, Beta SP, DigiBeta, DVD, VHS
SOURCE: JoeyCraine@papermaven.com 
TEXT: Stars Tovah Feldshuh. This rollicking family comedy centers on the three Wolf brothers (ages 26-31) and their archetypal Jewish mother, Sarah (Feldshuh).  The story unfolds as the Wolf family and friends gather at Sarah's home for their annual Passover seder to commemorate their ancestors' 40-year odyssey across Egypt's deserts... which compared to this eventful evening on Long Island, seems like a walk in the park. To view complete Free Press story, http://freep.com/entertainment/movies/fest22_20010422.htm On the surface, the comedy by Joey Craine of West Bloomfield and Steve Jasgur of Birmingham seems about as Jewish as it gets: It takes place at a family seder presided over by the ultimate Jewish mother, played by the esteemed and proudly Jewish actress Tovah Feldshuh. Craine, who wrote and directed the film, even allows that the original idea was to make "a Jewish 'Brothers McMullen,' " referring to the indie hit about an Irish family. But in a twist almost as shocking as the one in "The Sixth Sense," "The 3 Little Wolfs" turns the entire concept of a Jewish film on its head. "It's a film about a Jewish family with Jewish themes," says Craine, unequivocably. "But the key word is 'family.' It's about relationships and secrets and all the stuff that families of any religion or ethnic group deal with at family gatherings. It could just as easily been a Thanksgiving dinner." "The question of what makes a film Jewish is always there," says David J. Magidson, the Wayne State University theater professor who is in his second year as the festival's director. Magidson and festival chair Mindy Sobule Kaufman are the permanent members of the committee that selected the 29 films for this year's festival. Moviemakers Jasgur and Craine, 32, bonded over their love of film at the University of Michigan. They headed for separate coasts, Jasgur to New York to become an actor, and Craine to Los Angeles to write. Though both found work -- Jasgur in commercials, and Craine contributing to "lots of failed sitcoms" -- both became increasingly frustrated by their inability to use their creative skills. So after Craine read a story about how digital technology made it possible to make feature films on the cheap, the two decided to make a movie together, financed from their own savings. "We couldn't have made the film without the digital equipment, or without the SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) experimental film policy, which allows union actors to work on deferred salary," says Craine. "We were so lucky to get Tovah, who was just incredible, and who changed the course of the film by being in it. She was just so great, we ended up cutting the film around her performance. She made all my words better." Last year, Craine and Jasgur returned to Michigan, Craine to work in his family's bulk paper company, and Jasgur to look after a successful entertainment and DJ business he owns with his sister. Jasgur says he and Craine plan to remain a filmmaking team.

Bat Mitzvah Blues

TITLE: Bat Mitzvah Blues
YEAR: 2000
DIR/PROD: Shira Sergant
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 20 16mm color
SOURCE: USC School of Cinema-TV (213) 740-4432, or through the director: (310) 836-1757
TEXT: Nava Rosenbaum, 12, (played by Holly Arnstein, a young actress recognized by millions of girls across the world due to her popularity as the lead singer of the pop girls’ band “Dream,”) is about to have her Bat Mitzvah in less than a week. Grappling with the meaning of being a young Jewish girl growing up in America today, she is torn by the issues that preoccupy every girl, and by the issues that identify her as being Jewish. Director Shira Sergant, a young new filmmaker, and recent University of Southern California (USC) graduate, bravely examines the topic of Jewish Female identity in America in this touching story that is told in a candid feminine voice. Bat Mitzvah Blues is a story that deals with puberty, curiosity, intergenerational relationships and accepting who you are.

Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist

TITLE: Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist
YEAR: 1987
DIR/PROD: Eve Goldberg/Judy Cahikin
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 60
SOURCE: NEW DISTRIBUTOR IS CINEMAGIULD.com Cinema Guild 212-685-6242 Fax 212-685-4717
TEXT: A look at the 1947 House Un-american Activities hearings in Hollywood, and the following blacklist. The focus is on the lives of some of the families affected by the hearings and blacklist.

The Collector of Bedford Street

TITLE: The Collector of Bedford Street
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Alice Elliot
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 34
SOURCE: Alice Elliott, 107 Bedford St, #Upper, NY, NY 10014 212 924-7151 Fax 212 206-8326
TEXT: NOMINATED FOR BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY OSCAR, March 2003.
A short documentary that follows Larry Selman, the film maker's 60 year old neighbor with mental retardation. His IQ level is under 65.  A community activist and fundraiser, Larry raises thousands of dollars for charity every year while he lives at the poverty level.  Because of Larry's 20 years of service to his neighborhood, the community created a supplemental need adult trust fund for him through the UJA-Federation. This was the first time that a group, rather than an individual's family did this. The film humanizes the story behind the abstract statistics of mental retardation, revealing how a community builds tolerance and understanding.
[collector] The Collector of Bedford Street won Best Documentary, the Audience Award, and The Horizon Award at its world premiere at the Aspen Short Film Festival.  At the USA Festival is won the Family Award.  Most recently, at the Florida Film Festival, it won both the Audience Award for favorite short film and the Florida Forever Filmmaker Award honoring the film that best represents insights into the human condition. It will be part of the National Council on Foundations touring festival and was awarded a Henry Hampton Award from the Council.  In addition to these award winning screenings, The Collector of Bedford Street has been shown at The Arizona International, Atlanta, Athens, Ohio; and Newport Film Festivals. Its broadcast premiere will be on HBO/Cinemax in 2003. It was also at SchmoozeDance 2003, and the Director’s View Film Fest 2003 (Fairfield County, CT)






RUTENBERG

TITLE: RUTENBERG
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Eli Cohen
COUNTRY: ISRAEL
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 88
SOURCE: ?
TEXT: The story of Peter Rutenberg, a fascinating engineer, who harnessed the powers of the Jordan River to make electricity. Rutenberg was a true pioneer - larger than life, obsessive, conflicted. He was also a man who had come to terms with the forces of nature, the complicated politics of a new country, his loved ones and his rivals. Shown at Israelfilmfestival.com 2002

Voices of the Heartland - Shofar

TITLE: Voices of the Heartland - Shofar
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: DANIEL SYRKIN
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 51
SOURCE:
TEXT: The Zakutas are a poor, ultra-orthodox family from the slums of Bnei Brak. Amram, a Torah scholar, earns a living writing mezuzot, while his wife cares for their autistic son. One afternoon, their son enters a neighbor's apartment and a miracle occurs. A huge crowd gathers around the home of the Zakuta family, changing their lives forever. (From the "Voices from the Heartland" Series) 51 minutes.

Voices of the Heartland – Poker Face

TITLE: Voices of the Heartland – Poker Face
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Eitan Anner
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 50
SOURCE:
TEXT: Every Friday night for the last 16 years, Anna, Alex and three other couples meet for their weekly poker game. Alex is not yet 60, but problems with his memory are steadily getting worse. The group decides to vote whether Alex will have to give up his seat at the table. Anna knows that if Alex loses the vote, he will be miserable, so she puts on her poker face and sets a plan in motion. (From the "Voices from the Heartland" Series) 50 minutes.

Whose Land Is It?

TITLE: Whose Land Is It?
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Liora Avni
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 51
SOURCE: Israelfilmfestival.com 2002
TEXT: Israel Documentary. An Arab police officer/artist, who believes passionately in Jewish-Arab co-existence, organizes an exhibition of Jewish and Arab artists in a new and unique art gallery. The grand opening, attended by Yoko Ono and Shimon Peres, is a success. Nevertheless, the artist still finds himself struggling for understanding in his pursuit of peace. 51 minutes.


THE BALLAD OF ARI & DERCHI

TITLE: THE BALLAD OF ARI & DERCHI
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Eitan Londoner
COUNTRY: ISRAEL
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 76
SOURCE: Israelfilmfestival.com
TEXT: Tal, a pregnant 15 year-old, comes to Tel Aviv and tries life on the street. After many disappointments, she is taken in by Ari, an emotionally disturbed man who loves the music Kaveret, a popular Israeli rock band from the 70s. A moving coming-of-age story that touches the heart. 76 minutes. Israelfilmfestival.com 2002

DATING REBOUND

TITLE: DATING REBOUND
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Tal Maoz
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 52
SOURCE: Israelfilmfestival.com
TEXT: Being a woman pro basketball player is not easy, especially when you are past your prime. Pressured by her mother who thinks she might be a lesbian, Ruthy agrees to join a dating service to meet men. After public humiliation and the realization that her basketball career is over, Ruthy considers her options for the first time. 52 minutes. Israelfilmfestival.com 2002




ARE YOU THIS ABLE?

TITLE: ARE YOU THIS ABLE?
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Rony Gruber
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 55
SOURCE: Israelfilmfestival.com 2002
TEXT: A theater troupe of mentally challenged adults travels from Israel to Los Angeles to perform and take part in acting workshops. As we get to know the fascinating and talented cast, we see them tackle internal issues that surface daily. A human portrayal of the mentally challenged that is rarely captured so candidly on camera. 55 minutes.


IT'S ABOUT TIME

TITLE: IT'S ABOUT TIME
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: AYELET MENAHEMI & ELONA ARIEL
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 54
SOURCE: Israelfilmfestival.com
TEXT: Israel Documentary Israelfilmfestival.com 2002 What is Israeli time? How and why is the sense of time different in Israel? Is it because you could be gone tomorrow and nothing is more important than "quality of life". Maybe the erratic history of the nation forces people to question their priorities. Through clever narration and music, this documentary exposes Israeli society and its grasp on time. *Best Documentary, Best Script: Jerusalem Intl Film Festival. 54 minutes.

The Arena

TITLE: The Arena
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: MOISH GOLDBERG & YONATAN GURFINKEL
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 48
SOURCE: Israelfilmfestival.com
TEXT: Israel Documentary. The film examines the history of Rabin Square, which has become an arena for Israel's national drama. The political demonstrations and historical celebrations that have taken place in the square reflect the heartbeat of Israel. When a controversial plan to convert the square into a parking lot is discovered, many question the relevance and importance of the square. 48 minutes. Israelfilmfestival.com 2002.

98.599

TITLE: 98.599
YEAR: 2000
DIR/PROD: Thomas Moon
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 14 minutes, narrative
SOURCE: Shown at Asian American Film Festival NYC Asia Society Summer 2002 asiancinevision.org
TEXT: Only in math class are the answers so black and white. BIOGRAPHY: Thomas Moon was born in Seoul, raised in Queens. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in English Literature, he studied film and video at Third World Newsreel and Columbia University, where his student shorts, FOG and 10PM were recognized as faculty selects at the school\'s annual film festival. 10PM received the Milos Forman Finishing Fund and won Pepsi Student Filmmaker Award. He is currently working on two feature length screenplays with no numbers in the titles—DOG and TEXAS.

Freckled Rice

TITLE: Freckled Rice
YEAR: 1983
DIR/PROD: Steven C. Ning
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 48
SOURCE: http://www.twn.org/record.cgi?recno=77
TEXT: Thirteen-year-old Joe Soo is an American born Chinese boy living in a world where adults speak Chinese and his friends speak English - a situation ripe with cultural conflicts and misunderstanding. With humor and poignancy, Joe, who lives in Boston's Chinatown, searches for his cultural identity. It feels like an ABC after school special from the 1970’s. Includes a couple of lines in which Joe’s father curses about his Jewish partner in the restaurant business, but other than that, it is a sweet poignant early 80’s film about life as a young boy in a Chinese American family.

GHOST WORLD(2001)

TITLE: GHOST WORLD (2001)
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: TERRY ZWIGOFF
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 111
SOURCE: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005T33W/sefersafarianonl or
TEXT: Jeff Shannon writes: If you've ever felt alienated by the world around you, Ghost World will offer laughter, tears, and reassurance that you are definitely not alone. Adapted by Daniel Clowes and Crumb director Terry Zwigoff from Clowes's acclaimed graphic novel, the movie spends summer vacation with high school graduates Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlet Johansson). They inflict little tortures on the denizens of urban sprawl, wielding scathing irony as a defense against a "ghost world" full of pop-cultural lemmings and uncertain futures. But when Enid picks a 40-ish vintage-record collector (Steve Buscemi) as the target of her latest cruel prank, she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to him ("he's the opposite of everything I completely hate") and is forced to confront her own crushing loneliness. This combination of deadpan sarcasm and deeply compassionate humanity makes Ghost World a rare and delicate comedy, with an ambiguous ending that suggests tragedy or hope, depending on your own point of view. …. Why on Jewishfilm.com? Cuz Enid is the Jewish character. There is a vague Jewish sensibility. Directed by San Francisco filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, the subversive teen comedy is a deadpan and unexpectedly tender portrait of outsiders. Michael Fox, writing in the SF Jewish Bulletin, wrote.. ‘Of the central three characters, the two who have the most difficulty accepting the soul-deadening compromises of everyday life are Jewish. There's an early hint that Enid, one of the girls at the center of "Ghost World," is Jewish because Bob Balaban, a stalwart of Woody Allen movies, plays her weak and permissive father. Our hunch is confirmed when the creepy owner of Enid's favorite comic-book store bombards her with anti-Semitic insults such as "You Jews are so clever with money." By defending herself with an equally sharp tongue, Enid (played by Thora Birch) proves that her seemingly nihilistic character is actually quite with-it. But even so, the presence of anti-Semitic slurs in an American comedy is jarring, and filmgoers in the Czech Republic were shocked when Zwigoff showed "Ghost World" at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. "Boy, you should have seen that in Prague," Zwigoff recalls, still a little awestruck at the response. "There was a gasp in the audience. History is so fresh there. It was a little creepy over there for me." That last statement is unexpected, given Zwigoff's reluctance to embrace his Jewish identity. "They asked me to go to temple once in a while, my parents, but I rarely did," he admits. He had a bar mitzvah, he says, "because I couldn't stop it." Zwigoff was born in a small Wisconsin town and raised on the South Side of Chicago. With equal parts pride and disbelief, he proclaims that his uncle and grandfather were probably the only Jewish farmers in the entire state of Wisconsin. Although Zwigoff is a kvetcher who always fears the worst, his films turn out well precisely because he refuses to take the easy road.’

Amy's Orgasm (2001)

TITLE: Amy's Orgasm (2001)
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: JULIE DAVIS
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 85
SOURCE: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006LPJK/sefersafarianonl or CatchLightFilms.com
TEXT: Amy Mandel decries the fact she is twenty-eight, single and Jewish. Ivy-league educated and the author of a best-selling self-help book "Why Love Doesn't Work," she is obsessed by her "Jewish" body image and spends most of her nights pleasuring herself. After betraying whatever empowering message her book may have contained, Amy Mandel's answer to all women's problems is "a woman needs a man to be complete." The only man she had been able to be honest with has been a Catholic priest (why go to therapy? confession is free!). Said to mix elements of Sex and the City, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Woody Allen-esque dialogue, this romantic comedy follows Amy, a smart but misguided 29-year-old self-help author who's been burned by men so often that she believes women don't need them to complete their life. Of course, that's easier said than done, especially when she reluctantly falls for Matthew, a womanizing, sexist shock-jock. Amy finally throws down her guard and dares to experience the most elusive orgasm of all - love. "Amy's Orgasm" marks the follow-up to Julie Davis' feature debut "I Love You, Don't Touch Me!" The NYT said: romantic fantasy for women and a horror movie for male viewers, "Amy's Orgasm" was written and directed by Julie Davis, who was also co-producer, co-editor and star. She plays one of the most maddeningly self-possessed heroines in film history. Ms. Davis's Amy is a single Los Angeles woman in her 20's who has written a best-selling self-help book, "Why Love Doesn't Work," which teaches women they don't need a man to be complete. Of course, she cutely confesses in her voice-over narration, she is desperately lonely and hasn't had sex in years.

Knockaround Guys (2001)

TITLE: Knockaround Guys (2001)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Brian Koppelman and David Levien
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 90
SOURCE: http://www.knockaroundguys.com Newline Cinema
Click here to buy video

TEXT: Actor Vin Diesel plays Taylor Reese, the 'muscle' for sons of Mafia men. Sporting an enormous Jewish star tatooed on this bicep and a menorah on his ring, he beats up the bad guys while being the heart of gold of the crew. Dennis Hopper plays the Godfather? Stars Barry Pepper, Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, and Vin Diesel. A bunch of younger primo dons has just screwed up a simple job. "Pick up the bag of money and bring it straight back," were the instructions. But a cokehead pilot named Marbles got scared and left it behind. Barry Pepper is Son of Godfather, a softie trying to prove himself worthy; John Malkovich is his God-Uncle mentor; Vin is the unlikely brawn in an outfit largely lacking a brain; and Tom Noonan is the local sheriff of a half-horse town named Wibaux. If it weren't for the bar, they'd have no culture at all there. As the guys kick around Big Sky country, elements of the far superior Red Rock West (another Hopper film) pop up, as Knockaround Guys tries to provide that most elusive combination of the gangster genre: fright and laughs. Neither work. We've seen most of the testosterone-driven posturing before in other bad movies (like last year's horrid Boston Film Festival entry One Eyed King) and the dark humor misses the mark nearly every time. Why do Koppelman and Levien base most of their laughs on two stoners that get tied in to the plot? Why not build something subtler when the guys hole up in a local honkytonk for a night? Pepper, in the lead, is fairly competent but his performance suffers when he pushes his masculinity (and false accent) too hard; Hopper is wasting space and time (ours and his); and Malkovich is ridiculous, spitting Koppelman and Levien's simplistic tough guy banter out of his mouth with some wayward accent that sounds like Brahmin meets Brooklyn by way of diction school. And the guy's about as menacing as the Cookie Monster. In the end, there's a big showdown, a la Reservoir Dogs (the film's producer is Dogs and Pulp Fiction producer Lawrence Bender). Guys say mean things and shoot a lot of bullets. Some of the characters die and others don't, and the film pretends that those living have learned some sort of lesson, and, really, nobody in the viewing audience cares


TWO WEEKS AGO I GOT A TATTOO

TITLE: TWO WEEKS AGO I GOT A TATTOO
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Juneyup Yi
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 13 minutes video
SOURCE: www.asiancinevision.org
TEXT: A white man muses on the Orient and gets an Asian dragon tattoo on his body. NOTE: Why do Jews get asian tattoos?? Can u imagine them tattooing a Hebrew letter on their bodies?

THE COLLECTOR OF BEDFORD STREET

TITLE: THE COLLECTOR OF BEDFORD STREET
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Alice Elliot
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 34 minutes video
SOURCE: Alice Elliot, 107 Bedford St NY NY 10014. 212 924 7151. elliotGirl@aol.com
TEXT: Seen at the Margaret Mead Film Festival, November 2002, NYC. A documentary downtown tale of uplift about community, friendship and activism in NYC. Larry Selman is a volunteer fundraiser in Greenwich Village. He has raised thousands of dollars for charities, yet he lives in near poverty. He is mentally disabled and relies on funds frlom an elderly uncle. His neighbors are concerned, and they band together to help him with a trust fund.

KNOCKAROUND GUYS

TITLE: KNOCKAROUND GUYS
YEAR: released 2002
DIR/PROD: Brian Koppelman and David Levien
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 90 minutes video
SOURCE: New Line Cinema
Click here to buy video

TEXT: Vin Diesel puts on Jewface, with a Jewish-themed tattoo, in this story of mobsters. Out of the Hollywood fantasyland of action without consequences comes the high mortality, low logic ''Knockaround Guys.'' Written and directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, this film about family -- in the genealogical and mob senses -- relies for its happy post-massacre ending on the assumption that its putative heroes have not left scores of clues to their identity. It wonders about the frustration of the sons of mobsters. Where in ''The Godfather'' a single heartbroken expression on the face of Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone told all when he learned of his son Michael's involvement in family business, this new movie spends more time to less effect on the subject. Here Matty Demaret (Barry Pepper), who as a child failed his rite of passage as an executioner, is now a frustrated twenty-something in Brooklyn, relegated by his high-level mobster father, Benny Chains (Dennis Hopper), to lucrative but soft, low-risk assignments. Eager for some real responsibility, he persuades his father to entrust him with a mission: the delivery of a bag containing $500,000 to Spokane, Wash., to redress a gangland imbalance attributable to a mysterious shortage. One stupid hitch: Matty is not to go himself. He entrusts the delivery to a pal, the supposedly reformed cocaine sniffer Johnny Marbles (Seth Green), who happens to own his own plane. At a refueling stop in Montana, the sight of a sheriff and a deputy unnerves Johnny. He drops the bag among some other luggage at the airport, and it disappears. Before long, Matty and his pals Chris Scarpa (Andrew Davoli) and the hulking Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel) arrive in town to create a ruckus to flush out the thief. The crooked sheriff (Tom Noonan) beats them to the bag, and Uncle Teddy (John Malkovich, in one of his sociopathic guises) and some of dad's other confederates have to intervene. The action is bloody and brutal.

SPELLBOUND

TITLE: SPELLBOUND
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: JEFF BLITZ
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 97 minutes video
SOURCE: Cinetic Media , 555 w 25th Street, 4th Floor, NY Ny 10001. www.spellbound.tv
TEXT: Seen at the Margaret Mead Film Festival, November 2002, NYC. From the handscrabble plains of Texas to the manicured lawns of Connecticut, from the Ozark countryside to the D.C. projects, Spellbound chronicles the journeys of 8 American teenagers struggling to win the National Spelling Bee. Through their inspirational, nail-biting, heartbreaking quests, we are given a window onto the American dream, reborn. Jeff Blitz grew up in New York and New Jersey. As a graduate student at USC, he won the school's Presidential Fellowship and his short, Wonderland, won the Adriaticocinema and was selected for a Canal+ prize. Before making Spellbound, Jeff worked as a research detective at the Writers Guild of America, uncovering the secret works of blacklisted writers in the 1950s. Spellbound is his first feature project.

SHANGHAI GHETTO

TITLE: SHANGHAI GHETTO
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 95 minutes in 35 mm
SOURCE: http://www.shanghaighetto.com/
TEXT: In the late 1930s, German Jews were trying to escape Nazi persecution, but country after country closed its doors to them. The only place that didn't require entrance visas was the international city of Shanghai. Fleeing for their lives, Jewish refugees journeyed to this disease-infested, poverty-stricken city to wait out what was certain to be a long war. Their lives became unbearable as many died from hunger and disease and from the brutal Japanese occupation. In April 2000, filmmakers Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann snuck into China with a camera and shot the site of the Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai. They took with them 2 survivors and included this footage in their film. It's narrated by Martin Landau.. In April 2000, filmmakers Dana Janklowicz-Mann and Amir Mann sneaked into China with a digital camera to shoot at the site of the Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai, unchanged since WWII. They took with them two survivors of the Ghetto back to where they lived during the war under Japanese occupation. They filmed never before seen footage of Shanghai for what would later become part of the documentary film SHANGHAI GHETTO. In the late 1930's German Jews were trying to escape Nazi persecution, but country after country closed its doors to them. The only place in the world that didn't require entrance visas was the international city of Shanghai. Fleeing for their lives, Jewish refugees journeyed to the exotic city, arriving penny-less and unprepared for life in the Far East. They thought that soon they would find a way to go back to the world they had left. Little did they know that WWII would change their lives forever, and that they had embarked on what would become a miraculous and inspiring survival story. Shanghai Ghetto is a feature length documentary depicting this story with interviews of survivors and historians, rare letters, stock footage, still photos and footage shot in modern Shanghai where most of the Jewish Ghetto remains unchanged. The film tells the little known story of the Jewish refugees, their relationships with the local Chinese and with the occupying Japanese army, the attempts of the American Jewish community to help the refugees, the rich cultural life they have constructed under great hardship, and the tragedy of their relatives who stayed behind in Europe. The film is narrated by Academy Award Winner Martin Landau. Music is by composer Sujin Nam recorded with the famous Chinese Erhu performer Karen Han who played in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Last Emperor.

A WEDDING IN RAMALLAH

TITLE: A WEDDING IN RAMALLAH
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Sherine Salama
COUNTRY: Australia
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 90 minutes video
SOURCE: www.FilmsTransit.com
TEXT: The director writes: Poignant and revealing, "A Wedding in Ramallah" is a fine example of reality cinema depicting the everyday lives of members of an extended Palestinian family. It focuses on the wedding of a US based Palestinian man to a young woman who has lived a traditional village life in the Middle East. Bassam Abed has lived for several years in Cleveland, Ohio. With one failed marriage behind him he d e c i d e s t o m a r r y a Palestinian woman, and has chosen 25-year-old Mariam. Their wedding takes place in the summer of 2000, a relatively peaceful period, but the peace talks at Camp David are breaking down. Mariam leaves her village to live with her husband's family in Ramallah. There she bonds with her sister-in-law, whose husband also lives in America and rarely visits her and their daughter.   Bassam returns to America to try to expedite a visa for his wife, but months drag by as the crisis in the Middle East becomes worse each day. Eventually the visa is granted, and Mariam, unable to speak English, arrives in cold and snowy Cleveland and learns Bassam is holding down two jobs and is almost never at home. Expected to clean their apartment and have his evening meal ready (he likes to watch wrestling on TV while eating) but not venture into the strange world outside, she's desperately lonely and misses her friends and family back home. They, on the other hand, think she's lucky because she's living in America.

DERRIDA

TITLE: DERRIDA
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Kofman
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English and French, with English subtitles
TIME: 85
SOURCE: ZEITGEIST FILMS, New York NY ZeitgeistFilms.com
TEXT: The NYT writes: Derrida, the adoring and adorable documentary on the philosopher Jacques Derrida by the filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Kofman, presents Mr. Derrida, the so-called father of deconstruction, as quick-witted and impish. Scenes of Mr. Derrida watching himself on tape, talking about how he met his wife, Marguerite (he is bashful and thoughtful as he ruminates on this experience), will probably bring to mind the mirror-within-a-mirror Scritti Politti song "Jacques Derrida," with its querulous sense of propriety. But Mr. Dick and Ms. Kofman carefully layer folds of reality. (Later the subject is shown viewing film of himself watching the tape in which he watches the interview.)
Zeitgeist writes: For over five years, Dick ("Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist") and Ziering Kofman (Producer, "Taylor's Campaign") played Plato to our own modern day Socrates. The filmmaking team shadowed the renowned philosopher, best known for "deconstruction," and captured intimate footage of the man as he lives and works in his daily life. They filmed Derrida on his first trip to South Africa, where -- after visiting President Mandela's former prison cell -- he delivers a lecture on forgiveness to students at the University of the Western Cape. The filmmakers travel with him from his home in Paris to New York City, where he discusses the role of biographers, and the challenges that are faced when one attempts to bridge the abyssal gulf between a historic figure's work and life. They capture Derrida in private moments, musing reluctantly, about fidelity and marriage, narcissism and celebrity, and the importance of thinking philosophically about love. Yet DERRIDA is in no way a talking heads movie or conventional biographical portrait. Its bold, visual style, mesmerizing score by Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and novel editorial approach create a rich, lively cinematic experience, at once provokes, amuses and entertains. In resisting any predictable, formulaic approach, they make Derrida a living, informal demonstration of "deconstruction" -- a system of thought which up to now has otherwise eluded cinematic capture. The result is not only thought provoking, but ground-breaking. Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto;

ISRAEL IN A TIME OF TERROR

TITLE: ISRAEL IN A TIME OF TERROR
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Allen Estrin
COUNTRY:
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 26
SOURCE: Seventh Art Releasing 7551 Sunset Blvd., Suite 104 Los Angeles, CA 90046 TEL: (323) 845-1455  FAX: (323) 845-4717 seventhart@7thart.com http://www.7thart.com
TEXT: Terror bombing after terror bombing, day after day.  A sidewalk café becomes as dangerous as a military outpost.  A simple trip to the supermarket becomes a horror of flying nails, glass and death.  Never has a nation had to endure such attacks. How do Israelis deal with this pervasive terror?  How do they explain their near-solitude in the world?  How do they really feel about Arabs?  These are some of the questions that one of America's most respected thinkers, Dennis Prager, went to Israel to find answers to.  After seeing and hearing the randomly chosen Israeli men and women in this documentary, you will never read about terror the same way again, and you will gain the deepest admiration for Israel and for the human spirit. 

Monsieur Batignole

TITLE: Monsieur Batignole
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Gérard Jugnot
COUNTRY: France
LANGUAGE: French w/ English ST
TIME: 100 in 35mm
SOURCE: Christophe Pécot UGC International 20 bis avenue Charles de Gaulle 92200 Neuilly-sur-Scene France Phone: 33-1-46404663 Fax: 33-1-40298910 CPecot@ugc.fr
TEXT: Edmond Batignole is a Parisian shopkeeper. Neither exceptionally talented nor virtuous, with an ambitious wife and daughter to egg him on, he does what he needs to do to survive and is not above taking advantage of a situation. In short, he's an ordinary man. But times are extraordinary. It's 1942, and Simon, a young Jewish boy, appears in his life. Gérard Jugnot directed and stars as Edmond Batignole in this engaging feature film about a man who is put to the test during World War II. From: Bjff.org November 2002

A Trumpet in the Wadi

TITLE: A Trumpet in the Wadi
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Lina and Slava Chaplin
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew and Arabic w/ English ST
TIME: 97 minutes
SOURCE: Chen Sadan Riki Shelach Productions Ltd. 14 Beit Zuri St. 69122 Tel Aviv Israel Phone: 972-3-6429783 Fax: 972-3-6412648 shel@inter.net.il
TEXT: Respected directors Lina and Slava Chaplin bring Haifa author Sami Michael's Israeli classic novel to the screen. In an Arab neighborhood in Haifa, love blossoms between Huda, a Christian Arab woman, and her upstairs neighbor Alex, a new Jewish immigrant from Russia. But can their love survive? Told from the point of view of an Arab family and beautifully acted by Khawlha Hag-Debsy as Huda and Alexander Sederovich as Alex, this graceful, lovely film shines with an integrity that even the events of the last year cannot dim. The film won the Best Feature Film award at the Haifa International Film Festival in 2001 and an Israeli Academy Award for Best Drama. From: Bjff.org November 2002

For My Children

TITLE: For My Children
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Michael Aviad
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 65 minutes
SOURCE: Marta Sanchez Women Make Movies 462 Broadway, Suite 500 New York, NY 10013 Phone: 212-925-0606 x320 Fax: 212-925-2052 msanchez@wmm.com http://www.wmm.com/
TEXT: Shortly after the second Intifada began in the fall of 2000, acclaimed filmmaker Michal Aviad (Jenny & Jenny) turned the camera on herself to document the anxieties and fears of living and raising a family in Israel. Artfully interweaving public and private archival footage and home videos, she poignantly meditates on her grandparents' migration to Israel to escape persecution in Europe and to find a homeland. Chronicling her own migrations from Israel to San Francisco and back again, she wonders if her family will have to be transplanted as well, as she searches for signs of hope and safety for her children's uncertain future in Israel.. From: Bjff.org November 2002

Shalom Y’All

TITLE: Shalom Y’All
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Brian Bain
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 60 minutes
SOURCE: Susan Levitas 7116 Prytania Street New Orleans, LA 70118 Phone: 504-866-0708 Fax: 504-862-9977 sdlevitas@aol.com http://www.shalomyall.com/
TEXT: Riding in a big old Cadillac, just like the one his 100-year-old grandfather used to drive when he sold hats and ties throughout the South, documentary filmmaker Brian Bain, a third-generation Southern Jew from New Orleans, takes a high-spirited Jewish road trip that turns into a rite of passage. In search of his cultural roots, Brian travels 4,200 miles through Delta flatlands, coastal low country, mountain passes, small towns, suburban subdivisions, and sprawling Sunbelt metropolises. Along the way he encounters Jewish people and places: an African-American Jewish police chief; the town that once claimed to be the "Catskills of the South"; a Golden Gloves boxer; a former congressman; and many more. The film also examines the character of the Jewish South, how Jewish and Southern identities are intertwined, and the involvement of Southern Jews in the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. From: Bjff.org November 2002

Kaddim Wind - Moroccan Chronicle (Ruah Kaddim - Chronika Marokait)

TITLE: Kaddim Wind - Moroccan Chronicle (Ruah Kaddim - Chronika Marokait)
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: David Benchetrit
COUNTRY: Israel
LANGUAGE: Hebrew w/ English ST
TIME: 255 minutes in video
SOURCE: David Benchetrit Akedia Productions 84 Shnat Hayovel Hod Hasharon 45304 Israel Phone: 972-9-7450299 Fax: 972-9-7450299 akedia@barak-online.net
TEXT: The judges who awarded Kaddim Wind – Moroccan Chronicle the Wolgin Award for Best Documentary Film at this year's Jerusalem Film Festival called David Benchetrit's four-hour film a "passionate argument and a brilliantly constructed account of the continuing oppression and struggle of Moroccan Jews within Israeli society." This ambitious, riveting, and controversial work explores the identity and history of Moroccan Jewry, in particular, and of "oriental" Jewry, in general, in the broader context of Israeli history and identity. Six second-generation Mizrahim (Jews who have immigrated to Israel from Arab countries) tell their dramatic personal stories about the process of absorption. Interviewees include Aryeh Deri, the former head of Israel's Shas Party who was recently released from prison.. From: Bjff.org November 2002
The history of Moroccan Jewry in Israel is compellingly told through the memories of six second generation immigrants to Israel, each telling his or her personal and dramatic story about the process of absorption that was accompanied by racism and oppression. The film moves from the dramatic events beginning in 1948 until today: the large waves of immigration and the selection process they underwent, life in the transit camps, settling the border areas and establishing development towns, the protests, the Wadi Salib revolt, the struggle of the Israeli Black Panthers in the 70's, the creation of the Shas (Orthodox Sephardi party), and up to Prime Minister Ehud Barak's plea for forgiveness from the 'Mizrahim,' Jews from Arab and Muslim countries. A "passionate argument and a brilliantly constructed account of the continuing oppression and struggle of Moroccan Jews within Israeli society." - Best Documentary, Jerusalem Film Festival

Shticks and Comics

TITLE: Shticks and Comics
YEAR: 2002
DIR/PROD: Murray Glass
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 120 video
SOURCE: Murray Glass 6924 Canby Ave., Suite 103 Reseda, CA 91335 Phone: 818-881-8110 Fax: 818-981-5506 mglass@worldnet.att.net
TEXT: Come "trip the lights sarcastic" and join us for a program of Jewish short comic classics, among the best of the best of Max Davidson, Eddie Cantor, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, and Lenny Bruce to name just a few. Film distributor Murray Glass, who has toured the country with these films, will introduce the program. Then enjoy a half-hour live comedy show, hosted by popular local comic Tony V. and featuring Boston's finest young Jewish comic talents: Steve Calechman, Joe Dinkin, and Dan Sulman. From: Bjff.org November 2002

Shtick, Schmaltz and Shtereotypes

TITLE: Shtick, Schmaltz and Shtereotypes
YEAR: 2001
DIR/PROD: Murray Glass
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
TIME: 120 video
SOURCE: Murray Glass 6924 Canby Ave., Suite 103 Reseda, CA 91335 Phone: 818-881-8110 Fax: 818-981-5506 mglass@worldnet.att.net
TEXT: Come "trip the lights sarcastic" and join us for a program of Jewish shticks and schmaltz: short comic classics that are among the best of the best of Max Davidson, Eddie Cantor, Burns and Allen, and Jack Benny, to name just a few. This afternoon's program also includes some shtereotypes, too: short animated films that present and promote negative stereotypes of Jews and other immigrant groups. Film distributor Murray Glass, who has toured the country with these films, will introduce the program.. From: Bjff.org November 2002



BENNY, BENNY
Director: EITAN ANNER
ISRAEL
U.S. Premiere
A womanizing cop seduces his now married ex-girlfriend to settle a score with her and her family. An off-beat romantic comedy that captures a sense of wild romantic humor and entertains with a most unusual hero. 51 minutes. Israelfilmfestival.com 2002


SWEET AND SOUR
Director: LINDEN GOH
AUSTRALIA
http://linden.idx.com.au/Pages/sweetandsour.html
1997, 7 minutes, 16mm color narrative
A young man’s plans to end his relationship with his long term girlfriend are disrupted when a fortune cookie is delivered with the wrong message. A dark comedy about love gone wrong and kooky waiters. And I created Asian characters who were flawed. Who were neither exotic, mystical nor sagely but jealous, selfish, stupid, funny and loving – essentially human. Take away their ‘Asianess’ and they conform to fairly mainstream stereotypes. But their ethnicity subverts the stereotype. People immediately recognise these stock characters (the non-communicative, self-centred Marcus who realises too late that he has let a good thing go, the blindly trusting Lauren who needs a catalyst to take control of her own direction, and the Puck-like Tony who provides the random and destabilising element to the film) but then think “Hey, they were Asian characters claiming our stereotypes”.


Skin Deep
Brief synopsis: Written in the violent language of the inner city, Skin Deep charts one night with Romo, a mixed race boy, half English, half Pakistani, who lives in a run-down, all white neighbourhood. Passing as white, he has to confront his identity when his skinhead gang target a young Asian boy.
Format: 35 mm Fuji 14 minutes
Year of Production: 2001
Director: Yousaf Ali Khan
Producer: Andy Porter
Executive Producer: Paul Morrison
Editor: Nick Fenton
Screenwriter: Yousaf Ali Khan
Director of Photography: David Katznelson
Leading Players: Darren Sheppard, Scarlet Leibenhals, Mary Sheen, John Hudson, George Russo, Sydney Golder, James Bannerman, Freddie White, James Duggan, Marc Zuber
SOURCE: APT Film and Television, Contact: Christina Slater, 225a Brecknock Road London N19 5AA Tel: 00 44 (0)20 7284 1695 Fax: 00 44 (0)20 7482 1587 admin@aptfilms.com www.aptfilms.com

THE TRUCK
ISRAEL
Directors: ERAN RIKLIS
U.S. Premiere
Avraham is a truck driver who dreams of buying a new truck for his son. Asher, a local bum, is stuck with 40,000 toys that fell out of style the day after he purchased them. Sasha works at the local poultry factory, but dreams of becoming a serious journalist. A wonderful story of big dreams, high hopes and strong emotions in small-town Israel by award winning filmmaker Eran Riklis. Three parts - 100 min total Israelfilmfestival.com 2002










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