SPECIAL EVENTS

Welcome to the 5th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival.  The Jewish Community Center looks forward to sharing a great 13 days of films from across the globe.  We have films in English, Hebrew, French and Spanish. Some will make us laugh, some will make us cry, some will make us question. Each will help us grow. Many of these films are presented with context and background along with talk backs so that we can take more away from this experience than mere entertainment.

The 5th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival marks an exhilarating year of bringing films of Jewish and Israeli interest to the Houston Jewish community. This year’s lineup will embody a wide range of countries as well as peak the diverse tastes of the community through content and story. As a collaborative program of the Jewish Community Center of Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, films will be screened at both locations.

Jewish Film Festival chairs, Sue Goott and Mignon Wolf worked with Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) film and video curator, Marian Luntz, JCC Arts and Culture Program Coordinator Jennifer Handy and a JCC committee to select the films.

“We are happy to present a festival with quality films that a diverse audience will enjoy,” said Goott and Wolf. “Films have been chosen that will make you laugh, cry and some that will make us question and go beyond the experience of mere entertainment.”

There will be an opening night reception at the JCC, 5601 S. Braeswood, on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. featuring directors Allen Mondell and Cynthia Salzman Mondell who will introduce the film Monster Among Us. The film describes how a new type of anti-Semitism has re-emerged in Europe. It has the same purpose, but a different face. It is directly connected to radical Muslim beliefs and actions that have spread from the Middle East to Europe. A discussion with the directors will follow the film.

A total of seventeen lively films, both documentaries and features, will be presented for the duration of the festival, some of which have recently garnered much publicity from the film festival circuit. Among the films being shown are Strangers (Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival), Blessed is the Match (Winner, Audience Award Washington Jewish Film Festival), Lemon Tree (Audience Award Winner, Berlin Film Festival) and Love Come Lately.

The 5th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival runs from March 17 through March 29.

The Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival, a collaborative venture with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, exposes the community to current documentary, feature and short movies with meaningful Jewish or Israeli content as well as Israeli-made movies with contemporary themes.

Schedule of Screenings and Events:

OPENING NIGHT
MONSTER AMONG US
Tues, March 17
7:30 PM • JCC

Directors:
Allen Mondell &
Cynthia Salzman Mondell

USA, 2008, 84 min,
English
Documentary
Sixty years after the Holocaust, a new brand of European anti-Semitism is present. Same purpose, but a different face. It is directly connected to radical Muslim beliefs and actions that spread from the Middle East. It has surfaced on college campuses, in the media, on the streets, at political demonstrations, on the internet and in seemingly innocent social situations.

Jews in six different European countries tell of being attacked explicitly and ostracized subtly at work. All this begs the question: Is the past set to repeat itself?
 

Directors in attendance. Talk back follows screening. Join us for a pre-film champagne reception at 7:00 PM.

BLESSED IS THE MATCH:  The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh
Wed, March 18
7:30 PM • JCC

Director:
Roberta Grossman

USA, 2008, 85 min,
English
Documentary
Compelling, surprising, and personal, the amazing story of Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter, and modern-day Joan of Arc is narrated by Academy Award nominee Joan Allen.

This documentary combines archival footage and reenactments to retrace the story of Hannah from her escape from Europe to Palestine, on her perilous mission to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. Winner, Audience Award Washington Jewish Film Festival.

SCHMOOZE, SHMEAR AND SC(H)REENING
Thurs, March 19
9:00 AM • JCC
Come join some of your film lover friends at 9:00 AM for a complimentary cup of coffee and a bagel before the film NOODLE (see description below).

NOODLE
Thurs, March 19
10:00 AM • JCC
Sun, March 22
7:45 PM • JCC

Director:
Ayelet Menahemi

Israel, 2007, 90 min,
Hebrew with subtitles
Drama
An enjoyable heartfelt drama is the story of Miri, a flight attendant who finds herself saddled with a small Chinese boy in her home and her normal life routine broken. In attempting to return the child to China to be reunited with his mother, Miri embarks on a remarkable journey full of drama, humor, and self-discovery.

Nominated for 10 awards by the Israel Film Society and winner of Special Grand Prize of the jury at the 2007 Montreal World Film Festival. 

LETTERS TO JENNY (Cartas para Jenny)
Thurs, March 19
7:30 PM • JCC
Fri, March 20
1:00 PM • JCC

Director:
Diego Musiak

Argentina, Israel, Spain, 2007, 96 min, Spanish, Hebrew with subtitles
Drama
An unapologetically sentimental mother-daughter experience, Letters to Jenny will surely elicit tears and tender emotion. Having lost her mother to a terminal illness, Jenny enters her teenage years after a bittersweet Bat Mitzvah. A series of letters from her late mother are her only comfort in times of major crisis. Dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and dumped by her musician boyfriend (Manu Fullola), our heroine leaves behind a loving father (a charismatic Martín Seefeld) for a cathartic journey of self-discovery.

Traveling from South America to Israel, Jenny reconnects with her Jewish identity and a handsome childhood friend. A feisty lead performance from Argentine actress Gimena Accardi fuels this picturesque rite-of-passage tale that tugs deeply at the ties that bind in surprising new ways. 

A SECRET (Un Secret)
Sat, March 21
7:00 PM • MFAH

Director:
Claude Miller

France, 2007, 105 min., French with subtitles
Drama
Adapted from Philippe Grimbert's best-selling novel, A Secret is a story of passion and guilt in troubled times, which unfolds as a young teenager uncovers the truth about his parents' past. He finds out that before the war, his father Maxime (Patrick Bruel) was married to Hannah (Ludivine Sagnier) when he fell madly in love with Tania (Cecile de France). As a young Jewish couple living in Nazi-occupied France, Maxime and Tania had to make difficult choices to survive the war and the Holocaust. A Secret ‘is a fine drama that stands as Gallic vet Claude Miller's best in at least a decade.'-Variety ." - Museum of Fine Arts Boston

A reception in the museum galleries follows the film. Generous support has been provided by the Consulate General of France in Houston. This screening is part of Le mois de la Francophonie. 

CHILDREN OF THE SUN
Sun, March 22
1:00 PM • MFAH
Sat, March 28
9:00 PM • MFAH

Director:
Ran Tal

Israel, USA, 2007, 90 min, Hebrew with subtitles
Documentary
What was life really like growing up in a kibbutz? This honest and engrossing documentary sets aside all sentimentality to tell the story of the journey of Children of the Sun, the children of the first kibbutzim in Israel.

Told by the children many years later, with rare footage filmed at the kibbutzim over 40 years, you will leave with a frank understanding of their unique challenges and education. 

LEMON TREE (Etz Limon)
Sun, March 22
3:00 PM • MFAH
Pre-release screening courtesy of IFC Films

Director:
Eran Riklis

Israel, 2008, 106 min,
Hebrew and Arabic
with subtitles
Drama
Based on a true story, Lemon Tree turns a minor political situation into a touching and memorable analogy for a country divided. A Palestinian widow living in Zur Hasharon on the Israel-West Bank border finds her family's century-old lemon grove threatened when the Israeli defense minister moves in next door. Controversy escalates as to whether the fruit trees present a security risk, and the widow takes her case all the way to the Supreme Court.

The film features a stunning central performance by Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass (star of Riklis's The Syrian Bride, screened in 2006). Concluding with a message tinged with feminism, this is one of the most acclaimed Israeli films of the past year. Audience Award Winner, Berlin Film Festival. 

THE TREE OF LIFE
Sun, March 22
5:00 PM • MFAH
Sun, March 29
3:00 PM • MFAH

Director:
Hava Volterra

Israel, 2008, 76 min,
English and Italian
with subtitles
Documentary
From modern Los Angeles to the centuries old Italy, the history of the Jews is beautifully interwoven into the director's personal story.

Middle-aged Hava tried to come to terms with her father's death by traveling to Italy, the land of his birth, to trace the roots of the family tree. Both utterly hilarious and gripping, The Tree of Life is a fresh look at Jewish history. 

BLOODLINES
Mon, March 23
7:30 PM • JCC

Director:
Cynthia Connup

Australia, 2008, 52 min, English
Documentary
Two remarkable women -- Bettina Goering, the grandniece of Nazi war criminal Herman Goering and Australian painter Ruth Rich, daughter of Holocaust survivors -- meet for a series of extraordinary encounters.

As they journey toward an authentic reconciliation, Bettina must face not only Ruth's rage over her family's suffering, but also her own guilt and fear that evil runs in the blood.

To be preceded by:
TORTE BLUMA
Director:
Benjamin Ross

USA, 2005, 18 min,
English
Drama
A sobering film inspired by a real-life episode in the life of Franz Stangl, the German commandant at Treblinka, and the Jewish prisoner who cooks his meals. 

FOUL GESTURE (Tnua'a Meguna)
Tues, March 24
7:30 PM • JCC

Director:
Itshak Grad

Israel, 2006, 95 min,
Hebrew with subtitles
Drama
An offensive hand gesture on Holocaust Memorial Day sets in motion a tragic series of events in Foul Gesture, a gripping Israeli revenge drama. Passive Michael Kleinhouse (Gal Zaid) is out of work and wilting under the weight of mounting debt and a crumbling marriage. Entangled in a road rage incident involving his wife Tamar (Keren Mor) and a mysterious driver, Michael becomes agitated with corrupt police who seem powerless to act.

In an escalating series of standoffs, he seeks justice on his own terms against the errant motorist, a well-connected gangster, Dreyfus (Asher Tsarfati). Foul Gesture serves as a darkly comic commentary on the archetypical macho Israeli man. Winner of Best Film honors at the 2006 Haifa International Film Festival and nominated for five awards of the Israeli Film Academy.

To be preceded by a comedy not at all sub-prime
MORTGAGE (Mishcanta)
Director:
Sharon Maymon &
Tal Granit

Israel, 2006, 52 min,
Hebrew with subtitles
Comedy
Beny (Eli Finish) and Esty (Hilla Sorjon-Fischer) love each other very much, but they are unfortunate. One day, they find themselves unemployed, and if that's not enough, the bank is about to confiscate their apartment in a housing project if they don't settle their mortgage debt within a month.

The two search for creative solutions to obtain the money, while each of them believes that his solution is saner. As
the confiscation date approaches, the relationship is marred, but their deep love holds in store a very precious surprise. A comic drama that examines how far a young couple from Ramle will go in order to save their house from confiscation. 

FUGITIVE PIECES
Wed, March 25
1:00 PM • JCC

Director:
Jeremy Podeswa

Israel, 2008, 104 min,
English, Greek, Yiddish,
German with subtitles
Drama, Rated R
Based on the acclaimed debut novel from poet Anne Michaels, this stirring tale centers on Jakob Beer, a Jewish immigrant haunted by the murder of his family at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. After witnessing the massacre of members of his family, 7-year-old Jakob does not know the fate of his beloved sister Bella - a mystery that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

As Jakob grows into a man, he becomes progressively more consumed by his family's tragedy and his longing for Bella, which colors all his relationships. A truly moving and unforgettable story featuring stellar perfomances from Rade Serbedzija, Rosamund Pike (Pride and Prejudice) and Ayelet Zurer (Nina's Tragedies). 

STRANGERS (Zarim)
Wed, March 25
7:30 PM • JCC

Director:
Erez Tadmor &
Guy Nativ

Israel, 2007, 85 min,
Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, with subtitles
Drama
An accidental meeting sparks an improbable romance linking an Israeli kibbutznik and a Palestinian woman in this critically-acclaimed exploration of nationality and the heart. Eyal and Rana (superb improvisation by actors Liron Levo and Lubna Azabal) meet serendipitously on their way to the World Cup soccer finals in Berlin after their bags are mistakenly swapped. A quick magnetic glance on a subway soon becomes an unbreakable bond, even as war in their homeland tests loyalties.

Innovatively filmed with handheld cameras and unscripted performances, Strangers presents a strikingly realistic treatment of a complex relationship in which politics and personalities collide. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. 
 
DANGEROUS ACTS (Mesukenet)
Thurs, March 26
7:30 PM • JCC

Director:
Shemi Zarhin

Israel, 2007, 97 min,
Hebrew with subtitles
Drama
Gripping, dark, suspenseful, while at times flat out funny. Three years ago Tzvia (Gila Almagor), a star in the Israeli theater scene, lost her family in a terrible accident when a truck crashed into the car being driven by her husband.

Three years after the tragedy, the truck driver is released from jail. He appears at Tzvia's house with the sole purpose of asking her for forgiveness. The meeting between the two is highly charged with multitude of conflicting emotions and soon develops into a wrenching, sadistically symbiotic, and manipulative relationship. 

LOVE COMES LATELY
Sat, March 28
7:00 PM • MFAH
Sun, March 29
1:00 PM • MFAH

Director:
Jan Schutte

Germany, Austria, USA, 2007, 86 min
Based on the short stories Alone, The Briefcase, and Old Love by the Yiddish writer and Nobel Prize-winner Isaac Bashevis Singer, Love Comes Lately is the story of Max Kohn (Otto Tausig), a seventy-something Austrian émigré writer who is still in demand on the literary circuit.

Aging yet vibrant, Max and his fictitious alter egos get mixed up with manuscripts, murder, and a bevy of alluring women (portrayed by Tova Feldshuh, Barbara Hershey, Elizabeth Pena and Rhea Perlman). 

Be'Tay Avon Senior Adult Lunch Program
BEAU JEST
Fri, March 27
1:00 PM • JCC Come have lunch and a movie with the Be'Tay Avon Crowd. The movie will be Beau Jest (see description below).

Lunch and Movie
$7 JCC Member / $9 Public
RSVP required for lunch. To RSVP, call Naomi Barancik at ext. 3258.

CLOSING NIGHT
BEAU JEST
Sun, March 29
7:30 PM • JCC

Director:
James Sherman

USA, 2008, 98 min
Comedy
A story about falling in love ..... with a little white lie, starring a modern comedy cast including Robyn Cohen, Willie Garson (Sex in the City), Lainie Kazan, and Seymour Cassel.

What do you do when you know your Jewish parents won't approve of your non-Jewish boyfriend? Lie to them and hire an actor to impersonate a Jewish surgeon, of course! Hilarity ensues when a nice Jewish girl invents a boyfriend and takes him over for Shabbat dinner. But all he knows about Judaism he learned from Fiddler on the Roof.

Dessert reception following film.

Click here for detailed schedule and to view trailers and purchase tickets.

Visit www.jcchouston.org  or www.mfah.org/films. Call 713-551-7255 to purchase tickets or a film festival pass. All screenings are $7 JCC & MFAH Members and $9 Public.