SPECIAL EVENTS

The 2011 Houston Jewish Film Festival will once again honor its seven year-long tradition of delivering moving, exciting quality films. Screenings will be held at the Jewish Community Center’s Kaplan Theatre, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Brown Auditorium Theater, Holocaust Museum Houston’s Herzstein Theater and Discovery Green. This year’s festival is comprised of 20 screenings of 14 different titles, running March 9 – 20, 2011.

HJFF 2011 is proud to shine its spotlight on three Israeli films that are causing an incredible buzz and winning awards at worldwide screenings. Opening Night features the incredible The Human Resources Manager, winner of five Israeli Ophir Awards, including Best Picture. Precious Life, an Oscar contender for Best Documentary, will show at the JCC and the MFAH, and The Matchmaker, winner of two Ophirs for Best Actor and Best Actress, screens at the JCC and gives a poignant look at 1960s Tel Aviv.

These Israeli gems are joined by five other foreign films. Protektor, (pictured above) a stylish Czech noir feature, takes us to Nazi-occupied Prague, and we travel to modern-day Mexico for Nora’s Will, winner of seven Mexican Ariel Awards, “a grin-and giggle Mexican-Jewish funeral farce.” Argentinean Academy Award winner Anita, set during the 1994 terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, explores the tragedy’s effect on its title character, a woman with Down syndrome.

Based on a true story, German flick Berlin ’36 leaves us haunted by the Nazi horrors that we all know only escalated after the Olympics that year. But giving us cathartic closure, Amnon’s Journey tells the story of a French-Israeli violin-maker who reclaims what the Nazis stole by staging a concert of Holocaust-era violins at the Western Wall.

Equally embracing of the heritage of Jewish music, The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground is back for more after its success at the Jewish Book & Arts Fair. Against the Tide takes us back to the dark days of pre-World War II America, when American Jews felt powerless in the fight to save Jewish lives in Europe, while HBO’s documentary Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags pays homage to the significant Jewish presence in the New York garment industry.

We see a very different New York in I Love You Mommy, a fascinating look at international adoption. The JCC’s arts & culture group for young professionals, Get Cultured, is pleased to host a screening of Holy Rollers, generously underwritten by Snap Kitchen, and open to all of Houston at Discovery Green. And finally, the festival will close with the uplifting comedy, The Yankles, which will leave you laughing till your peyot uncurl, as we follow the fortunes of the most unlikely bunch of sporting heroes in a baseball team of ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students.

Detailed Film Schedule:

THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER (Shlichuto Shel Hamemune Al Mashabei Enosh)
Wednesday, March 9 7:30 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: Eran Riklis
Israel, Germany, France, Romania 2010, 103 min.
Hebrew, English, Romanian with English subtitles
Tragi-Comedy

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Film Movement.

A forlorn human resources manager discovers his own humanity while escorting the body of a suicide-bomb victim back to her homeland in this quirky, seriocomic crowd-pleaser, and Israel’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar entry. When a worker at a Jerusalem industrial bakery turns up dead, it falls to the title character to return the remains to the next of kin in remote Eastern Europe. The task turns out trickier than expected, as the HR manager leads a motley convoy of characters across a frozen post-Soviet landscape. Director Eran Riklis (The Lemon Tree) poignantly tells this drama of social dislocation, adapted from a story by celebrated Israeli novelist A. B. Yehoshua. Winner of five Israeli Ophir Awards including Best Picture.

AGAINST THE TIDE
Thursday, March 10 7:30 PM Holocaust Museum Houston
Friday, March 11 1:00 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: Richard Trank
United States, 2009, 102 min.
English
Documentary

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Moriah Films/Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, this compelling documentary provides a chilling window into the United States’ Jewish immigration policy during the Holocaust. Peter Bergson, a young activist, challenged Washington and demanded that the rescue of European Jews become a priority. Meanwhile, the Jewish establishment, led by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, preferred a subtler approach, fearing a backlash of American anti-Semitism. Against the Tide shows what happens when good people remain silent in the face of evil.

Friday Screening Senior Special: Lunch & A Movie
Adults ages 65+
$8 JCC Member/$10 Public
RSVP required.
Call Esther Bethke at 713-729-3200 ext. 3258

WO AI NI (I LOVE YOU) MOMMY
Thursday, March 10 10 AM Jewish Community Center
Director: Stephanie Wang-Breal
United States, 2010, 77 min.
English and Mandarin/Cantonese with English subtitles
Documentary

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Eye Wang Pictures.

American families are now raising over 70,000 Chinese children. Can a Chinese girl from Guangzhou find happiness with a Long Island Jewish family? Sui Yong, an eight year old disabled Chinese girl, is being raised by a Chinese foster family with whom she has formed strong bonds. The family is reluctant to give her up but realizes that life in America will afford her better opportunities for an improved life. Wo Ai Ni Mommy follows the path of Faith Sui Yong and her adoptive family, addressing the difficulties of cross-cultural adoption and the ways in which one little girl becomes attuned to American Jewish life. This intimate account of transnational and transracial adoption takes place against a background of more and more Americans adopting overseas, especially in China. Best U.S. Feature 2010 Silverdocs Film Festival.

HOLY ROLLERS
FREE
Thursday, March 10 7:30 PM Discovery Green
Director: Kevin Asch
United States, 2010, 89 min.
English
Drama

Photo Credit: Courtesy of First Independent Pictures.

Inspired by actual events, Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network) is a young Brooklyn Hasid, disillusioned with the faith, whose neighbor recruits him to transport “medicine” from Amsterdam. Feeling validated by the drug dealer’s respect for his business savvy, Sam begins to spiral deeper into the detrimental world of drugs and pull away from his family. Caught between life as a smuggler and the path back to God, Sam goes on the run, forced to make a fatal decision that could bring the entire operation crashing down. This film is rated R. Viewer discretion is advised.

A Get Cultured event.
Underwritten by Snap Kitchen

THE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUND
Saturday, March 12 7 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Saturday, March 19 9:30 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Director: Erik Greenberg Anjou
United States, 2009, 106 min.
English and Yiddish with English subtitles
Documentary

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Seventh Art Releasing.

Introduced by filmmaker Erik Greenberg Anjou.

Director Erik Greenberg Anjou (A Cantor’s Tale, HJFF 2006) returns with this high-energy documentary about the Grammy Award-winning, New York-based superstar klezmer band, The Klezmatics. Mesmerizing performances are mixed with soulful interviews with band members as well as other performers including Joshua Nelson, Chava Alberstein, and David Krakauer. Anjou and crew followed the Klezmatics for over three years capturing the band’s highs, lows, and relentless march forward.

Director Anjou will be in attendance at both screenings. Audience members for the 7 PM screening are invited to a reception in the museum’s galleries afterward.

ANITA
Sunday, March 13 12:30 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: Marcos Carnevale
Argentina, 2009, 104 min.
Spanish with English subtitles
Drama

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Menemsha Films.

In this poignant drama, Anita Feldman (an extraordinary debut by Alejandra Manzo) is a young woman with Down syndrome. Lovingly cared for by her mother (Oscar® nominee Norma Aleandro), Anita helps run her small stationery store in their Buenos Aires Jewish neighborhood. Everything changes on July 18, 1994, when a car bomb explodes outside the AMIA Jewish community center, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds. Disoriented, Anita wanders the city for days – learning to care for herself and deeply affecting everyone she meets.

NORA’S WILL (Cinco Días Sin Nora)
Sunday, March 13 4 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Saturday, March 19 9:15 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Mexico, 2008, 92 min.
Spanish with English subtitles
Tragi-Comedy

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Menemsha Films.

This understated, wry comedy set in Mexico City begins as Jose discovers the body of Nora, the woman he'd been married to for 30 years and then divorced. She has finally committed suicide after many attempts to do so throughout her life. That she has done so on the eve of Passover is a deliberate, mischievous act designed to reunite family and friends for a final Seder. She leaves behind detailed instructions for the occasion, but inadvertently forgets to destroy a mysterious photograph that could unlock her longtime secret. As Jose is faced with the daunting task of preparing for the funeral of a suicide on the eve of the festival, a colorful collection of eccentric and entertaining characters arrives on the scene, with hilarious and unexpected results. Nominated for 7 Mexican Academy Awards.

Cosponsored by the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston.

PRECIOUS LIFE (Chayim Yakarim)
Sunday, March 13 6 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Tuesday, March 15 7:30 PM JCC
Director: Shlomi Eldar
Israel, 2010, 90 min.
Hebrew, English, Arabic with English subtitles
Documentary

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bleiberg Entertainment.

Can Israelis and Palestinians put aside their differences to save the life of a child? Documented by Israeli journalist Shlomi Eldar, this film tells the story of a four-month old Palestinian boy who will die without a bone marrow transplant, a. procedure which can only be performed in an Israeli hospital. Help for the Palestinian family comes from a bereaved Jewish father who donates $55,000 to help save the boy’s life. A friendship is formed between mother, doctor, and film director, who vow to find a genetically suitable donor in the Gaza Strip. This powerhouse meditation on Middle East politics through a very personal lens was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary.

SCHMATTA: RAGS TO RICHES TO RAGS
FREE
Monday, March 14 7:30 PM Jewish Community Center
Friday, March 18 1:00 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: Marc Levin
United States, 2009, 72 min.
English
Documentary

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO.

This charming rags to riches story brings to life the history of Manhattan’s garment district. Once the heart and soul of midtown Manhattan, the garment district was a pathway for immigrants to realize their American dream. A century later, it is in danger of disappearing as more and more jobs are outsourced to foreign countries. Schmatta relates the story of a vanishing industry through the voices of those who have experienced its highs and lows.

RSVP to Judy at jweil@jcchouston.org  or 713-72-3200 ext. 3231 to reserve seats. Please bring a clean interview-appropriate woman’s suit (skirt or pants) on a hanger and/or a black handbag to donate to Dress For Success® Houston. Partnering with the Houston Chapter of Hadassah.

AMNON’S JOURNEY (Le Voyage D’Amnon)
Wednesday, March 16 7:30 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: Jean-Marie Hosatte
Israel, 2009, 52 min.
French, Hebrew, and English with English subtitles
Documentary

Photo Credit: © Lucille Reyboz/Blue Press Productions.

Introduced by former Houston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster and friend of Amnon, Uri Pianka.

Amnon Weinstein has a mission: to recover and restore violins Jews played in the camps, ghettos, and forests during the Holocaust. In restoring these instruments in his Tel Aviv workshop, Amnon restores the remains of a once vibrant, thriving Jewish culture. Culminating in a dramatic and moving concert at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, sixteen of the restored violins are played by international virtuosos including Maestro Shlomo Mintz, Yair Dalal and Cihat Askin. These “Violins of Hope” are joined by the Symphonic Orchestra of Istanbul, Turkey and the Symphonette Orchestra of Ra’anana, Israel for an emotional, breathtaking celebration of Israel’s 60th Anniversary.

THE MATCHMAKER (Pa’am Hayiti)
Thursday, March 17 7:30 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: Avi Nesher
Israel, 2010, 112 min.
Hebrew with English subtitles
Drama

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Menemsha Films.

Holocaust survivor Yankele Bride makes his living as a matchmaker and a smuggler. Sixteen year old Arik needs a summer job. He finds employment with Bride as a scout for possible clients. The job provides him with cash and an education: about prostitution, illegal gambling—and love. Set in Haifa in 1968, this coming of age story introduces Arik to a damaged group of characters in need of redemption and healing from one of history’s greatest tragedies. In the naïve Arik, they see the future, and even Arik himself falls in love for the first time. Ophir Awards Winner for Best Actor (Adir Miller) and Best Actress (Maya Dagan).

BERLIN ‘36
Saturday, March 19 7 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Sunday, March 20 1 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Director: Kaspar Heidelbach
Germany, 2009, 100 min.
German with English subtitles
Drama

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Corinth Films.

Based on historical fact, Berlin ‘36 tells the story of German high jumper Gretel Bergmann. Gretel is training for the United Kingdom, Nazi racial laws having prohibited her from training in Germany. The United States, however, has insisted that Jews not be excluded from the event and Gretel is forced to return to Germany to train. Fearing humiliation should a Jew win the high jump, the Nazis pick Marie Ketteler as Gretel’s competitor on the German team. Unbeknownst to Gretel, Marie is a man, and Gretel is excluded from the competition under false pretenses, leaving the field clear for “Marie.”

PROTEKTOR
Sunday, March 20 3:15 PM Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Director: Marek Najbrt
Czech Republic, 2009, 98 min.
Czech with English subtitles
Drama

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Negativ Film Productions.

Prague, 1938: Germany is about to occupy Czechoslovakia. Emil, a radio reporter, is married to Hana, a successful Jewish actress. Emil’s Nazi boss agrees to pretend he does not know Hana is a Jew provided Emil becomes the voice of Nazi propaganda. Emil becomes a celebrity while Hana is confined at home, unable to work. Hana, however, resists Emil’s control and sneaks out of the house boldly sporting her yellow star. Protektor explores how war exacts odious compromises, and a woman’s rebellion against them. This is a visually stunning psychological thriller that evokes ‘30s and ‘40s film noir.

THE YANKLES
Sunday, March 20 7:30 PM Jewish Community Center
Director: David R. Brooks
United States, 2009, 115 min.
English
Comedy

Photo Credit: Courtesy of DZB Productions.

Can an ex-con find redemption coaching an upstart Orthodox baseball team? Charlie, a washed-up former pro player, is sentenced to community service following a drunk driving conviction. The only group willing to give him a second chance at rebuilding his reputation and career is a desperate bunch of Yeshiva students who want to start their own baseball team. Charlie strives to lead the Yankles to victory and attempts to mend fences with those he has wronged in this sensitive comedy about overcoming bigotry and self-doubt.

Closing Night Reception provided by Aroma Classique and Fleischer Wines.

Venues:

Jewish Community Center of Houston
5601 S. Braeswood Blvd.
Houston, TX 77096

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
1001 Bissonnet St.
Houston, TX 77005

Holocaust Museum Houston
5401 Caroline St.
Houston, TX 77004

Discovery Green
1500 McKinney St
Houston, TX 77010

The 7th Annual Houston Jewish Film Festival is Co-Chaired by Doreen Joffe and Sharon Kagan and coordinated by a dedicated committee. For information on movie times and ticketing, visit www.jcchouston.org/filmfest  or call Ariela Emery at 713-729-3200 x 3299.

Visit www.jcchouston.org  for more information about other arts and culture events and programs the JCC is offering.

This program was made possible, in part, by funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, United Airlines and JPMorgan Chase & Co.