2014 Film Selections Now Available!
2014 Film Categories
Ten From Your Show of Shows
Documentary/USA/93 minutes/1973
Directed by Max Liebman
Starring Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca & Howard Morris
Tribute to Sid Caesar and Honor Carl Reiner
Hail Caesar! This year the world lost one of the most legendary talents in television and comedy history: Sid Caesar, the actor/writer at the center of the most celebrated TV show of the 1950s. Your Show Of Shows, the pre-eminent sketch comedy force became requisite Saturday night viewing for Americans who owned television sets. It was adult, complex, outrageous and well-written by such future icons as Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon and Woody Allen. Caesar, alongside a brilliant cast that included Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca and Howard Morris, mastered every comedic moment in almost every show ever aired. Come pay tribute to Caesar as we honor Carl Reiner in person, with a rare showing of Ten From Your Show Of Shows, a feature-length compilation of the program’s most hilarious moments.
• Thursday, May 1
7:00 pm – red carpet
8:00 pm show begins
The Steve Tisch Cinema Center at the Saban Theatre,
Beverly Hills
Cupcakes (Bananot)
L.A. Premiere
Comedy/France/Israel/90 minutes/2013
Directed by Eytan Fox
Hebrew with English subtitles
From celebrated Israeli director, Eytan Fox (Walk on Water, The Bubble) comes this new delightfully “sweet” musical comedy about a diverse group of young neighbors in Tel Aviv who get together to watch Universong, a Eurovision-like television song contest. (Think “America’s Got Talent.”) Uninspired by the dull Israeli entry and seeking to cheer up a heartbroken friend, they spontaneously compose their own song and on a whim. One member of the group enters their cellphone video in next year’s contest. To everyone’s surprise, the song is chosen to represent Israel in the finals competition in Paris. With an all-star cast, Cupcakes is a delicious story that celebrates life, love and loyalty.
• Saturday, May 3, 8:00 pm
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
• Cupcakes courtesy of Mickey Fine Pharmacy & Grill
• Monday, May 5, 7:30 pm
Soldier in Art: Arthur Szyk
L.A. Premiere
Short/USA/9 minutes/2013
Directed by Jim Ruxin
A wordless, musical tribute to the main themes in the life and work of Polish-Jewish artist and political cartoonist, Arthur Szyk (1894-1951)—the ideals of American democracy, the horrors of Nazism, the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the rebirth of the Jewish people in Israel. Szyk considered the US the standard for freedom for all individuals.
• Q&A with director Jim Ruxin
Playing with:
Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent
West Coast Premiere!
Documentary/USA/56 minutes/2013
Directed by Rachel Pasternak & Rachel Eskin Fisher
The dramatic story of a courageous religious leader whose passion for justice compelled him to speak out against bigotry over the course of five decades. As a young rabbi in Berlin in the 1930s, Joachim Prinz preached openly against the Nazi Regime and saved many lives by encouraging Jews to leave Germany. Twenty years later, Prinz became a prominent leader of the civil rights movement in the US, culminating in his stirring speech at the 1963 March on Washington in which he proclaimed, ‘America must not become a nation of onlookers! America must not remain silent.’ Prinz also helped build the State of Israel and spoke out boldly for peace in the Middle East.
• Saturday, May 3, 7:30 pm
Temple Menorah, Redondo Beach
• Sunday, May 4, 5:00 pm
The Life of the Jews in Palestine: 1913
North American Premiere!
Documentary/Israel/20 minutes/1913
Directed by Noah Sokolovsky
In Celebration of Yom Hatz’Maut
The Life of the Jews in Palestine: 1913 is an extraordinary look at the pioneers of the First and Second Aliyah in Palestine. The film was screened with much success in Europe on the eve of the First World War, but then disappeared without a trace. In 1997, a lone negative was miraculously discovered in a vault in France. In honor of the centenary celebration of the film’s production, the Israel Film Archive-Jerusalem Cinematheque has produced a new digital restored copy. This is the first time it will be seen outside of Israel.
Playing With:
Operation Sunflower
North American Premiere!
Drama/Israel/105 minutes/2014
Directed by Avraham Kushnir
Starring Yehoram Gaon
Hebrew/French/German with English subtitles
The Iranians are bringing missiles out of their bunkers and within an hour and a half they will be prepared to “push the button” and launch the missiles at Israel. Against the time that is running out, a political, scientific and human drama is being reconstructed- one that took place in Jerusalem and Paris during the 1950’s – 60’s. Ben Gurion gives an order to develop Israel’s nuclear option – as an insurance policy for the survival of the Jewish people. At the center of this story are the Head of the Mossad as well as a key Nuclear Physicist together with his doctoral students. They are recruited to develop the bomb for Israel. The mission seems impossible.
• Monday, May 5, 7:30 pm
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
• Sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles
The Sturgeon Queens
Los Angeles Premiere
Documentary/USA/54 Minutes/2013
Directed by Julie Cohen
For nearly 100 years, people have made the trek to New York City’s Lower East Side to buy lox and herring at the famed Russ and Daughters emporium. Four generations of the Russ family have kept the iconic store afloat to this day. Produced to coincide with the store’s centennial, this charming film features an extensive interview with the two daughters for whom the store was named. Hattie, now 100 and Anne, 92, hit all the key notes of the Jewish immigrant experience: hard work, humor, romance, and a little tsuris. Commentary from R & D enthusiasts include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, New Yorker writer Calvin Trillin, 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer, actress Maggie Gyllenhall and chef Mario Batali. This true story is a delicious treat!
Audience Choice Awards at the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival and the San Diego Jewish Film Festival
• Saturday, May 3, 8:00 pm
Laemmle Town Center, Encino
Playing with “Roman Kosher” (see description below)
• Q&A with director Julie Cohen and Tony Villani (Roman Kosher)
• Treats courtesy of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Brent’s Deli & Western Bagel
• Sunday, May 4, 5:00 pm
Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills
Playing with “Mondays With Monty”
• Q&A with director Julie Cohen and Monty Hall invited!
Preceded by: (on Saturday night, May 3 in Encino Town Center)
Roman Kosher
World Premiere!
Documentary/Italy/34 Minutes/2014
Directed by Tony Villani
Rome and its Jewish community have been inex- tricably linked for over 2,100 years, and especially since 1555, when the city’s ghetto was established. A surprising culinary journey through the rich and textured history and tradition of Jewish Rome highlighting the work of a renowned kosher chef and revealing “Roman” Jewish dishes and recipes. The film also offers a “taste” of Roman Jewish poetry and literature about food by two of Rome’s best known pioneer Jewish Theatre actors.
• Q&A with director Tony Villani
(Playing with “The Sturgeon Queens” on Saturday, May 3.)
Also Preceded by (on Sunday, May 4 at Music Hall, BH:)
Mondays With Monty
World Premiere!
Documentary/USA/7 Minutes/2014
Produced by The Jewish Journal
“Monty Hall: On life, love and cabbage rolls” is a montage of clips from a web series called “Mondays with Monty” produced by The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. Each episode features a personal anecdote from Monty Hall’s life – yes, the beloved game show host of “Let’s Make a Deal,” born Monte Halparin in Winnipeg to Orthodox Jewish parents. While some stories were meant to elicit a giggle, others tugged at the heartstrings in a way only Monty Hall’s sweet sincerity in storytelling could.
• Monty Hall in person!
Q&A moderated by David Suissa, President of the Jewish Journal
(Playing with “The Sturgeon Queens” on Sunday, May 4.)
The Man Who Buried His Own Leg
Los Angeles Premiere
Animated short/USA/3minutes/2013
Directed by Sarah Lefton
What would drive a man to bury his own amputated leg? Jewish paranoia, of course. Find out about what’s possibly the weirdest religious custom ever in three minutes of animated narashkeit.
Playing with:
One Small Hitch
Los Angeles Premiere
Comedy/USA/94 minutes/2013
Directed by John Burgess
Starring Shane Mcrae, Aubrey Dollar and Daniel Travanti
In this lighthearted and engaging romantic comedy, Molly (Aubrey Dollar, Failure to Launch) has promised to bring a boyfriend home to her mother’s Chicago wedding. En route from LA, she dumps one sketchy man, and instantly gets involved with a family friend, Josh (Shane Mcrae, The Help). This leads to two old friends innocently agreeing to fake an engagement to make Josh’s dying father (Daniel Travanti, Hill Street Blues) happy. Things quickly get out of hand with their two hysterically boisterous families. A series of events causes them to pretend to be a couple and start planning a phony wedding. When the play acting begins to foster real feelings, the two must make some serious decisions.
• Sunday, May 4, 7:00 pm
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
• Monday, May 5, 7:30 pm
• Community Partners: ATID of Sinai Temple
ShortsFest
Shorts/Multiple Countries/90 minutes/2014
Multiple directors
Short films are an increasingly popular art form. But a really good short is rare. A mix of vibrant storytelling —including fiction, documentary, drama and comedy, this exceptional collection highlights very Jewish and personal stories from the Holocaust to Israel and beyond. A great way to commemorate Yom HaShoah, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Hatz’Maut.
Including:
ENGEL
Directed by Oren Rehany/USA/9 mins
A defecting runaway Nazi soldier during World War II has an unusual encounter with a mystical stranger in the middle of the forest.
KIDS OF THE ROCKET SIREN
Directed by Daniel Roher/Canada & Israel/16 mins
The reality for the kids who live in Sderot, an Israeli town that neighbors the Gaza strip, is a constant reminder that they are in the midst of a deadly conflict.
SILVER CUTLERY
Directed by David Blankleider/Uruguay/14 mins
Dysfunctional family dynamics kick in to high gear around the Shabbat table, as always. But this time is different as burglars have broken into grandmother’s home the night before and she is convinced her cherished silver cutlery has been stolen.
CALL HER LOTTE
Directed by Annekathrin Wetzel/Germany/16 mins
The friendship between Maria and her Jewish friend Lea is threatened when Maria’s husband becomes a high ranking SS officer. When the Jewish deportations begin, Maria come to a life-changing decision which proves what friendship means.
YOU WILL FIND ME WITHIN YOU
Directed by Eitan Pitigliani/Argentina & Italy/15 mins
The journey of an Argentinian boy from Buenos Aires to Rome in search of the grandfather he never knew. With only a painting and a poem, he discovers his unknown origins.
MOSES ON THE MESA
Directed by Paul Ratner/USA/18 mins
The true story of a German Jewish immigrant who became governor of a Native American tribe during the days of the Wild West.
• Sunday, May 4, 2:45 pm
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
Barchu Call To Action
Student Film Showcase
Shorts & PSAs/USA/75 minutes/2014
Multiple teen directors
• Sunday, May 4, 11:00 am
Laemmle’s Royal, West Los Angeles
• Teen filmmaker panel
• Juice, Bagels and Coffee at 10:30 am
Transit
West Coast Premiere
Drama/Philippines/90 minutes/2013
Directed by Hannah Espia
Hebrew & Tagalog with English subtitles
Philippines’ Official Entry to the 2013 Academy Awards.
The acclaimed directorial debut of Hannah Espia— this much praised Filipino film offers a surprising perspective on another aspect of Israeli society, with a poignant portrait of Filipino guest workers in Israel. Set in and around Tel Aviv amidst an immigration crackdown, the story crosscuts between the intermingled lives of one Filipino family and their Israeli-born children of mixed identity, who only know Israel as their “home” and only speak Hebrew. Moises is a single dad who works as a caregiver for a kind-hearted Israeli retiree while frantically trying to keep his young son Joshua hidden indoors. Also under threat is Janet, a domestic worker on an expired visa, struggling to hide her half-Israeli daughter, Yael– a rebellious teenager.
Won 10 prizes at Cinamalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival including Best Picture
• Tuesday, May 6, 7:30 pm
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
Brave Miss World
Documentary/Israel/USA/92 minutes/2013
Directed by Cecilia Peck
Produced by Inbal Lessner
English/Hebrew/Italian with English subtitles
Israeli beauty queen Linor Abargil was abducted and raped in Milan, Italy two months before being crowned Miss World in 1998. Ten years later, she’s ready to talk about it. Now a globe-trotting victims’ advocate, Linor encourages others to stand against sexual violence by putting an end to their silence. She travels to speak with teens in South Africa, where girls are statistically more likely to be raped than educated. She visits U.S. college campuses where women describe a campus culture that fails to take assaults seriously. From rape crisis centers worldwide, to Hollywood’s living rooms, Linor is met with emotional support, but the advocacy work causes her own trauma to resurface. Score by Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer.
• Wednesday, May 7, 7:30 pm
Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills
God’s Slave (Esclavo De Dios)
Los Angeles Premiere
Drama/ Uruguay/Argentina/Venezuela/78 minutes/2013
Directed by Joel Novoa
Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic & French with English subtitles
Inspired by true events, two obsessive charac- ters on either side of the Arab-Israeli conflict are set on a collision course in this adrenaline- rushing drama set against the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Ahmed is part of a terrorist sleeper cell and David is a cold-blooded Israeli Mossad agent who will stop at nothing to protect the Jewish community from a terrorist threat. Both men embark on parallel paths of martyrdom, blinded by hatred born of childhood trauma. This taunt thriller raising issues of conscience and responsibility is as current as today’s headlines.
• Wednesday, May 7, 7:30 pm
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
The Jewish Cardinal
Los Angeles Premiere
Drama/France/90 minutes/2012
Directed by Ilan Duran Cohen
French with English subtitles
The amazing true story of Jean-Marie Lustiger, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, who maintained his cultural identity as a Jew even after converting to Catholicism at a young age, and when he later joined the priesthood. Quickly rising within the ranks of the Church, Lustiger was appointed Archbishop of Paris by Pope John Paul II. Celebrating his dual identity as a Catholic Jew, earned him both friends and enemies from both groups. When Carmelite nuns settle down to build a convent within the cursed walls of Auschwitz, Lustiger finds himself a mediator between the two communities — and may be forced at last to choose his side.
Best French TV Grand Prix at the Festival de Luchon
CLOSING NIGHT
• Thursday, May 8, 7:30 pm
ArcLight Cinemas, Sherman Oaks
• In cooperation with The American Jewish Committee
Nyosha
Los Angeles Premiere
Animated short/Israel/11 minutes/2012
Directed by Liran Kapel & Yael Dekel
Hebrew with English subtitles
Based on the true story of holocaust survivor Nomi Kapel. Nyosha is a ten year old girl who dreams of buying a pair of shoes during the reality of a pitiless war. She believes that because of her shoes, she will stay alive.
Best Animated Film Award Haifa International Film Festival
Playing with:
Run Boy Run
West Coast Premiere
Drama/Poland/German/France/112 minutes/2013
Directed by Pepe Danquart
Polish with English subtitles
The inspiring true story of Srulik Fridman, an eight-year-old boy, who flees the Warsaw ghetto in 1942. He attempts to survive, at first alone in the forest, and then as a Polish Christian orphan named Jurek who travels from farm to farm working for food. Throughout his ordeal, his Jewish identity is in danger of being lost. The film is based on the bestseller by Uri Orlev.
• Sunday, May 4, 7:00 pm
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
• Sponsored by Pamela & Randol Schoenberg and the Goldrich Family Foundation in cooperation with the Anti-Defamation League and Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
The Revival of Jewish Poland
Los Angeles Premiere Documentary/USA/47 minutes/2013
Directed by Dina Kadisha Aspen
70 years after the Holocaust, a filmmaker begins her quest to understand what’s left of Jewish Poland today. In interviews with survivors, their children and others, Aspen discovers a vivacious reemerging community whose next generation’s Jewish existence still lies in the balance.
• Sunday, May 4, 11:00 am
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
• Q&A with director Dina Kadisha Aspen
Bamidbar
Los Angeles Premiere Short/USA/Israel/17 minutes/2013
Directed by Onn Nir
Shiri, her boyfriend and her estranged father, Avi, venture into the desert before she leaves for the Army. Once in the wild, an accident occurs and the situation spirals out of control as a series of life-changing events push them to confront their traumatic past.
Playing with:
The Eleventh Day – the Survivors of Munich 1972
Los Angeles Premiere Documentary/Germany/52 min- utes/2012
Directed by Emanuel Rotstein
In a year of the Olympic Games, we remember the tragic attacks on the members of the Israeli Olympic team by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Games. The iconic picture of the hooded assassin became a symbol of modern terrorism and the vulnerability of free society. Eleven Israeli athletes were killed during the hostage drama and the botched rescue effort. Eight Israeli athletes were able to escape. Their story has never been heard. Now after four decades these former Olympians once again return to the site of their biggest hopes and darkest fears and tell for the first time how they barely survived and how their lives were changed forever.
• Monday, May 5, 7:30 pm
Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills
• Q&A with Onn Nir and Keren Hantman
• In partnership with Temple Emanuel and Hadassah
“The Eleventh Day” is also playing with “A Green Kippah” on
• Sunday, May 4, 11:00 am
Laemmle Playhouse
A Green Kippah
World Premiere Short/USA/24 minutes/2014
Directed by Sally Mitlas
The film commemorates Israel’s Memorial Day on a very personal level by chronicling the lives and tragic deaths of three American Jews. All three died in the prime of their lives, whether it be through acts of terrorism, a sniper’s bullet or defending the borders of Israel. This film reminds us that when Israel loses a son or a daughter, it is felt by every Jew around the world.
Playing with “The Eleventh Day”
• Sunday, May 4, 11:00 am
Laemmle’s Playhouse, Pasadena
• Sponsored by Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center
Raquel: A Marked Woman
Short/USA/34 minutes/2014
Directed by Gabriela Bohm
English & Spanish with English subtitles
In early 20th century Argentina, an ordinary mother was torn from her children, and tricked into prostitution. Other women conceded their fate. But not Raquel. The thought of her sons gave her strength to fight back. Her defiance gives voice to those who’ve been and continue to be sexually exploited.
• Sunday, May 4, 2:45 pm
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
• Q&A with Gabriela Bohm
• Community Sponsor: MorningStar Commission
Playing with:
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Short/Canada/USA/38 minutes/2013
Directed by Malcolm Clarke
Winner of the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short
One of the most inspirational and uplifting stories of the year. As the world’s oldest holocaust survivor and pianist, 109 year-old Alice Herz Sommer shares her views on how to live a long and happy life. She found a way to survive in the camp… through music. Alice played over 100 concerts in Theresienstadt. The film features beautiful photographs and rare film footage that truly brings Alice’s extraordinary story to life.
• Q&A with Phillip Goldfine, Executive Producer
Opening Night
West Coast Premiere Short/USA/15 minutes/2013
Directed by Daniel Finkelman
Starring Dudu Fisher
Set in the early 70s, a Holocaust survivor tries to come to terms with his past in order to reconstruct his relationship with his family in the present.
Playing with:
It Happened in Havana; A Yiddish Love Story
West Coast Premiere Documentary/USA/27 minutes/2013
Directed by Judy Schiller
He didn’t speak Spanish. She didn’t speak English. After 61 years of marriage they were still on their honeymoon. A charming couple looks back at their childhoods on the lower east side of NYC and in Europe, their courtship in Cuba and their life together.
• Tuesday, May 6, 12:30 pm
National Council of Jewish Women
• Community Sponsor: Café Europa
• Sponsored by Chana & Phil Bell in honor of Sophie & Max Lazar
