Rehoboth Beach Jewish Film Festival

March 22nd, 2017 - 7:00 pm to March 26th, 2017 - 5:00 pm

At the Rehoboth Beach Cinema Art Theater
17701 Dartmouth Drive

The Rehoboth Beach Film Society is pleased to partner with Seaside Jewish Community in presenting the second annual Rehoboth Beach Jewish Film Festival. The mission of this event is "to deepen awareness of Jewish cultures and experiences, and to explore community differences and commonalities through the art of film."

Ten films, (total of 11 screenings) will be presented over a period of five days (Wed, March 22 – Sun, March 26) at the Cinema Art Theater, 17701 Dartmouth Drive, Dartmouth Plaza (behind the Lewes Wawa). This year’s intriguing selection of films offer insights into historical events – both past and present, perspectives on gender issues, and stories of love, courage and bravery. To respect the Jewish Sabbath, Seaside Jewish Community is not hosting the films on Friday night or Saturday afternoon.
 
Focus (Pre-Festival event)
Thursday, March 16 at 7:00 PM
 
Lawrence Newman is a meek ordinary Presbyterian who can trace his ancestry back to the 18th century.  He hasn’t experienced a day of trouble in his cautious life until he gets a new pair of glasses and suddenly everyone – including his own mother – decides he “looks Jewish.” When he and his new wife become the focus of his neighbors' prejudice, Newman is faced with a choice, go down as a coward or take a chance at becoming the unlikeliest of heroes. Set in a stylized Brooklyn during the waning months of WW ll, FOCUS is based on the 1945 novel by playwright Arthur Miller. Nominated for numerous film festival awards, it earned the Human Rights Award from the U.A. Political Film Society and William Macy's performance earned him the Best Actor prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2002. In his film review for the “Minneapolis Star Tribune” Jeff Strickler said, “It serves as a forceful reminder of how small a difference there can be between unity and bigotry.” [2001, USA, Runtime: 106 minutes, PG-13]
 
This film is being hosted by the Hank Smith family and is dedicated to all those who’ve experienced anti-Semitism or prejudice of any kind and to those who refuse to allow an anti-Semitic or racist remark to go unchallenged.
 
A post film discussion will be led by Professor Eric Zakim. Professor Zakim is director of the Film Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Professor Zakim holds other core faculty appointments there as well most notably in the Graduate Field Committee in Middle East Studies and in the Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies. His research and teaching focus primarily on modern Hebrew literature and Israeli culture.
 
IN SEARCH OF ISRAELI CUISINE
Wednesday, March 22 at 3:30 PM
 
In this gastronomical expedition through the most dynamic food scene in the world, celebrity restaurateur, Michael Solomonov returns to his homeland to put a face on the food culture of Israel. From street markets and family kitchens to some of the most elite eateries in Tel Aviv, the filmmaker follows Michael as he discusses traditions, ingredients, and the origins and future of Israeli cuisine. Featuring interviews with chefs, home cooks, cheese makers, and vintners from the more than 100 cultures that make up Israeli today, Solomonov is the perfect guide on this culinary adventure. A 2011 James Beard Award winner for “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic,” Solomonov was named National Chef of the Year (2014) by “Eater”, whose restaurant editor, Bill Addison, hailed him as “the genius of modern Jewish cooking.” [2016, USA, Runtime: 120 minutes, NR] 
 
This film is being hosted by Fran and Mike Saltzman.
 
FEVER AT DAWN
Thursday, March 23 at 4:00 PM
 
When 25-year-old Mikos, recently released from a concentration camp, is told he has six months to live, he refuses to accept his prognosis. Instead, he starts a letter writing campaign to Hungarian girls living in the Swedish rehabilitation camps, looking for a wife. Lili, bedridden and bored, receives one of his letters and begins a formal communication. Based on the original love notes written by the filmmaker’s parents (ninety-six in all), FEVER AT DAWN is a life affirming film about a young couple overcoming obstacles  to get on with the business of living. When interviewed, the filmmaker said, “I needed to tell the story of their (his parents) defiant desire to live, that there’s life after death and how important love was." FEVER AT DAWN won a Best Feature award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival 2016. [2016, Israel/Switzerland/Hungary, Runtime: 114 minutes, Hungarian and Hebrew with English subtitles, NR]
 
This film is being hosted by Roberta H. Bass in memory of her dearly departed husband, Michael S. Bass.
 
THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER
Friday, March 24 at 12:30 PM
 
The film opens in 1957 Frankfurt. Attorney General Fritz Bauer receives crucial evidence on the whereabouts of SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann is allegedly hiding in Buenos Aires. The information is persuasive but if Bauer takes it to Interpol or the German authorities, its likely Eichmann will be warned and will flee. Instead, he contacts the Israeli secret service Mossad, and by doing so, commits treason. THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER won a German Film Award’s Outstanding Feature Film, a Hessian Film Award’s Best Film and an Audience Award at the Locarno International Film Festival. The “New York Times” film critic Ken Jaworowski calls it, “A historical drama that radiates surprise… From start to finish, it’s absorbing.”   A post film discussion will be moderated by Mike Saltzman. [2015, Germany, 105 minutes, German, English, Yiddish, Spanish with English subtitles]
 
This film is being hosted by Kathy Jackson and Jacob Lapides in memory of all the Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust.
 
SABENA HIJACKING: MY VERSION (TWO SCREENINGS)
Friday, March 24 at 3:30 PM
            AND
Sat, March 25 at 4:00 PM
 
Striking reenactments and harrowing testimonies combine in this political thriller about a terrorist siege that forever shaped the Jewish State. On May 8, 1972, four hijackers from the Palestinian organization "Black September" took control of Belgian Sabena Flight 571 from Brussels to Tel Aviv. The hijacking marked the beginning of thirty terrifying hours of human, military and political drama inside and outside of the plane. Weaved with genuine archival material, events are recalled firsthand by passengers, newly discovered recordings by the pilot, and an interview with the sole remaining hijacker. Also included are interviews with Benjamin Netanyahu, Simon Peres and Ehud Barak, future Israeli leaders who were involved with ending the crisis. This captivating docu-drama poses significant questions about the seeds and legacy of political terrorism. SABENA HIJACKING: MY VERSION won Audience Awards at both the Charlotte and LA Israeli Film Festivals. It was also nominated for an Ophir Award (Israeli Academy Award) for best documentary film. [2015, Israel, Runtime: 99 minutes, In Arabic / Hebrew / English with English sub-titles, NR]
 
The Friday screening is being hosted by Bud and Carol Simon. 
 
The Saturday screening is being hosted by Elsa Goldstein, MD.
 
MOOS
Friday, March 24 at 7:00 PM
 
Twenty-something Moos has always dreamed of going to acting school but instead stayed in her hometown to take care of her grieving father. Her life consists of cooking, cleaning and helping out in the family’s fabric shop. But when her childhood friend Sam arrives unexpectedly, Moos gets the nudge she needs to reexamine her life and the choices she’s made. She soon realizes that she needs to follow her own dreams before it’s too late. This charming and contemporary comedy is an inspiring tale of a young girl’s search to find her voice and, in the process, herself. The Jewish Renaissance blog says “Moos is a delight from start to finish.”  [2016, Netherlands, Runtime: 91 minutes, Dutch with English subtitles, NR]
 
This film is being hosted by Rochelle Cohen.
 
EVERY FACE HAS A NAME
Saturday, March 25 at 1:00 PM
 
On April 28, 1945 hundreds of survivors from German concentration camps arrive to the harbor of Malmö, Sweden. Their faces are captured on film as they take their first steps towards freedom. But who are they and what are their stories? In this fascinating documentary, filmmaker Magnus Gertten tracks down several of those survivors who watch this footage and re-experience their emotions from that day. Bernard Kempler was 9-years-old when he came to Malmö. He survived the war by dressing as a girl. Elsie Ragusin, an American from New York City, was visiting her grandparents in Italy when she was accused of being a spy. She was put in a boxcar and sent to Auschwitz. These and many other stories are revealed. The film creates a visual parallel with refugees disembarking in Europe today, some 70 years later, and asks the question, will they too remain nameless faces? EVERY FACE HAS A NAME won the Church of Sweden’s significant cash prize at the Gothenburg fest in 2015, a prestigious Focal International Award in 2016, and a Best Political Film at the 2016 Hamburg Film Festival. [2015, Sweden, Runtime: 73 minutes, Swedish / Polish / Norwegian/English with English subtitles, NR
 
This film is being hosted by Laura Glenn & Marilyn Kates.
 
A post film discussion will be led by Judge Joan Churchill (Ret), U.S. Immigration Court. Judge Churchill served as Immigration Judge for the United States Immigration Court from 1980 – 2005, during which she adjudicated thousands of cases involving refugee status. Her tenure included five terms as a Temporary Member of the Board of Immigration Appeals. Before joining the bench, Judge Churchill practiced immigration law and served on the staff of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. She is a member of Seaside Jewish Community and is past President of the National Association of Women Judges.  
 
KEEP QUIET
Sunday, March 26 at 12:00 (Noon)
 
Fanatic in his anti-Semitic rhetoric and Holocaust denials, Csanad Szegedi rises to vice-president of Jobbik, Hungary’s far-right extremist party. Then at the peak of his political career, Szegedi discovers his family has kept a secret for decades – his maternal grandparents are Jewish and his beloved grandmother a survivor of Auschwitz. Life as Szegedi knows it, is over. Rejected by his party and unable to uphold the pillars of his previous life, he sets out on a personal journey to embrace his newfound faith. But is the charismatic Szegedi’s transformation evidence of genuine atonement and spiritual awakening, or simply the actions of a desperate man who has nowhere else to turn. KEEP QUIET was featured in “The 10 Best Movies at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.” “Jewish Week” called it, “A superb piece of nonfiction filmmaking, telling a story of import with grace and intelligence.” [2016, UK/Hungary, Runtime: 90 minutes, In English and Hungarian with English subtitles, NR]
 
This film is hosted by Roberta H. Bass in memory of her Halle and Eisenstein family members who perished in German death camps at the hands of the Nazis.
 
A post film discussion will be moderated by Tom Ledbetter. Tom is a pastoral psychotherapist at Brandywine Pastoral Institute in Lewes where he is in private practice with his wife Donna. He will speak to the religious, psychological and political complexities of the film.
 
Rosenfeld’s Roadside Jewish Deli food truck will be in the Cinema Art Theater parking lot on Sunday, March 26 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm serving traditional Jewish delicacies including sandwiches, soups, and desserts. Please note – the food truck accepts both cash and credit/debit cards.
 
Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of each screening. Admission prices are $10 per screening (except FOCUS, which is $5 per screening). Tickets can be obtained online at www.rehobothfilm.com, by calling 302-645-9095, ext. 1, or visiting the RBFS office, Mon – Fri, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm. Please note that tickets are non-refundable.
 
The mission of the RBFS is promoting cinematic arts and providing education and cultural enrichment for our community. The Film Society sponsors ongoing screenings, special events, and the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival (Nov 3 -12, 2017). Having met all the requirements for best practices in nonprofit management, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society is accredited by the Standards for Excellence Institute®. This organization is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
 
The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com. For more information on this series, other events, or to become a member, visit the Rehoboth Beach Film Society website at www.rehobothfilm.com, or call 302-645-9095.
 
 

 

Download the Festival Program HERE

For more information, visit www.rehobothfilm.org

 

 

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