This year's festival gathers new films from Brazil, Germany, Israel, France, and the US for an exciting look at issues relating to cultural identity, survival, history, and memory. From hilarious delights like Sixty Six (with Helena Bonham Carter) and Opening Night's Souvenirs, to the gripping historical dramas Six Days and Rabin-Peres: Everything is Personal, to the solemn My Father My Lord and the enigmatic Heartbeat Detector (with the fabulous Mathieu Amalric) these films display a huge diversity of moods and interests as well as immense strength and vitality.

Souvenirs Mar. *26, 29
   *Mar. 26 at 7:30 Opening Night Reception
Constantine's Sword Mar. *27, 29
   *Mar. 27 at 7:30 w/filmmaker Oren Jacoby
Go In Peace, Rain Mar. 29, 31
Six Days Mar. 29, Apr. 3
Steal a Pencil for Me Mar. *30, Apr. 1
   *Mar. 30 at noon w/Jack & Ina Polak, the film's subjects
Refusenik (Work-in-Progress) Mar. 30, *Apr. 1
   *Apr. 1 at 7:30 w/AJC Executive Director David Harris & (new) the film's director Laura Bialis
Black over White Mar. 30, Apr. 2
A Hebrew Lesson Mar. 31 at 7:15 w/filmmaker David Ofek
The Champagne Spy Apr. *2, 5
   *Apr. 2 at 7:30 w/Eran Lerman, Exec. Director of the AJC Israel/Middle East office, reception
Praying with Lior Apr. 3, *6
   *Apr. 6 at 5:30 w/Lior & his stepmother Lynne Iser, and Gary Rosenblatt, Editor/Publisher of The Jewish Week
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation Apr. 5, 6
Jellyfish Apr. 5, 7
Sweet Mud Apr. 5, 8
Aviva My Love Apr. 6, 7
The Golem Apr. 9 at 7:00 with Live Musical Accompaniment by The BQE Project Ensemble and Q&A with author/translator Curt Leviant
Rabin-Peres: Everything Is Personal Apr. *10, 12
   *Apr. 10 at 7:15 w/Steven Bayme, Dir. of the AJC Contemporary Jewish Life Dept.
Beaufort Apr. 12, 14
Heartbeat Detector Apr. 12, 14
My Father My Lord Apr. 12, 15
Sixty Six Apr. 13, 15
Children of the Sun Apr. 13, *16
   *Apr. 16 at 7:15 w/former kibbutzers Yoel Magid, Naomi Cohen & Jeff Cohen
The Unknown Soldier Apr. 13, 17
Blessed is the Match May 7 at 7:30 w/Viktor Polgár, Consul Genl. of Hungary
    to New York, reception


Festival Sponsors

SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	Wed. Mar. 26 at 7:30 Opening Night with Reception SOUVENIRS Mar. *26 & 29 Shahar Cohen/Halil Efrat. 2006. 75 min. NR. Israel, in English/Hebrew with subtitles. Israeli Films. In the "mischievous, involving memoir" (Variety) that was the surprise winner of the Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award, filmmaker Shahar Cohen takes his father on a European road trip, setting off to track the path the aging man took as a member of the Jewish Brigade in World War II. But that exalted idea quickly becomes a search for wartime girlfriends, and a little something else as well. This is a documentary that plays like a work of delightful, touching fiction—a more entertaining, irreverent, crotchety father/son pair is hard to imagine. Voted Best Documentary by the Israeli Film Academy. *Wed. Mar. 26 at 7:30: Followed by Opening Night Reception. Tickets: $10 (members), $15 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	CONSTANTINE'S SWORD Mar. *27 & 29 Oren Jacoby. 2006. 93 min. NR. US, in English/German/Italian/ Yiddish, with subtitles. First Run Features. Director Oren Jacoby follows author, journalist, playwright, and former Catholic priest James Carroll through his controversial history of the Catholic church and anti-Semitism. Beginning with the scandal of the growing influence of evangelical Christianity within today's US Air Force Academy—and with it, rising religious intolerance—we're then taken on a journey back to biblical times, Rome, and the Crusades. This new film is both a fascinating detective story that works to uncover the roots of religious intolerance and a cautionary tale about the dangers that lurk in America today. *Thurs. Mar. 27 at 7:30: Q&A w/filmmaker Oren Jacoby who directed, produced, and cowrote Constantine's Sword. He was last at the JBFC with Sister Rose's Passion (2005). Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	GO IN PEACE, RAIN Mar. 29, 31 Reuven Hecker. 2007. 84 min. NR. Israel, in various languages with subtitles. Ruth Diskin Films. Centuries ago the melody of an ancient prayer began to spread as Jewish communities dispersed through Europe and ultimately around the world. Eventually this haunting tune (with a brand-new set of lyrics) became Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem. By tracking the melody's wanderings, Reuven Hecker has created a warm, wonderful, and scholarly film, a music-filled documentary that reveals the richness and depth of Jewish musical culture.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	SIX DAYS Mar. 29, Apr. 3 Ilan Ziv. 2007. 108 min. NR. US/ Israel/France, in English/Hebrew/ Arabic/Russian with subtitles. 7th Art Releasing. "Six Days gives The Battle of Algiers a run for its money." (Time Out New York) This mesmerizing documentary on the Six-Day War is "an enlightening history lesson with the narrative momentum of an engrossing drama" (Variety). Flying along at the pace of a breakneck political thriller, Six Days is a comprehensive retelling of the war that dramatically reshaped the Middle East and altered the modern history of the region in ways still felt today. It's crammed with larger-than-life personalities captured in fantastic archival footage from both sides of the conflict.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME Mar. *30, Apr. 1 Michèle Ohayon. 2007. 94 min. NR. US, in English/Dutch with subtitles. 7th Art Releasing. Jack and Manja Polak were living a cheerless married life in Amsterdam in 1943—he was a poor accountant; she, his capricious wife—when they were shipped off to a Nazi labor camp. There Jack re-encountered Ina, on whom he'd previously developed a crush. Their clandestine affair took root and blossomed, sustaining them through the horrors of Bergen-Belsen and beyond, into a marriage that endures today. A documentary by Oscar–nominated director Michèle Ohayon, this unusual holocaust story testifies to the persistence of love—even in the most monstrous of places. *Sun. Mar. 30 at noon: Q&A w/Jack and Ina Polak who will celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary this year. They now live in Westchester. Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	REFUSENIK (work-in-progress) Mar. 30, *Apr. 1 Laura Bialis. 2007. Approx. 100 min. NR. US, in Russian/English with subtitles. Abramorama. About a nearly forgotten but critical chapter in Jewish history, this sweeping new documentary by Laura Bialis recounts the story of the 30-year-long grassroots movement to give Soviet Jews the right to emigrate to Israel. Told through the eyes of activists on both sides of the Iron Curtain—among them, Natan and Avital Sharansky—Refusenik is a gripping account of the heroism and sacrifice that led to freedom for 1.5 million Russian Jews. *Tues. Apr. 1 at 7:30: Q&A w/AJC executive director David Harris, a widely recognized expert on Jewish communities worldwide, global anti-Semitism, Israel's quest for peace and security, and human rights. New! The film's director Laura Bialis will join the discussion. Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	BLACK OVER WHITE Mar. 30, Apr. 2 Tomer Heymann. 2007. 50 min. NR. Israel, in Hebrew/Amharic with subtitles. TTV. A band that's hugely popular in Israel and beyond, the Idan Raichel Project features pop songs with lyrics carrying a message of tolerance and melodies blending Ethiopian and other African Jewish traditions with Arab, Caribbean, South African, and other sounds. In this rousing documentary, filmmaker Heymann follows the gifted, dreadlock-wearing Raichel and his band on a 2006 tour in Ethiopia. A joyful musical exploration of identity and the elusive meaning of home.
BUY TICKETS	A HEBREW LESSON Mon. Mar. 31 David Ofek/Ron Rotem. 2006. 123 min. NR. Israel/ China/Russia, in various languages with subtitles. Eden Productions. Following the lives of several Hebrew-language students who have recently arrived in Israel, this prize-winning documentary drives home the surprising reality of Israel as one of the most culturally diverse countries on earth, home to both Jewish and non-Jewish immigrants from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It's a sharp look at the crazily varied tales that make up modern Israeli life, full of stories that are in turn warm, funny, and heartrending. Mon. Mar. 31 at 7:15: Q&A w/award-winning co-director/co-writer David Ofek. Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	THE CHAMPAGNE SPY Apr. *2, 5 Nadav Schirman. 2007. 90 min. NR. Israel/Germany, in Hebrew with subtitles. Israeli Films. The astounding true story of a blond, blue-eyed Mossad agent living undercover as an ex-Nazi German millionaire in Egypt. Ze'ev Gur Arie (alias Wolfgang Lotz) so thoroughly embraced his covert identity that he turned his back on his real family. Breaking over 40 years of silence, Arie's son reveals the heavy price he and his mother paid during a life of secrets and deceit. Includes frank interviews with Mossad agents and a wealth of other rare and exclusive material. Best Documentary, Israeli Film Academy. *Wed. Apr. 2 at 7:30: Q&A w/Eran Lerman, followed by reception. Eran Lerman is Executive Director of the AJC Israel/Middle East office in Jerusalem, a top strategic analyst on the Middle East, and a regular op-ed contributor to Israeli and US newspapers. Tickets: $9 (members), $13 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	PRAYING WITH LIOR Apr. 3, *6 Ilana Trachtman. 2007. 88 min. NR. US. First Run Features. Affectionate and bubbly, Lior, who has Down syndrome, is a spiritual savant whose devotion to prayer is as deep as his love of life. This documentary draws us into his world on the eve of his bar mitzvah, which he celebrates with joyful abandon, and asks questions about disability while honoring family, community, and the human spirit. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Boston Jewish Film Festival. *Sun. Apr. 6 at 5:30: Q&A w/Lior, his stepmother Lynne Iser and Gary Rosenblatt, editor and publisher, The Jewish Week, followed by reception. Tickets: $12 (members), $16 (nonmembers) Sponsored by The Jewish Week
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	THE YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION Apr. 5, 6 Cao Hamburger. 2006. 105 min. NR. Brazil, in Portuguese/Yiddish with subtitles. It's 1970 in Brazil, and Mauro's world has been turned upside down. His leftist parents have been forced underground to escape the brutal regime, and the 12-year-old ends up living in the alien environment of his grandfather's Jewish community in São Paulo. The one unshakable force in his young life is the regular broadcast of soccer matches on TV—not to mention Brazil's dream of winning the World Cup for the third time. A gentle, award-winning coming-of-age drama, a wonderful evocation of a time and place.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	JELLYFISH Apr. 5, 7 Etgar Keret/Shira Geffen. 2007. 78 min. NR. Israel/France, in Hebrew with subtitles. Zeitgeist Films. The first feature by two of Israel's most beloved writers—and straight from its acclaimed debut at the New Directors/ New Films series at Lincoln Center—Jellyfish tells the story of three very different Tel Aviv women: a waitress who takes in a seemingly abandoned child, a bride with a broken leg, and a domestic worker from the Philippines. Their intersecting stories weave an unlikely portrait of modern Israeli life in this "cleverly stylized, serio-comic ensemble piece" (Variety) that won the prize for Best First Feature at the Cannes Film Festival.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	SWEET MUD Apr. 5, 8 Dror Shaul. 2006. 100 min. NR. Israel/Germany, in Hebrew/French with subtitles. Israeli Films. In this forceful, acclaimed drama, Israel's submission to the 2007 Oscars, filmmaker Dror Shaul challenges romantic notions about kibbutz life through the experiences of his young hero, who must navigate between the community's philosophy of equality and the stinging reality that he and his emotionally unstable mother must face. Winner of Best Feature at Berlin, the Dramatic World Cinema Jury Award at Sundance, and Best Film from the Israeli Academy.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	AVIVA MY LOVE Apr. 6, 7 Shemi Zarhin. 2006. 107 min. NR. Israel, in Hebrew with subtitles. United King Films. This sharp and darkly funny drama broke box-office records in Israel, actually outselling even the latest Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean installments when it was released. The magnificent Asi Levi plays hard-working Aviva, who tends to her kvetchy children, unstable mother, unemployed husband, and exhausting job—and clings, against all odds, to her dream of becoming a writer. Winner of six awards (including Best Picture) from the Israeli Film Academy.
BUY TICKETS	THE GOLEM Wed. Apr. 9 at 7:00 Live musical accompaniment by the BQE Project Paul Wegener/Carl Boese. 1920. 85 min. Germany. Silent. Kino International. Widely recognized as the source of the Frankenstein story, the Hebrew legend of the Golem dates to the time of the Talmud. In one of the great films of the early 20th century, set in 16th-century Prague, the character of Rabbi Loew creates and brings to life the man-shaped clay figure to protect the Jewish people—but things go terribly wrong. The BQE Project will accompany the silent film with a live performance of an original score by Tom Nazziola. This New York–based ensemble performs in theaters nationwide "with an energy and a spirit that make classic cinema come to life in whole new ways" (Philadelphia Inquirer). BQE last appeared at the JBFC with The Blue Angel. The Golem score was originally commissioned by Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College, Feb. 15, 2007. Q&A w/Curt Leviant, prize-winning author and translator of dozens of books, including a new translation of The Golem from the original Hebrew, Isaac Bashevis Singer's More Stories from My Father's Court, and five volumes of Sholom Aleichem stories. He is a professor of Hebrew and Yiddish at Rutgers University. Book signing follows. Tickets: $12 (members), $18 (nonmembers) The Golem is made possible with support from The David Berg Foundation. Their support also allows the JBFC to present this special program to students completely free of charge during the school day.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	RABIN-PERES: EVERYTHING IS PERSONAL Apr. *10, 12 Arik Henig. 2007. 88 min. NR. Israel, in Hebrew with subtitles. Dragoman Film Distribution. "The battle between Rabin and Peres is every bit as nasty as the ultimate sports rivalry." (Jerusalem Post) An extraordinarily gripping exploration of the complex professional and personal ties linking Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, two men with radically different backgrounds and temperaments whose actions—and rivalry—dramatically shaped today's Middle East. Filmmaker Henig, who has served as media and political advisor to Rabin and other Israeli leaders, uses never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews to present the two men in a fresh light. *Thurs. Apr. 10 at 7:15: Q&A w/Steven Bayme, director of the AJC Contemporary Jewish Life Department and the Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations. Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	BEAUFORT Apr. 12, 14 Joseph Cedar. 2007. 125 min. NR. Israel, in Hebrew with subtitles. Kino International. "The first great Israeli war film." (Jerusalem Post) Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this cinematic powerhouse of a drama chronicles an Israeli army unit's defense of a strategic bunker inside a 12th-century Crusader fortress near the Lebanese border at the end of nearly two decades of occupation. This mesmerizing war/antiwar film from the director of the acclaimed Campfire has won prizes the world over—including the Berlin Film Festival's Best Director award and the Boston Jewish Film Festival's Audience Award.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	HEARTBEAT DETECTOR Apr. 12, 14 Nicolas Klotz. 2007. 144 min. NR. France, in French with subtitles. New Yorker Films. Heartbeat Detector is a stylish thriller starring the extraordinary Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) as the dispassionate in-house fixer for a German petrochemical giant who digs a little too deep into his company's secrets. Elegant, cool, and enigmatic, it's a surehanded film that only slowly gives up its mysteries.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	MY FATHER MY LORD Apr. 12, 15 David Volach. 2007. 73 min. NR. Israel, in Hebrew with subtitles. Israeli Films. "An arthouse dream." (Variety) Winner of the Tribeca Film Festival, My Father My Lord is a quiet, intense film of shattering power and dreamlike beauty. Filmmaker David Volach drew upon his upbringing as one of 19 children in an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem family to create this tale of a revered rabbi's effort to impart his deep faith to his young son. Framed as a variation on the biblical stories of Job, and of Abraham and Isaac, this haunting drama features the brilliant Assi Dayan (son of Moshe) as a true believer forced to confront the limits of his faith.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	SIXTY SIX Apr. 13, 15 Paul Weiland. 2006. 93 min. PG-13. UK. Universal Pictures. The riotous British coming-of-age comedy features Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Rea, and newcomer Gregg Sulkin as the young Londoner Bernie Rubens. Bernie just can't wait for his bar mitzvah. For once, he figures, he'll finally be the center of attention, and family and friends will have to put distractions aside. But it's the summer of '66, and World Cup fever is mounting as the English team knocks off rival after rival—and what's worse, it looks like Bernie's special day will coincide with the final match. A delightful, charming drama.
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	CHILDREN OF THE SUN Apr. 13, *16 Ran Tal. 2007. 70 min. PG. Israel/US, in Hebrew with subtitles. Ruth Diskin Films. The much talked-about winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival, Children of the Sun is an unconventional history of the kibbutz movement that inspired so many of the original settlers in the Holy Land. What was it like to grow up fired by such strong idealism? What was the impact of living in the children's house, the quarters where children were raised together—but largely separate from their parents—practically from birth? Director Ran Tal, who himself grew up on a kibbutz, turns to other members of his generation, using their words and home movies to reveal a thoroughly fascinating, conflicted, and authentic portrait of a disappearing world. *Wed. Apr. 16 at 7:15: Q&A w/Yoel Magid, Naomi Cohen & Jeff Cohen. Yoel Magid, executive director of the Westchester Reform Temple, Scarsdale, lived for 25 years on Kibbutz Be'eri, where his three children grew up in children's houses. Naomi and Jeff Cohen's children grew up in a children's house on Kibbutz Ein Hashofet, where Naomi herself was born and raised. Jeff Cohen is presently Westchester County Court Judge. Tickets: $6 (members), $10 (nonmembers)
SHOWTIMES/TICKETS	THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER Apr. 13, 17 Michael Verhoeven. 2006. 97 min. NR. Germany, in German with subtitles. First Run Features. A major museum exhibition rocked Germany in 1999 when it took on the widely accepted myth that common Nazi foot soldiers were blameless for the Holocaust and related atrocities. Protest and accusations arose on all sides as people demanded to know if the photographs and other documents on view were legitimate or doctored. Michael Verhoeven (The Nasty Girl) wades into the controversy, peering into Germany's conflicted soul, revealing one chilling image after another and interviewing historians, experts, and the ever-angry man on the street.
BUY TICKETS	Special Added Event: Work-in-Progress May 7 at 7:30 BLESSED IS THE MATCH Roberta Grossman. 2008. 84 min. NR. Israel, in English/Hebrew/Hungarian with subtitles. A brand-new documentary about Hannah Senesh, who was only 23 when she was executed by the Nazis after volunteering for a mission to protect other Hungarian Jews about to be sent to Auschwitz. Her heroism and the idealism expressed in her poetry made her an Israeli icon. Q&A w/Viktor Polgár, the Hungarian Consul General to New York, followed by a reception. Tickets: $9 (members), $13 (nonmembers)
Film Festival Selection Committee Steve Apkon, Executive Director, JBFC Brian Ackerman, Programming Director, JBFC Kaj Wilson, Artistic Director, The Boston Jewish Film Festival Westchester Jewish Film Festival 2008 is Sponsored by In Association With With Support From AIX Restaurant and Bar; Cuddy & Feder LLP Attorneys at Law; Ganer, Grossbach & Ganer, LLC Certified Public Accountants and Robison Oil, Gas, Air Conditioning
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