3Rd Annual Israel Through Documentary Films Open to the Entire Community
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Contact: Sherri Morris, Education Director FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Telephone: 919/942-5817 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.kehillahsynagogue.org Kehillah Synagogue Hosts Reel Israel: 3rd Annual Israel through Documentary Films Open to the entire community Through five incredible documentary films, go on a tour of Israel like you’ve never seen before. Each film screening will be followed by evocative, honest discussions, led by Shai Ginsburg. Tugging at your heart and your mind, these films are not to be missed. Through the skilled facilitation of Professor Shai Ginsburg, this series will bring people of diverse backgrounds together in a way that creates dialogue. We'll begin not with rhetoric or political analysis, but by exploring and responding to real human stories. Through documentary film, we'll gain insight into the lived reality -- the heart and soul -- of this complex land. The series will create an opportunity for a nuanced and grounded discussion of contemporary issues -- including the conflict -- that affect Israel and the region. (Rabbi Jen Feldman) Films Jan. 24, 7-9 p.m. Life Sentences Feb. 7, 7-9 p.m. Tale of Nicolai & the Law of Return Feb. 21, 7-9 p.m. The Green Prince Feb 28, 7-9 p.m. Farewell, Herr Schwartz Mar. 14, 8-10 p.m Do You Believe in Love? Registration (919)-942-8914; suggested donation: $25/person for the series or $6/person for each film to be paid at the door. Shai Ginsburg Shai was born & raised in Beersheba, Israel. He teaches Israel and Jewish culture, literature and cinema at Duke University and writes film reviews for the online magazine Souciant. This past summer he was among the organizers of the first ever academic conference on Israeli documentary filmmaking as part of the 2012 Jerusalem International Film Festival. Credits This series is part of an ongoing collaboration between Duke University & the Israeli Documentary Filmmakers Forum and is made possible through generous donations by David & Adele Roth and Stan & Marion Robboy. About the film series by Shai Ginsburg: In recent years, Israeli films in general and Israeli documentary films in particular have received growing attention in the US and have been met with increasing critical and commercial success. This attention, however, has been by and large limited to films that address the Jewish Holocaust and the Israeli Palestinian conflict. These are indeed central to contemporary Israel, but their prominence in films screened outside of Israel, to the exclusion of other issues, means that the great wealth of Israeli filmmaking commonly remains out of sight. Israeli filmmaking is much more diverse, and engages a greater wealth of issues, themes, and forms than are often seen in this country. One cannot understand Israeli society without addressing the social, economic and ethnic complexities that characterize it. Further, the ways the Holocaust and the conflict play out cannot be fully understood without taking into account the context in which the two are addressed. By the same token, one cannot appreciate Israeli films that engage with the Holocaust and the conflict when these are removed from the diversity of Israeli filmmaking. In this series we aim to diversify the vision of Israel. We are screening some of the most successful, both critically and commercially acclaimed, Israeli documentary films in recent years. The films explore a wide range of issues and themes: immigration and emigration, aging, gender, ethnicity, Israeli urban centers and the kibbutz, past dreams and present reality and, yes, also the Israeli Palestinian conflict and the Jewish Holocaust. Through the series we will initiate an informed, nuanced discussion about Israel and Israeli documentary filmmaking. Specific Film Information: (titles contain links to trailers) Jan. 24, 7-9 p.m. Life Sentences An Arab man marries a Jewish woman and they live in quiet harmony within the Arab-Jewish community with their son and daughter. The family unit is broken when they discover that their Arab father is behind dozens of terror attacks. The Van Leer Group Foundation Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2013 Jerusalem Film Festival. Feb. 7, 7-9 p.m. Tale of Nicolai & the Law of Return The story of Nicolai begins in a tiny, remote village in the Romanian region of Moldavia. With the collapse of communism, Nicolai suddenly found himself out of work, so he decided to seek his fortune overseas, far from his family and home. For three years he worked as a guest laborer in Israel, exploited to the hilt by the company that sent him there. He had little contact with his wife, who gave birth in his absence. Finally, determined to gain control of destiny, Nicolai fled his employer and became an "illegal". He was caught by the police and sent to prison, but suddenly his life took an abrupt turn and at once everything changed... Nicolai plays himself in this film, and relieves the dramatic events of his lifeas his story unfolds, the film raises ethical questions about life in Israel and the kind of law that defines Israel's national identity. The 2008 Wolgin Award for best documentary at the Jerusalem International Film Festival. Feb. 21, 7-9 p.m. The Green Prince This film is based on the New York Times Bestseller SON OF HAMAS – the memoir by Mosab Hassan Yousef, one of Israel's prized intelligence sources, recruited to spy on his own people for over a decade. Focusing on his complex relationship with his handler, this is a gripping account of terror, betrayal, unthinkable choices, political intrigue - and friendship that defies all boundaries. A Palestinian in Ramallah, Mosab Hassan Yousef, grows up angry and ready to fight Israel. Arrested for smuggling guns at the age of 17, he's interrogated by the Shin Bet, Israel's security service, and sent to prison. But shocked by Hamas's ruthless tactics in the prison and the organization's escalating campaign of suicide bombings outside, Mosab agrees to spy for Israel. For him, there is no greater shame. For his Shin Bet handler, Gonen, there is no greater prize: "operating" the oldest son of a founding member of Hamas. That they could reach a point of trust or friendship seems absurd... Winner of Sundance Film Festival 2014 Audience Award - Best Documentary, World Cinema; Moscow International Film Festival 2014 - Audience Award; Docaviv Awards 2014 - Best Editing and Ophir Award for Best Israeli Documentary, Feb 28, 7-9 p.m. Farewell, Herr Schwartz A meeting that was mysteriously missed in 1945 divides a Family into two. Michla Schwartz, survives the death camps and travels to a Jewish state that is about to be founded in the Middle East while her brother – Fei’vke who is considered dead, changes his name to Peter and stays to live in the last place his sister would think of. But they are only the beginning. Their choices sink into the lives of their children and their grandchildren. One family divided into two is exposed to its reflection. The Israeli side reflects in the German side with vise verse without one knowing about the existence of the other for more than 50 years. A cinematic journey starting with the simple question “what really happened in 1945” evolves to a complex conclusion about the power of myths and our need to hold on to them. Best Documentary - Haifa IFF; DEFA Award - Dok Leipzig; Dialogue Award - Cottbus FF; Best Film - Schleswig Holstein Film Festival 2014; Outstanding Storytelling Award - First Film Fest 2014 Mar. 14, 8-10 p.m. Do You Believe in Love? Even though Tova does not believe in love, she has had a remarkable success as a matchmaker. People flock to her apartment where her husband, housekeeper and daughter weigh in as she divines matches. Tova, who is paralyzed due to muscular dystrophy, specializes in finding matches for people with disabilities. Her tough-love approach leads to a unique matchmaking style but her passion for the work and her clients is undeniable. Funny, heartwarming and endlessly entertaining, this documentary follows Tova over the course of a year and introduces the viewer to her family, inviting us to join in on her pain, humor, love and enormous lust for life. .