Mandell JCC | VIRTUAL Mandell JCC HARTFORD JEWISH HARTFORD JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL Mandell JCC | VIRTUAL Mandell JCC HARTFORD JEWISH HARTFORD JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 28-APRIL 2, 2021 | WWW.HJFF.ORG Zachs Campus | 335 Bloomfield Ave. | West Hartford, CT 06117 | www.mandelljcc.org FILM SCHEDULE All films are available to view starting at 7:00pm. Viewing of films on the last day can begin up until 7:00pm. All Film Tickets - $12 per household DATE FILM PAGE TICKETS Feb 28-March 3 Holy Silence 11 Buy Now March 2-5 Asia 13 Buy Now March 3-6 Golden Voices 15 Buy Now March 5-8 Advocate 17 Buy Now March 6-9 When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit 19 Buy Now March 8-11 Here We Are 21 Buy Now March 9-12 ‘Til Kingdom Come 23 Buy Now March 11-14 Sublet 25 Buy Now March 13-16 My Name is Sara 27 Buy Now March 15-18 City of Joel 29 Buy Now March 16-19 Shared Legacies 30 Buy Now March 18-21 Incitement 33 Buy Now March 20-23 Thou Shalt Not Hate 35 Buy Now March 21-24 Viral 37 Buy Now March 23-26 Those Who Remained 39 Buy Now March 25-28 Latter Day Jew 41 Buy Now March 25-26 & 28-30 Mossad 43 Buy Now March 29-April 1 Shiva Baby 45 Buy Now March 30-April 2 The Crossing 47 Buy Now Mandell JCC Ticket Assistance: 860-231-6315 | tickets@mandelljcc.org 2 | www.hjff.org SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 HOLY SILENCE GOLDEN VOICES ASIA WHEN... Holy ADVOCATE... Silence REEL TALK 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ... HERE WE ARE SUBLET ...HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT ‘TIL KINGDOM COMES MY... ‘Til Kingdom Come REEL TALK 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 CITY OF JOEL INCITEMENT ...NAME IS SARA SHARED LEGACIES THOU... Shared Shared Legacies Legacies ALEPH REEL TALK REEL TALK 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 THOSE WHO REMAINED VIRAL LATTER DAY JEW ...SHALT NOT HATE Thou Shalt MOSSAD Not Hate & Viral REEL TALK 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 SHIVA BABY MOSSAD THE CROSSING 2 | www.hjff.org 25th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival | 3 Mandell JCC | VIRTUAL Mandell JCC HARTFORD JEWISH HARTFORD JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL Mandell JCC | VIRTUAL Mandell JCC HARTFORD JEWISH HARTFORD JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL FILM FESTIVAL Dear Film Fans, As I was leaving the house one morning, my phone rang. Film fest director Jill Ziplow was calling to confirm what we all knew had become inevitable: the 2020 film fest screens would be going dark. I later recorded 9:41AM on March 12 as the moment the pandemic became real to me. Fast forward a year, and we have the resources to produce a virtual festival. I am delighted to be directing the 2021 Hartford Jewish Film Fest, our 25th anniversary. The nine films remaining from 2020, selected by Jill; my fellow co-chairs Michael Fishman, Avinoam Patt, and Richard Order; and our dedicated committee, will be interspersed this year with ten additional films. All 19 will be shown through our virtual platform, Eventive. Each film will be available for three days, and you may watch when it is convenient. After you start a film, you will have 48 hours to finish it. The calendar is structured so you may watch all 19 films, and even take a few days off. I am personally grateful to Karen Wyckoff and David Jacobs for inviting me to direct this year’s festival, and to Avi Patt for his expertise. I appreciate the understanding of the Film Fest Committee that this wasn’t a usual year, and the selection process followed suit. Thank you to the committee members who sent encouraging notes, just as I was wondering what exactly I had undertaken! For teaching me so much along the way, which allowed us to cram six-eight months of work into four, I am indebted to former Directors Harriet Dobin and Jill Ziplow. Stay safe and enjoy the show, Jennifer Sharp 2021 Hartford Jewish Film Festival Director 4 | www.hjff.org 25th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival | 5 Mandell JCC 2021 Committee Mandell JCC Board of Directors Hartford Jewish Film Festival Peter Fishman, President Co-Chairs: Gayle W. Temkin, Chair Mike Fishman Richard Order Mandell JCC Professionals Festival Directors: David Jacobs, Executive Director Jill Ziplow, 2020 Annie Keith, Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Sharp, 2021 Kim Charron, Chief Financial Officer Karen Wyckoff, Chief Program Officer Festival Advisor: Michelle Bonner, Marketing Director Avinoam Patt Steve Evans, Creative Director Harriet Cutler Naomi Scheinerman, Executive Angela Epstein Administrator Carol Fishman Cheryl Couture, Controller Evelyn Fishman Rhonda Heisler Additional Support Sandra Hershson Iddo Patt, Theo Patt and the Sharone Kornman Eventive Team Alys Krichavsky Ruth Lazowski Edna Levy Smarter experiences for independent film Lauri Miller Judie Jacobson, Leslie Iarusso & Benson Monastersky The Jewish Ledger Staff Roberta Monastersky Denise Order Judy Resnick Nikki Shapiro Roth Rachel Rubin Jacob Schreiber Patty Schuster Debbie Shmerling Ronny Siegel Ruthan Wein Arts and culture programs at the Mandell JCC The Jewish Community Foundation of are funded, in part, by dollars raised through the Greater Hartford supports the JCC with Jewish Federation’s annual campaign. grants and manages our endowed funds. 4 | www.hjff.org 25th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival | 5 STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE The pandemic brought the 2020 film festival, and much of life as we know it, to a halt. However, the strength and resilience of our community has allowed us to find ways to be together, while maintaining physical distance, sharing what we love. We were determined – much like many of the characters you will see on screen – to carry on. Through the films of the 2021 Hartford Jewish Film Festival, we will explore a range of aspects of Jewish life. We will view strength and resilience through love and laughter; we will admire the strength of those who came before us, honor their work, and be inspired to continue it. The love of a mother and daughter is the focus of Asia and Here We Are depicts the life of a father and autistic son. Two gay men, one a struggling film student and the other a New York Times travel writer visiting Tel Aviv, have much to teach each other about love and life in Sublet. Laugh with Latter Day Jew, as comedian H. Alan Scott converts from Mormonism to Judaism. Find out in Golden Voices what happens when you have a niche career and make Aliyah to Israel. Shiva can be difficult, and in Shiva Baby we find that adding a high school girlfriend and a current sugar daddy adds to that dynamic. Mossad brings slapstick humor to the Israeli national intelligence agency. We will learn from documentaries such as Advocate, which introduces us to Israeli human rights lawyer Lea Tsemel. City of Joel relates tensions between Kyrias Joel and the surrounding upstate New York community. The role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust is the focus of Holy Silence. Shared Legacies discusses the relationship between the African American and Jewish communities during the Civil Rights era. Focusing on an evangelical community in Kentucky, ‘Til Kingdom Come examines the relationship between evangelicals and Israel. Dramas provide lessons, such as Incitement, a reenactment of the lead-up to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, depicted through the eyes of his assassin. Our community is firmly committed to Holocaust education and continuing to fight antisemitism. My Name is Sara is based on the true-life story of Sara Góralnik, a 13 year-old Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust by pretending to be an Orthodox Christian. Those Who Remained takes place in post-war Hungary, as survivors try to heal. Family friendly, though subtitled: In The Crossing, four children travel from Norway to Sweden. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is based on the semi-autobiographical book by Judith Kerr, and relates her family’s journey from 1933 Berlin to Switzerland, France, and eventually England. The behavior of viruses has become familiar to all of us in the past year, and VIRAL: Antisemitism in Four Mutations studies antisemitism through that lens. We get another viewpoint through the drama Thou Shalt Not Hate, in which a surgeon, the son of a Holocaust survivor, encounters a neo-Nazi car crash victim. We look forward to discussing these with you during our scheduled programs! 6 | www.hjff.org 25th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival | 7 > How do I watch the movies on my TV? > Where do I buy my tickets? > When can I watch the films? > What if I don’t have a Smart TV? > Who can help me? We are here to help! TICKET ISSUES? Call or email Naomi, 860-231-6315, tickets@mandelljcc.org VIEWING PROBLEMS? Go to our Help and Live Chat Support page on Eventive https://watch.eventive.org/help 6 | www.hjff.org 25th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival | 7 The Reel Talk programs featuring special guest panelists seek to enrich your cinematic experience with background, opinions, and interpretations. These filmmakers, authors, academics, and historians join us for live programs along with Q&A sessions on Zoom. The Aleph program with Dr. Heschel is $5. All other programs are free. All programs begin at 7:30 PM. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE Zoom links will be provided in advance. Tue. March 2 Holy Silence | Reel Talk Steven Pressman Dr. Suzanne Brown-Fleming Director and Producer Director, International Academic Programs – Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies – United State Holocaust Memorial Museum MORE INFO Father Kevin Spicer Moderated by Professor of History Professor Avinoam Patt, Ph.