This spring, The Jewish Federation of the East Bay in California will be presenting the 16th annual International Jewish Film Festival. These are the five film offerings which most enticed yours truly, along with some grade-A peanut gallery commentary.
March 8, 11 a.m. @ Contra Costa JCC
“Jubanos”
I once attempted to explain the diversity of Jews to my shiska heterosexual life-mate like this: “Jews are like Barbies. Tour guide Barbie, Nurse, Teacher, and Lawyer Barbie. Same soul, different accessories. And no matter what kind of human being you can think of, there’s a Jew for that.” So were there Jews in communist Cuba? ¡Claro que si! There were 1500 Jews for that. If you’ve got 43 minutes to explore the story of these island dwelling chosen, check out Milos Silber’s documentary.
March 8th 4:15PM @ CineArts
“Ultimatum”
This film is set in the tail end of December 1990 and chronicles the life, laughter, and love of a young French couple in Jerusalem even beneath their gas masks and sealed inside safe rooms. The film features dialogue in French, Italian, and Hebrew, and of course English language subtitles. Call me a sucker for accents, but I’m intrigued to see a film with so many influences tackle the topic of humanity within political crisis.
Ultimatum (trailer-in the festival the subtitles will be in English)
March 9th 11AM @ Costa Contra JCC
“Global Shorts”
For those without the attention span for a full movie’s worth of subtitle reading there is the “Global Shorts” extravaganza. It features the Oscar winning short “Toyland,” 20 minutes of dark British comedy with “Sidney Turtlebaum,” and an episode of the controversial Israeli comedic sitcom “Arab Labor.” “Arab Labor” uses satire to explore the experience of Arab citizens in the world’s only Jewish state. It couples Woody Allen style humor with underlying social commentary. These short films are the perfect way for the distracted Jewish film lover to snag a quick fix.
March 12 7PM @ Orinda Theatre One
“The Matchmaker”
“The Matchmaker” is a coming of age story, complete with rock and roll songs and a feisty teenage damsel. Underneath its plot the film is really an exploration of the multifaceted impacts of the Holocaust on Israeli society, from the relationship between Israel and Diaspora to the mutual distrust and suspicion that these refugees battled even while struggling to forge a fresh identity founded on Jewish comradery. The actors use broken, thickly accented Hebrew through the film to embody the transitional nature of the new nation and its culture. I found the film to be sincere and chuckle-inducing. It’s a perfect date movie.
March 13th 8PM @ Orinda Theatre One
“Gay Days”
This documentary explores the sexual revolution in Israel that made it into the only Middle Eastern country with a open and thriving LGBT community. It does this through personal stories of activists such as Gal Uchovsky, Amalia Ziv, and Eytan Fox. Human rights, sex, and Israel. What more could a movie lover ask for?
for more info visit: www.eastbayjewishfilm.org
