Film Festival Schedule & Upcoming Events

USA | English
Director: Max Lewkowicz
Documentary: 92 minutes
Tickets: $14

TRADITION!…A musical that changed the world…

Learn how this singular icon of the stage and screen was born, triumphed and continues to resound. In the half-century since its premiere, Fiddler on the Roof has had an unprecedented global impact, beloved by audiences the world over. See excerpts of it everywhere…from suburban middle schools in Nebraska to grand state theaters in Japan. Featuring interviews with Joel Grey, Lin Manuel Miranda, and original lyricist Sheldon Harnick.

Sponsored by Aurelia Konrad Charitable Foundation, Howard N. Lesser, Merle & Marty Oberman and Laurie & Lee Wielansky

Live Virtual Film Discussion

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles Film Discussion
Monday, November 9, 7pm
Free of charge
Led by Mike Isaacson, MUNY Artistic Director and Executive Producer

Germany | English and Hebrew/Arabic/German with English subtitles
Director: Dror Zahavi
Feature: 102 minutes
Tickets: $14

The power of music…

No sooner does renowned conductor Eduard Sporck agree to form an Israeli-Palestinian youth orchestra than he is drawn into a tempest of raw emotions. The young musicians, impacted their entire young lives by war, suppression and the constant risk of terrorist attacks, align behind their best violinists – the Palestinian Layla and the Israeli Ron – forming two columns of mistrust that are manifested both on and off the stage. Can Sporck convince these talents to set aside their hatred and make music instead of war?

Sponsored by Harvey Kornblum Foundation

Live Virtual Film Discussion

Crescendo Film Discussion
Tuesday, November 10, 7pm
Free of charge
Led by Michael Ochs, creator of The Pursuit of Harmony, an interfaith project which shows, through music and hope, that friendship between Jews and Palestinians is possible.

USA • English
Director: Aviva Kempner
Documentary: 101 minutes
Tickets: $14

An unknown Jewish hero…

Here is the first feature-length documentary to tell the real story of Morris “Moe” Berg, the enigmatic and brilliant Jewish baseball player turned spy. Berg played in the major leagues during baseball’s Golden Age in the 1920s and 1930s. But few people know that he also worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), spying in Europe and playing a prominent role in America’s efforts to undermine the German atomic bomb program during WWII. His life is explored through rare historical footage and photographs as well as interviews with an All-Star roster of celebrities from the world of sports, spycraft and history.

Sponsored by Norman & Lindsay Druck, Gail Glaser, Nancy & Ken Kranzberg, Sue Matlof, Stacy & Greg Siwak and USA Mortgage

Live Virtual Film Discussion

The Spy Behind Home Plate Film Discussion
Wednesday, November 11, 7pm
Free of charge
Led by Aviva Kempner, writer, director and producer of The Spy Behind Home Plate.

Germany/Israel • English/Hebrew with English subtitles
Directors: Sagi Bornstein, Udi Nir, Shani Rozanes
Documentary: 88 minutes
Tickets: $14

A riveting portrait of “the queen of the Jewish people”

During her turbulent five-year tenure, Golda Meir, idolized globally but often reviled in Israel, confronted unthinkable domestic and international challenges. Shortly before her death, she was interviewed for Israeli television. After shooting ended, the cameras kept rolling, recording an intimate talk with the first and only woman ever to rule Israel. As she lit one cigarette after the other, she spoke freely, pleading her case for her turbulent term as Prime Minister.

Golda sponsored by:

Live Virtual Film Discussion

Golda Film Discussion
Thursday, November 12, 7pm
Free of charge
Led by Anat Sultan-Dadon, Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast

Israel • Hebrew with English subtitles
Director: Jorge Weller
Feature: 98 minutes
Tickets: $14

Delightful…laugh-out-loud funny…

When absent-minded widow, Tami, accidentally hits 70-year-old widower, Beno, with her car, the last thing on her mind is love and romance. Trying to ensure Beno will not sue her, she invites him over to her apartment. Against her wishes, and still talking to her husband, now dead for a few years already, Tami and Beno fall for each other. Will their budding relationship survive? A charming romantic comedy for the young and young at heart.

Sponsored by Judith Gall

Germany • English/German and Italian with English subtitles
Director: Bettina Ehrhardt
Documentary: 89 minutes
Tickets: $14

Chutzpah…and class

Born in India, Zubin Mehta has conducted philharmonics the world over, but he is most identified with the Israel Philharmonic, where he serves as Music Director for Life and the nation’s face of cultural excellence. Filled with stirring performances, and interviews with friends, family and colleagues, this globe-trotting biography is a magnificent tribute to an artistic virtuoso and true believer in the international language of music. Above all, the film touts Mehta’s graciousness, absence of ego, and love and trust in his musicians.

Sponsored by Elaine & Jeffrey Korn

USA • English/Italian with English subtitles
Director: Steven Pressman
Documentary: 72 minutes
Tickets: $14

A damning failure of moral authority…

The Catholic Church’s response to the Holocaust is re-examined through historic footage, rare documents and contemporary interviews. Pope Pius XI denounced the anti-Semitism taking hold
in 1938 Germany, but his successor adopted a starkly different position. To this day, the inaction and complicity of Pius XII in dealing with Nazism remains a source of deep controversy. What more, if anything, might the Church have done to stop Hitler’s Final Solution? This timely exposé examines all sides of this hotly debated topic.

Holy Silence sponsored by Kuhn Foundation

Holy Silence Film Discussion
Friday, November 13, 2pm
Free of charge
Led by Steven Pressman, director of Holy Silence

USA/Kazakhstan/Latvia • English and Arabic/French/Hebrew
with English Subtitles
Director: Jeff Vespa
Feature: 90 minutes
Tickets: $14

A beautiful and unlikely friendship…

An unknown musician is representing the Soviet Union in 1925’s Paris Expo. Amre Kashaubayev is a traditional singer from rural Kazakhstan, who steals the show every time he performs but remains an outsider in high-culture Paris. He forms a quick friendship with two American Jews, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, and he begins a flirtation with the beautiful photographer, Lee Abbott. Based on the true story of a Kazakhstani folk hero, the film illuminates how talent and determination can overcome adversity within a repressive regime.

Paris Song sponsored by Margie Horowitz

Germany/Switzerland | German/Swiss German/French with English subtitles
Director: Caroline Link
Feature: 119 minutes
Tickets: $14

Gentle…engrossing

9-year-old Anna, a precocious German-Jewish girl, is too busy with schoolwork and friends to notice Hitler’s face glaring from posters all over 1933 Berlin. But when her father suddenly vanishes, and the family is secretly hurried out of Germany, Anna and her brother, Max, begin to understand life will never be the same. What follows is a courageous adventure full of fear and uncertainty as the family navigates new lands and copes with the challenges of being refugees. Based on Judith Kerr’s semiautobiographical bestselling children’s novel.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit sponsored by Susie & Bob Bernstein

USA | English with English subtitles
Director: Dr. Shari Rogers
Documentary: 95 minutes
Tickets: $14

A fight for fairness, inclusion, equality…

Here is a look at the modern-day alliance…and the dissolution of the alliance…between African Americans and Jewish Americans. It begins with the founding of the NAACP in 1909 and showcases the bigotry and segregation that both groups have faced. There are narrations and testimonies from Holocaust survivors, leaders, advocates, and prominent figures such as U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Harry Belafonte and members of the Martin Luther King family, along with St. Louisans, Rabbi Susan Talve and Rev. Traci Blackmon.

Shared Legacies sponsored by:

Eileen & Larry Schechter

Shared Legacies Film Discussion
Sunday, November 15, 7pm
Free of Charge
Led by Shari Rogers, writer, director and producer of Shared Legacies.

Israel • Hebrew with English subtitles
Director: Yaron Zilberman
Feature: 123 minutes
Tickets: $14

A chilling portrait of fanaticism…

A chilling psychological thriller expertly dramatizes the political and personal motivations behind Prime Minister Rabin’s 1993 assassination. This watershed tragedy is told through the perpetrator’s eyes. Jewish extremist, Yigal Amir, spans his Yemeni upbringing and failed relationships to radicalization. As peace efforts mount to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the young zealot is egged on by national leaders, religious orthodoxy, and right-wing media…their ultranationalist rhetoric is seamlessly interwoven through archival footage.

Incitement sponsored by Gloria and Sandford Spitzer

USA • English
Director: Ric Burns
Documentary: 114 minutes
Tickets: $14

Awakenings…The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat…

An exploration into the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that accepted his work only decades after the fact. Sacks draws on deeply personal reflections, as well as nearly two dozen interviews with close friends, family members, colleagues and patients as well as archival material from every point in his life. This film is the story of a beloved doctor and writer who redefined our understanding of the brain and mind.

Sponsored by Ellen & Dr. Ronnie Gross, Sima & Phil Needleman and The Silk Foundation