|
|
February 18, 2005/Adar 1 9 5765, Volume 57, No. 25
Jewish film festival opens
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
The ninth annual Phoenix Jewish Film Festival will begin with a bang, says co-executive director Sheldon Pierson.
While in years past the pre-opening event showcased one film, this year's gala opening will feature three films, live entertainment and a dessert reception. The event will be held 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at Temple Beth Israel, 10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale. Cost is $25; call 602-445-4635.
"The Silence," a touching story of how an African family copes with a young boy's deafness, was the prizewinner of the 2004 Hadassah Jerusalem College Competition. "The Sephardic Jews of the Pike Street Market" is a documentary about the Jews who settled in Seattle at the turn of the 20th century, while "Song of the Jewish Cowboy" illustrates the unlikely intersection of Yiddish and cowboy cultures.
The klezmer band, The Chai Tones of Temple Chai, will perform, as will Scott Gerber, a Jewish cowboy from California.
The other films in the Phoenix Jewish Film Festival will include:
"Broken Wings"
2 p.m. Sunday, March 6
This realistic drama tracks a middle-class Israeli family after the father has recently died. Dafna Ullman and her four children are forced to go on in the face of grief and economic hardship. In Hebrew with English subtitles.
"Monsieur Ibrahim"
7 p.m. Sunday, March 6
The film tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a Muslim and a Jew in 1960s Paris. Omar Sharif plays the title character, an Arab shop owner who befriends a young Jewish boy who is abandoned by his father. Together, they begin a journey that will change their lives forever. In French with English subtitles.
"Two Minutes from Faradis" and "A to You"
7 p.m. Monday, March 7, Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.
These two short comedies depict the funny side of love. In "Two Minutes," an Israeli girl desperate for her parents' attention finds the perfect way to get it - a dalliance with the son of their Arab maid. In "A to You," we meet Rudy, a shy young man who finally asserts himself when he finds the girl of his dreams. "Two Minutes from Faradis" is in Hebrew with English subtitles. Cost for the two films is $5.
"American Matchmaker"
7 p.m. Monday, March 7
This classic 1940 comedy tells the story of Nat Silver, a wealthy businessman who decides to become a professional matchmaker after the demise of his eighth engagement. In Yiddish with English subtitles.
"Prisoner of Paradise"
7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8
This Academy-Award nominated documentary tells the story of Kurt Gerron, a Jewish German actor and director who was captured by the Germans and forced to make a propaganda film about a concentration camp.
"Miss Entebbe"
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 9
This story of two Israeli children follows Noa and Danny, whose lives are turned upside-down when Danny mother's plane is hijacked and diverted to Uganda. Noa is convinced she can free the woman by kidnapping an Arab boy and demanding a trade, but the implications of her decision quickly turn serious. In Hebrew with English subtitles.
"James' Journey to Jerusalem"
7 p.m. Thursday, March 10
In an African village, James is chosen to undertake a mission to Jerusalem, but when he arrives, he is arrested, jailed and marked for deportation. When a mysterious benefactor comes to his aid, James' adventure really begins.
Unless otherwise noted, all films cost $8 and will be shown at Harkins Camelview 5 Theatres, 7014 E. Highland Ave., Scottsdale.
|
|
