When the committee for the Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival previews features and documentaries on Jewish themes for the next fest, the members often find that each year’s offerings tend to have thematic trends.
“One year, it seemed that death was the theme,” said committee co-chair Cindy Benjamin. Another year, it seemed that troubled families was a frequent topic, according to co-chair Ronna Bromberg Pachefsky.
But for this year, the 11th annual festival, the 12-member committee found it was seeing a lot of films about coming-of-age, particularly about bar and bat mitzvah celebrations, said the co-chairs.
As a result, two of the six films chosen for this year’s festival, running from Oct. 26-30 at the Marcus North Shore Cinemas in Mequon, focus on b’nai mitzvah candidates, and feature “wonderful young actors in sweet stories,” said Benjamin.
“Max Minsky and Me” from Germany focuses on the daughter of a Jewish American mother and German Christian father. Her mother wants her to prepare for a bat mizvah ceremony, but she would rather fantasize and spend time with her friends. It will be shown on Monday, Oct. 27.
“Sixty Six” from Britain tells of a bar mitzvah boy in the year 1966 whose guests would rather be watching the British soccer team in the World Cup finals, scheduled for the same day as his ceremony. It will be screened on Thursday, Oct. 30.
B’nai mitzvah ceremonies are just one of the themes in this year’s offerings. Indeed, the festival committee tries to showcase “aspects of Jewish life from all over the world,” said Benjamin.
From Israel, comes “Noodle,” which won a special grand jury award at the Montreal World Film Festival. It tells of an El-Al flight attendant’s efforts to reunite an abandoned Chinese boy with his mother who had been deported as an illegal immigrant. It will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 26.
The American offering has a local connection. “Circumcise Me!” is a relatively short documentary showcasing Orthodox Jewish stand-up comedian Yisrael Campbell, born Christopher, who converted to Judaism three times — Reform, Conservative and Orthodox.
Its director is former Milwaukeean David Blumenfeld, who now lives in Israel, said Pachefsky. Not only does Campbell have a “this great wit,” but Blumenfeld is a photographer and the film is “really shot beautifully,” said Pachefsky.
It will be shown as part of the festival’s only double bill on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Its partner is “Dans La Vie” (literally “In the Life,” but given the English title “Two Ladies”).
This French feature tells how an elderly Jewish woman who needs help with her daily routine gets an Arab woman caretaker, and how a friendship results.
The full-length documentary of this festival is “Stealing Klimt” from Britain. It tells how a Jewish woman tries to recover five paintings by the great Austrian painter Gustav Klimt that the Nazis stole from her family.
“You hear in the news about Nazi reparations” and this film presents how that issue “affects this one family,” said Pachefsky. “And the paintings are beautiful.” It will be shown on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The festival is sponsored and operated by the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center. The Marcus North Shore Cinemas is located at 11700 N. Port Washington Rd. All screenings begin at 7:30 p.m.
General admission is $9, $7 for students and seniors. Five movie passes are available for $40 general admission, $30 for students and seniors. Tickets are available only through the JCC or at a table at the theater entrance one hour before the screening.
For tickets, call Esther Kahn, 414-967-8227. For more information about the festival, contact Micki Seinfeld, JCC director of special events, 414-967-8235 or mseinfeld@jccmilwaukee.org.
Loading ...