There is no “formula” for choosing the films for the Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival, said two of the organizers in a recent interview.
And yet, said Ronna Bromberg Pachefsky, co-chair of the festival committee with Cindy Benjamin, “it usually works out” that the selections touch on a full gamut of Jewish film categories.
Therefore, out of the 25 to 30 films the 13-member committee views, the five or six chosen for the festival usually includes at least one or more from Israel, one or more documentaries, one or more from Jewish communities in Europe or Latin America, and one or more about the Holocaust in some way.
And that is the case with the six films in the 17th festival, which runs Oct. 19-23 at the Marcus North Shore Cinema, 11700 N. Port Washington Rd., in Mequon.
The offerings include documentaries from the U.S. and Germany, and features from Poland, Latin America and Israel.
As a bonus, this year’s festival will start with not only something American, but someone uniquely local.
Milwaukee native David Zucker is writer or co-writer and director or co-director of numerous comedy films (from the 1977 “Kentucky Fried Movie” to the 2013 “Scary Movie 5”), and recently of “Travel Wisconsin” ads.
He will inaugurate the festival on Sunday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., presenting stories, clips from his films, favorite outtakes and more.
The second offering also will be something American and will feature appearances from filmmakers.
The documentary “The Outrageous Sophie Tucker” profiles the vaudeville superstar (1887-1966). Attending the screening on Monday, Oct. 20, 1:30 p.m., will be Susan and Lloyd Ecker, producers and narrators of the film and authors of the soon-to-be-released book “I Am Sophie Tucker: A Fictional Memoir” (Prospecta Press).
The rest of the schedule is as follows:
• “Aftermath” (2013, Poland) tells a story based on actual events in the often troubled relations between Poland and its Jews. While controversial in Poland, it won the Yad Vashem Chairman’s Award at the Jerusalem film festival. Monday, Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m. (Screened in cooperation with the Nathan & Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.)
• “Igor and the Cranes Journey” (2013, Israel) is a feature film whose story is built partly around the fact that Israel is a frequent route for crane migrations. In recognition of that, the Wisconsin-based International Crane Foundation will send a representative to the screening. Tuesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. (Screened in cooperation with the Jewish National Fund and the International Crane Foundation.)
• “Oma & Bella” (2012, Germany) is a documentary about two elderly Holocaust survivors living in Berlin. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m. (Sponsored by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, a program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, in conjunction with its exhibit “Stitching History from the Holocaust.”)
• “God’s Slave” (2013, Argentina) is a feature about a would-be Muslim suicide bomber sent to Buenos Aires, and the Israeli agent sent to stop him. Wednesday, Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m.
• “Kidon” (2013, France and Israel) is a caper comedy loosely based on the real assassination of a Hamas operative in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Thursday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. (This and “God’s Slave” are screened in cooperation with the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel Center.)
Admission is $10 general and $9 students and seniors for individual events; $45 and $40 for a five night package; $18 and $16 for a two matinee package; and $60 and $55 for all seven events. A VIP Pass for $125 includes reserved seats at all seven events plus admission to a reception for Zucker.
The festival is a program of the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, where Micki Seinfeld, director of special events, is the staff member working with the volunteer committee.
For more information and to purchase tickets, call 414-967-8235 or email mseinfeld@jccmilwaukee.org.
Three Israeli films will be among those screened at the Sept. 25-Oct. 9 Milwaukee Film Festival.
“Zero Motivation” (2014) is a comedy about Israeli women soldiers bored by their work in a rural Israel Defense Force base. It will be shown Wednesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., at the Fox-Bay Cinema; and Sunday, Oct. 5, 1:45 p.m., at the Downer Theater.
“Dancing in Jaffa” (2013) is a documentary about a ballroom dancing champion who tries to bridge the gaps between Israeli and Palestinian children by teaching them to dance.
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation is a “community partner” in showing this film. It will be shown Sunday, Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m., at the Fox-Bay Cinema; and Tuesday, Oct. 7, 1 p.m., at the Oriental Theatre.
“The Green Prince” (2014) is a documentary about how the son of one of the founders of Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group seeking Israel’s destruction, became an informant for Israel’s security service. It will be shown Tuesday, Oct. 7 4:30 p.m., at the Times Cinema; and Thursday, Oct. 9, 5 p.m., at the Oriental Theatre.
In addition, the festival will pay tribute to the Milwaukee-born filmmaking team of David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams with a screening of their 1984 comedy “Top Secret!” on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., at the Oriental Theatre.
For more information, call 414-755-1965 or visit mkefilm.org.
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