LAJFF Films 2007

  

Steel Toes
Feature/Canada/2006/100 minutes
Directed by: David Gow and Mark Adam

Powerful performances mark this intense drama about a neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for a racially motivated murder and the Jewish lawyer who reluctantly agrees to defend him. Oscar-nominee David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) plays Danny Dunkelman, the court-appointed attorney assigned the case of Mike Downey (Andrew Walker).

• Sunday, April 22, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Music Hall
• Q & A with cast
  
• Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
  Westlake Village Twin

Sponsored by The Jewish Federation Valley Alliance

Dark Night
Short/Israel/2005/30 minutes
Directed by: Leonid Prudovsky

An Israeli military jeep, returning from patrol late at night, strikes a landmine while still in hostile territory. Two of the soldiers survive the blast only to be trapped in a Palestinian town teeming with militants. They seek refuge in a house, inhabited by a Palestinian couple. As the night progresses, the situation becomes more desperate, and the soldiers discover something about the couple.

Playing with:

Unsettled
Documentary/USA/2007/80 minutes
Directed by: Adam Hootnick

During the Gaza withdrawal, three young Israelis will be forced from their homes, two soldiers will be sent to evict them, and one activist will try to help her country avoid a war. Unsettled is a story about religion and democracy, soldiers and civilians, and the kids on the front lines of a battle where there is no enemy.

• Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Fallbrook
• Q & A with director

Dear Mr. President
Documentary/USA/2006/60 minutes
Directed by: Debra Sugarman

In the conlict between Israel and Palestine, both sides share one truth: there are no easy answers. But five teenage girls from the region, who met at a peace camp, and a filmmaker who created the camp feel they can do something to help with this inherited situation…and they are traveling halfway around the world to try.

• Wednesday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.
  Wilshire Boulevard Temple
• Panel with director

Brother’s Shadow
Feature/USA/2006/89 minutes
Directed by: Todd S. Yellin

Scott Cohen plays the black sheep brother returning to his family after many years only to discover his twin brother has just died. His father (Judd Hirsch) greets him with skepticism and disdain, receding into his strong Jewish faith rather than reconnecting with his prodigal son.

• Sunday April 22, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Town Center
  Q & A with director
  
  
• Wednesday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Music Hall
  

Comme T’y Es Belle (Gorgeous)
Feature/France/2006/84 minutes
Directed by: Lisa Azuelos
French with English subtitles

A French Jewish Sex in the City – four worldly, attractive Jewish women meet regularly for frank discussions about men, marriage, families and religion.

• Monday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Music Hall
  
  
• Pre Screening party at Trina Turk
  Monday April 23, 5:00-7:00pm
  there will be wine, champagne, a lite supper and lots of great shopping
  20% of every purchase you make will go to the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival (this is how we can continue bringing great films to LA)
  Complimentary valet parking provided by Trina Turk
  Trina Turk Boutique
  8008 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles
  phone: 323.651.1382
  www.trinaturk.com
• Wednesday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Town Center
  
  

My Mexican Shivah
Feature/Mexico/2006/102 minutes
Directed by: Alejandro Springall
Spanish, Hebrew, and Yiddish with English subtitles

Family and friends sit shivah in Mexico City for Moishe Tartakovsky, a much beloved patriarch. Mourners include a Catholic ex-lover, an Orthodox ex-convict grandson, and a troupe of mariachi musicians. Two Yiddish-speaking spirits wryly observe the mourners while accounting for Moishe’s soul.

• Tuesday, April 24, 5:00 p.m.
  Laemmle Music Hall
  
  
• Wednesday, April 25, 8:00 p.m.
  Laemmle Fallbrook
  

The Bracelet of Bordeaux
Feature/USA/2007/103 minutes
Directed by: Casey Kelly

Two pre-teen girls solve a major dognapping crime with the help of a magical bracelet. In the process, they learn about friendship, courage and the importance of hanging with the right crowd. The movie also includes a message for today’s youth based on an important lesson in history.

• Family Day
  Sunday, April 22, 1:00 p.m.
  
  The Westside JCC
  
  and The JCC at Milken
  
  
• Filmmaker will be present
  

The Metamorphosis
Short/USA/2006/10 minutes
Directed by: Ari Mark

Stan Leiber begins to notice a pain and pounding at the back of his head. One morning he awakens to ind a growth has matured into a yarmulke.

Playing with:

The Journey of Vaan Nguyen
Documentary/Israel/2005/84 minutes
Directed by: Duki Dror

In her painful blog, Vaan Nguyen unfolds the absurdities of her life as an Israeli-born Vietnamese. Her father was one of the many “boat-people” who led Vietnam in 1975 and were given asylum in the “Land of the Jews.” The time has come to go back home, and they both leave to Vietnam. Their journey becomes a parable on the loss of identity and on the fate of refugees.

• Family Day
  Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
  The JCC at Milken
  

Yiddish Theater: A Love Story
Documentary/USA/2006/80 minutes
Directed by: Dan Katzir

This film is about the life of actress Zypora Spaisman, who kept alive the famed Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre for 42 years.

• Wednesday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
  University of Judaism
  
  
• Q & A with director
  
  
• A gallery tour of the Jewish/Polish cultural poster exhibit onsite in the Platt/Borstein Galleries will be available after the film.

Sisai
Documentary/Israel/2005/56 minutes
Directed by: David Gavro
Amharic and Hebrew with English subtitles

20-year-old Sisai, an Ethiopian immigrant in Israel, lives with his adoptive family – the Gavros. Father Gavro returns from Ethiopia with news of Sisai’s biological father’s whereabouts. Sisai does not share his family’s excitement.

Playing with:

Mirrors
Short/Israel/2004/35 minutes
Directed by: Orly Malessa
Amharic and Hebrew with English subtitles

In Ethiopia, Almaz dreamed about inding love, but her dream is shattered and she is forced into a brokered marriage. Twenty years later, in Israel, she confronts her husband as if for the first time.

• Monday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Fallbrook
  

The Longing: The Forgotten Jews of South America
Documentary/USA/2007/75 minutes
Directed by: Gabriela Bohm

A small group of South Americans long to afirm their faith. Their ancestors – European Jews – were forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. Isolated in Catholic countries, rejected by local Jewish communities, they battle to become Jews regardless of the consequences.

• Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
  The JCC at Milken
  
  
• Q & A with director
• Sponsored by Latin American Jewish Association
  

Great Cantors of the Golden Age
& Great Cantors in Cinema
Documentary, digitally restored/2006/USA/110 minutes
Produced by: Cantor Murray E. Simon

Featuring some of the rarest and finest performances of renowned cantors, from 1927 to 1956. These films coincide with a resurgence in interest in cantorial music and the great cantors of the first half of the 20th century.

• Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
  Temple Beth Haverim
  
  
• Discussion with Cantor Murray E. Simon
  

Bringing Kosher Back!
Young Professionals Night
A night of short films

ATID is doing for culture, what Justin Timberlake did for Sexy...

An evening showcasing Jewish themed work created by young Jewish artists and filmmakers (ages 21-39) on cell phones. Followed by a line up of new short films including an encore of West Bank Story!

• Wednesday, April 25, 7:00 p.m.
  Sinai Temple
  
  
• Q & A to follow on the Jewish tradition of storytelling with Rabbi David Wolpe and Jason Reitman, writer/director/producer (Thank You for Smoking)

O Jerusalem
Feature/France/USA/2007/105 minutes
Directed by: Elie Chouraqui

An epic tale of friendship between two men, one Jewish and the other Arab, as the state of Israel is being created.

Starring Ian Holm as Ben Gurion, J.J Feild and Saïd Taghmaoui.

• Closing Night
  Thursday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Town Center

King of Beggars
Feature/Israel/2006/98 minutes
Directed by: Uri Paster

The film follows the adventures of Fishke from humble bathhouse attendant in a late-16th century Russian shtetl to leader of a ifghting brigade of Jewish outcasts. This is the story of the rise and fall of a Jewish warrior leader, and his inevitable struggle against both a divided Jewish community and the hostile masters of his coincidental “homeland”. Starring Shahar Sorek.

• Sunday, April 22, 7:00 p.m.
  The JCC at Milken
  

A Love to Hide
Feature/France/2006/102 minutes
Directed by: Christian Faure
French with English subtitles

A young Jewish girl looking to escape the clutches of the Third Reich after seeing her parents and sister brutally slain while attempting to make their way to England is sheltered by an old friend whose status as a member of the “third” sex soon leads the Gestapo pounding on his door as well.

• Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m .
  Laemmle Music Hall
  

Pesya’s Necklace
Short/Israel/2006/35 minutes
Directed by: Jorge Gurvich

Eighty-year-old Pesya is determined to travel to her parents’ house located in Poland. She intends to find a golden necklace, which was hidden by her and her sister before they were taken to Auschwitz.

• Family Day
  Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
  The Westside JCC
  
  
• Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.

Playing with:

As Seen Through These Eyes
Documentary/USA/2007/70 minutes
Directed by: Hilary Helstein

Narrator Maya Angelou tells the story of a brave group of people who fought Hitler with the only weapons they had: charcoal, pencil stubs, shreds of paper and memories etched in their minds. These artists took their fate into their own hands to make a powerful statement about the human spirit, enduring against unimaginable odds. It features the children of Terezin (60 Minutes) and Dina Babbitt, personal artist to Dr. Mengele. Score features music by Sony’s Anna Nalick and Lorin Sklamberg of the Klezmatics.

• Opening Night
  Saturday, April 21, 8:00 p.m.
  WGA Theatre
  
  
• Panel with Filmmaker and survivors
  
  
• Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
  Laemmle Town Center

Swimming in Auschwitz
Documentary/USA/2007/62 minutes
Directed by: Jon Kean

The interwoven paths of six women provide a glimpse into life, death and survival during World War II. Through friendships, religion and even laughter, these women fight to preserve their humanity. This uplifting film is the first of its kind to focus solely on the female experience of the Holocaust.

• Wednesday, April 25, 11:00 a.m.
  Valley Beth Shalom
  
  
• Q & A with director and survivors
  

The World Was Ours
Documentary/USA/2007/58 minutes
Directed by: Mira Jedwabnik Van Doren

Narrated by Mandy Patinkin, this film focuses on the pre-war life of the vibrant Jewish community of Vilna (then Poland, now Lithuania) depicting its hopes, dreams and remarkable achievements prior to its complete destruction in World War II.

• Monday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.
  University of Judaism
  Q & A with director
  
  
• Sponsored by Yiddishkayt LA
  
  
• A gallery tour of the Jewish/Polish cultural poster exhibit onsite in the Platt/Borstein Galleries will be available after the film.
  

The Ritchie Boys
Documentary/Germany/Canada/2004/90 minutes
Directed by: Christian Bauer

This film is the untold story of a group of young men who fled Nazi Germany and returned to Europe as soldiers in U.S. uniforms. They knew the psychology and the language of the enemy better than anybody else.

• Monday, April 23, 1:00 p.m.
  The JCC at Milken
  
  
• Tuesday, April 24, 1:00 p.m.
  The Westside JCC
  
• Sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles

Fatherland
Documentary/Canada/2006/72 minutes
Directed by: Manfred Becker

Fatherland is a personal essay on history and memory. A filmmaker sets out on a quest to understand his father’s past and what it means to be German living in the shadow of history.

• Tuesday, April 24, 12:30 p.m.
  The JCC at Milken
  

Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art
Documentary/USA/2006/14 minutes
Directed by: Jim Ruxin

Playing with:

Arthur Szyk: Illuminator
Documentary/USA/Poland/2005/55 minutes
Directed by: Piotr Zrebski

These films examine the life and works of Polish-born Jewish artist Arthur Szyk, who was the greatest miniaturist of the 20th century.

Playing with:

Jews in the Warsaw Uprising
Documentary/Poland/2006/56 minutes
Directed by: Anna Ferens and Anna Kowalewska-Onaszkiewicz

This film reveals a rather obscure event in history – participation of Jews in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. They fought in insurgent formations against Germans.

• Tuesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.
  University of Judaism
  
  
• Q & A with directors
  
  
• Sponsored by the Consulate General for the Republic of Poland

The Torch
Documentary/USA/2007/85 minutes
Directed by: Jodi Binstock
Work In Progress

61 high-school seniors from Los Angeles journey back to Poland, with 13 Holocaust survivors to bear witness as the historical torch is passed.

• Family Day
  Sunday, April 22, 3:00 p.m.
  The Westside JCC
  
  
• Q & A with director and survivors
  

Voices From the Lake
Documentary/USA/2003/87 minutes
Directed by: Dr. J. Michael Hagopian

This film on the Armenian Genocide tells of the tragedy that befell the Armenian citizens of Kharpert at the hands of the Turks in 1915 through the words and photos of its own residents.

• Monday, April 23, 7:00 p.m.
  Free to Public
  Valley Beth Shalom
  
  
• Q & A with director
  
  
• Presented by Jewish World Watch and the VBS Men’s Club