25 Annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film
presented by Alma & Howard Laderberg* and Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 – Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018
Multiple theaters throughout Virginia Beach and Norfolk
Free—Pre-Festival event
Marshall
Monday, Jan. 15, 6 pm, free
TCC Roper Performing Arts Center
340 Granby Street, Norfolk
Directed by Reginald Hudlin; starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, Sterling K. Brown, and James Cromwell; USA; English; 118 mins
Presented in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and in partnership with Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Hands United Building Bridges (HUBB), an interfaith dialogue group focused on race and faith in Tidewater.
Discussion to follow. RSVP requested to 321-2304 or MEichelbaum@ujft.org.
Based on an early trial in the career of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Marshall follows the young lawyer to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur charged with sexual assault and attempted murder of his white socialite employer. Muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall partners with a courageous young Jewish lawyer, Samuel Friedman. Together they mount the defense in an environment of racism and Anti-Semitism. The high profile case and the partnership with Friedman served as a template for Marshall’s creation of the NAACP legal defense fund.
Opening Night
25th Anniversary Celebration
Shelter
Saturday, Jan. 20, 7:15 pm
Chrysler Museum
1 Memorial Place, Norfolk
Directed by Eran Riklis; starring Neta Riskin, Golshifteh Farahani, Yehuda Almagor; Germany, Israel, France; English and Hebrew with English subtitles, 93 mins
Naomi Rimon, a Mossad agent, is sent on an easy mission: to protect Mona, a Lebanese collaborator, in a safe house in Hamburg, Germany, for two weeks.
Based on The Link by Shulamit Hareven, this subtle thriller explores the intimacy that develops between the two women as they are exposed to the threat of terror that now engulfs the world. In this game of deception, beliefs are questioned and choices made that are not their own. Their fate takes a surprising turn in this suspense-laden, elegant neo-noir.
If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2 pm, free
Beth Sholom Village
6401 Auburn Drive, Virginia Beach
Directed by Danny Gold; starring Carl Reiner, Iris Apfel, Tony Bennett; USA; English, 86 mins In partnership with Beth Sholom Village and Brith Sholom Center. RSVP to 321‑2304 or MEichelbaum@ujft.org.
What’s the secret to living into your 90s—and loving every minute of it? In this documentary, irrepressible writer- comedian Carl Reiner (who shows no signs of slowing down at 95), tracks down several celebrated nonagenarians, and a few others over 100, to show how the twilight years can truly be the happiest and most rewarding.
Fanny’s Journey
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2 pm
TCC Roper Performing Arts Center
340 Granby Street, Norfolk
Directed by Lola Doillon; starring Léonie Souchaud, Fantine Harduin, Juliane Lepoureau; France, Belgium; French with English subtitles; 94 mins
In partnership with the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
This true story tells the compelling tale of Fanny Ben-Ami. After the arrest of their father in German-occupied Paris, Fanny and her younger sisters Erika and Georgette are sent by their mother to a children’s boarding school in rural southeast France.
The younger girls, particularly clingy Erika, stay close to their older sister, but Fanny is clearly very much still a child herself, with a penchant for climbing trees. She takes care of her sisters until she is forced to flee in a rush, becoming the head of a group of eight children heading across occupied France.
Cabaret
Monday, Jan. 22, 7:15 pm
Naro Expanded Cinema
1507 Colley Avenue, Norfolk
Discussion before the film with Virginian- Pilot critic Mal Vincent, as he shares stories and juicy Hollywood gossip about the film and its stars.
Directed by Bob Fosse; starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem; USA; English, German, Hebrew, French; 124 mins
Cabaret tells the story of Sally Bowles, an American cabaret singer in Berlin in 1931. Sally meets British academic Brian Roberts, who is finishing his university studies. Despite Brian’s confusion over his sexuality, the pair become lovers. The arrival of the wealthy and decadent playboy Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem) complicates matters. This love triangle plays out against the rise of the Nazi party and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
1945
Tuesday, Jan. 23, 7:15 pm
Simon Family JCC
5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Virginia Beach
Directed by Ferenc Török; starring Péter Rudolf, Bence Tasnádi, Tamás Szabó Kimmel; Hungary; Hungarian, Russian with English subtitles; 91 mins
In August, 1945, a remote Hungarian town prepares for the wedding of the village magistrate’s son. Meanwhile two Orthodox Jews arrive with two coffin- shaped wooden crates, supposedly filled with soaps and perfumes.
When the town gets wind of their arrival, rumors spread about their intentions. Is this a harbinger of the return of more Jews? The townspeople fear that these strangers may be heirs of the village’s denounced and deported Jewish neighbors and have come to claim their family’s stolen property. Paranoia runs rampant, leading to tragic events and a potent, unexpected ending.
While many films exist about the Holocaust, few are about its immediate aftermath when greed and material gain from the Jewish peoples’ demise was pervasive.
Keep the Change
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 7:15 pm
Zeiders American Dream Theater
4573 Bank Street, Virginia Beach
Directed by Rachel Israel; starring Jessica Walter, Christina Brucato, Evander Duck Jr.; USA; English; 94 mins
Limited seating.
David, an upper-class charmer, leads a comfortable life until he is mandated to attend a support group for adults with disabilities. There, he is forced to come to terms with his own high-functioning autism.
At the group, David is paired with Sarah—a quirky and outgoing woman whose optimism initially irks David. Despite their contrasting personalities, they forge a bond. As their relationship deepens, Sarah, confident in herself and her individuality, challenges David to embrace his own uniqueness.
An endearing and naturalistic romantic comedy about people navigating the difficulties of a relationship.
The Pickle Recipe
Thursday, Jan. 25, 7:15 pm
Beach Cinema Alehouse
941 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach
Directed by Michael Manasseri; starring Jon Dore, Lynn Cohen, Miriam Lee; USA; English; 97 mins
Limited seating. Dinner and drinks available for purchase. Arrive by 6:30 for ordering and best seating. Discussion before the film with writer/producer, Sheldon Cohn.
Joey Miller is the king of Detroit party emcees, a single father, and drowning in debt. During one of his latest gigs, a freak accident destroys all his prized sound equipment. With his daughter Julie’s bat mitzvah only four weeks away, he is willing to do almost anything to replace it.
As a last resort, he turns to his shady Uncle Morty, who agrees to give him the needed 20 grand, but under one condition: Joey must steal his grandmother Rose’s top-secret kosher dill pickle recipe.
Body & Soul: An American Bridge
Saturday, Jan. 27, 7:15 pm
Harbor Club
333 Waterside Drive, Norfolk
Jazz Trio LIVE following the screening. Light desserts and one drink ticket included.
Directed by Robert Philipson; starring Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Johnny Green, Libby Holman, Jack Hylton, John Coltrane, and Louis Armstrong; USA; English; 58 mins
Every musical encounter is a cross-cultural encounter, according to Josh Kun of the University of Southern California. Out of all such encounters that have resulted in the richness of American popular music, none has been so prominent or so fraught with fraternity and conflict as the one between African Americans and American Jews.
Body and Soul is among the most enduring standards. Through interviews with historians and music enthusiasts and rare archival footage, the film examines this timeless song’s history and the complex musical interplay between Jewish and African-American cultures.
Free Screening
Body & Soul
Wednesday, Jan. 24, noon
Simon Family JCC
Open to all seniors with lunch included. RSVP requested to 321‑2304 or MEichelbaum@ujft.org.
Animal House
Sunday, Jan 28, 7:15 pm
Naro Expanded Cinema
1507 Colley Avenue, Norfolk
Directed by John Landis; starring John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst; USA; English; 109 mins
Discussion before the film with Lorraine Wright, widow of the late, local born actor and comedian, Stephen Furst(stein). As Furst’s sons, Nathan and Griffith Furst, said upon news of his death on June 16, 2017 due to complications from diabetes, “To truly honor him, do not cry for the loss of Stephen Furst. But rather, enjoy memories of all the times he made you snicker, laugh, or even snort to your own embarrassment. He intensely believed that laughter is the best therapy.
When they arrive at college, socially inept freshmen Larry and Kent attempt to pledge the snooty Omega Theta Pi House, but are summarily rejected. Lowering their standards, they try the notoriously rowdy Delta Tau Chi House, and get in. The trouble is, the college dean has it in for the Deltas. He has put them on “Double Secret Probation” and secretly assigned Omega’s president the task of having their charter revoked.
FILM FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Major support from Palms Associates Old Point National Bank Additional support from Route 58 Delicatessen Presented by Simon Family JCC and United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
Film Festival Pricing
Full Festival Pass—$70 Includes 7 days of movies and receptions
Opening Night Film and 25th Anniversary Celebration—$35
Body and Soul with Jazz Soirée—$15
Individual Film Ticket—$10
Per film for adults (does not include opening or closing night films) Students and faculty are free(with valid ID) for all TCC Roper Performing Arts Center showings
Purchase tickets and passes online at SimonFamilyJCC.org/FilmFestival, at the JCC Customer Service Desk, or by calling 757-321-2338.