Sunday, Feb. 15, 2:30 pm, Virginia Wesleyan University
Michael Aloni, the Israeli actor and director best known in the United States for his roles in Shtisel, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, and We Were The Lucky Ones, will speak at the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film. Aloni is one of the stars of The Stronghold, the 2024 Israeli war drama about a group of IDF soldiers stranded in the Sinai Desert during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
The festival will present The Stronghold as its kickoff film at Virginia Wesleyan University. Aloni is expected to introduce the film and take part in a moderated conversation following the film. Audience members will also have the opportunity to ask questions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael to our festival,” says Beth Scharlop, co-chair of the festival. “Inviting special guests to these films is what separates a film festival from just going to the movies and creating an experience. Michael is so well known in the U.S. compared to other Israeli actors, so it’s really a big deal.”
The festivalbegins with The Stronghold, but it doesn’t end there. Additional film screenings include:
The Ring
Thursday, February 19, 2:30 and 7:30 pm Cinema Cafe Kemps River
A devout Israeli journeys to Budapest with his estranged daughter, searching for a ring that once saved his life during the Holocaust and may hold the key to his family’s past.
Tatami and the Big Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film
Saturday, February 21, 7:30 pm
Cape Henry Collegiate
An Iranian judo champion and her coach face a life-altering ultimatum at the world championships, forced to choose between family safety and defying an authoritarian regime. Followed by a dessert reception.
The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue
Sunday, February 22, 2:30 pm
Cape Henry Collegiate
On October 7, 2023, retired Israeli general Noam Tibon races across a country under siege to rescue his family from a terrorist attack, relying on instinct and courage in a relentless journey.
The Blond Boy From the Casbah
Monday, February 23, 7:15 pm
Naro Expanded Cinema
Antoine returns to his childhood neighborhood in Algiers, reconnecting with memories of family, faith, and the vibrant, multicultural world that shaped him.
For the Love of a Woman
Wednesday, February 23, 2:30 & 7:30 pm Cinema Cafe Pembroke Meadows
A woman’s journey through 1970s Israel unearths a love story and a gripping mystery, linking her life to secrets buried in the 1930s.
Tickets to the Virginia Festival of Jewish Film can be purchased at www.JewishVA.org/FilmFest. Tickets are $45 for the BIG Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film and $15 for all other films. Kids Night Out babysitting is available at the Simon Family JCC for the BIG Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film. Registration is required in advance. Space is limited. Register at www.JewishVA.org/KNO.
The Virginia Festival of Jewish Film is presented by the Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film Restricted Fund of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and funded in part by the citizens of Virginia Beach and Norfolk through grants from the City of Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission and the Norfolk Arts Commission.
For more information about the festival, contact Hunter Thomas, director of Arts + Ideas at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, at HThomas@UJFT.org or 757-965-6137.