The JCC’s 5th Annual Jewish Film Festival Begins Wednesday

Five years ago, the Jewish Community Center of Central NJ started a film festival as a way to bring more Jewish culture to the area. In that short time, the event has grown in popularity and size.

On the day before the opening, Michele Dreiblatt, Director of Cultural Arts and Education at the JCC, was wrapped up in the excitement and last minute preparations for the festival.  

The biggest change this year is that the films will not be screened at the Rialto Theatre in Westfield, as they have been in the past. Due to an increased demand for film tickets, the films will now be shown at the AMC Theatre in Mountainside. Dreiblatt said that in past years some moviegoers had to be turned away at the door because there simply were not enough seats to accommodate everyone. At the AMC, 400 people can view the movies and there is space for 500 on opening and closing nights. The JCC sells advanced tickets to all their movies and subscriptions for the whole festival, but tickets can still be purchased at the door.

Three hundred people have already bought tickets for opening day.

Dreiblatt said that the JCC has already exceeded its numbers from last year. They have also had a record breaking number of sponsors committed to supporting arts and culture.

The other change this year is that there will be five films as opposed to the four.  Choosing the films to be shown at these festivals is no easy feat. Dreiblatt said that she and others personally prescreen 35 films (sometimes more) in the selection process. They then have a committee of 12 that ultimately makes the decision. Dreiblatt said they try to choose one movie that is light and one movie that is Israeli. They also always have one about the Holocaust to help people remember the history of the Jewish people.

Some of the movies will feature speakers. A rundown of each film and its special guests is below.

Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.: The Little Traitor

The Little Traitor is based on the novel, Panther in the Basement, by world-renowned Israeli author, Amos Oz. Set in Palestine in 1947, just before Israel becomes a state, the film tells the tale of a friendship between an unlikely pair: the gentlehearted British Sergeant Dunlop (Alfred Molina) and Proffy Liebowitz (Ido Port), a sensitive 12-year old who resents the British forces occupying his homeland. When their friendship is revealed, Proffy finds himself caught between his hatred for the British and his deep affection for his friend.

Best Feature Film, Audience Award, Palm Beach International Film Fstival
Best Narrative Feature, Audience Award, Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
Best Narrative Film, Audience Award, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.: A Secret

Adapted from Philippe Grimbert’s autobiographical novel, Memory, A Secret follows the saga of a Jewish family in post-World War II Paris. Francois, an imaginative yet solitary child, invents a brother for himself as well as the story of his parents’ past. On his fifteenth birthday, he discovers a dark family secret that ties his family’s history to the Holocaust and shatters his illusions forever.

Winner, Grand Prix of the Americas, 2007 Montreal World Film Festival 2008 César Award, Julie Depardieu, Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.: The Debt

The Debt, a psychological thriller, features three young Israeli Mossad agents sent on a secret mission in 1965 to capture and kill a notorious Nazi war criminal, known as the “Surgeon of Birkenau.” Three decades later, a man claiming to be the “Surgeon” has surfaced in the Ukraine and one of the Mossad agents, Rachel Singer (Gila Almagor), must go undercover to seek out
the truth. The Debt is slated for an English-language movie remake next year.

Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.: For My Father

This gripping political drama takes a humanistic look at Palestinian/Israeli relations. Terek is a young Palestinian who embarks on a suicide bomber mission in Tel Aviv in order to clear his father’s name. He unexpectedly gets a second chance at life when his explosive vest malfunctions. Forced to spend the weekend in Tel Aviv awaiting its repair, he connects with several Israelis, including the beautiful Keren, who has recently left her Orthodox upbringing. His friendships threaten his obligation to the mission and Terek must make the decision of his life -- whether or not to blow himself up and kill as many people around him as he can.

Audience Award, Moscow International Film Festival Official Selection, Israel
Film Festival Nominated for seven Israeli Academy Awards

Guest Speaker: Dr. Dennis Klein, Director, Jewish Studies Program and Professor of History, Kean University 

Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.: Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg

Before Carol Burnett or I Love Lucy, there was The Goldbergs, TV’s very first character-driven sitcom. From 1929 until 1955, The Goldbergs was one of the most popular shows on radio and TV, featuring Gertrude Berg, who wrote the scripts and starred as Molly Goldberg. The show rose in popularity while Hitler
rose to power in Germany. Molly combined social commentary, family values and comedy to win the hearts of America. From Aviva Kempner, award-winning producer and director, comes this new documentary about one of the country’s most important female television pioneers who weathered the most difficult
years for Jews in the entertainment industry.

Winner of Best Audience Short Award at both the San Diego Jewish Film Festival and the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

Guest Speaker: Adam Berg, the grandson of Gertrude Berg (aka Molly Goldberg), will recount delightful family memories, provide unique insights 
and answer your questions.

For information on tickets for the films, go here.