25th Washington Jewish Film Festival

TICKETS Ticket prices may be subject to online service charges

REGULAR SCREENINGS $12

OPENING/CLOSING/CENTERPIECE EVENINGS $30SPOTLIGHT EVENING $40SILENT FILMS WITH LIVE MUSIC $18FESTIVAL PASS $125FESTIVAL PASS (30 YRS & UNDER) $30ALL-ACCESS VIP PASS $225

To Purchase Ticketswww.wjff.org1-888-718-4253 (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm)DCJCC: Jan 27-Feb 18 (Tue & Thu, Jan 27 - Feb 17, 3pm - 8pm) WJFF Venue Box Offices: Same day, venue specific sales, when inventory remains

Fine Print All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. All Saturday daytime screenings are presale only. Ticket and pass-holders must be seated 15 min prior to show start time to guarantee admittance. All filmmaker guests listed are expected, and their attendance is subject to change with or without notice.

PASSES Having trouble choosing what to see? Pass-holders save money and gain access to all our programs! Pass inventory is limited and expected to sell out. Details at wjff.org.

FOLLOW US Join the conversation on social media using #wjff2015! We’ll post exclusive film updates, festival information, and more.

@wjff/WashingtonJewishFilmFestival

JCC of Greater Washington 6125 Montrose Road Rockville, MD

Katzen Arts Center American University 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC (AU Campus)

Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman Theater4400 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC (AU Campus)

Sidney Harman Hall, Shakespeare Theatre Company610 F Street NW Washington, DC

VENUESWashington DCJCC Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater 1529 16th Street NW Washington, DC

Adas Israel Congregation 2850 Quebec Street NW Washington, DC

AFI Silver Theatre 8633 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD

Avalon Theatre 5612 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC

Goethe-Institut Washington 814 Seventh Street NW Washington, DC

COLOR KEYDCJCC

AFI Silver Theatre

JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

Goethe-Institut

Other Venues:Adas IsraelAvalon TheatreKatzen Arts CenterMalsi Doyle and Michael Forman TheaterSidney Harman Hall at the

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Filmmaker Guest*

WJFF Classics

*Filmmaker guests subject to change

THURSDAY, FEB 19 OPENING NIGHTSponsored by the Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

6:30pmMagic Men (AFI Silver Theatre)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20

1:00pm Invisibles (DCJCC)

3:00pm The Decent One (DCJCC)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21Sponsored by Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer

12:45pm Red Father (DCJCC)

2:30pm The Return (DCJCC)

4:30pm Deli Man (DCJCC)

6:30pmAu Revoir Les Enfants (Goethe-Institut)

6:45pm Anywhere Else (DCJCC)

6:45pmIn Silence (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

6:45pm

CENTERPIECE EVENINGTheodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem (AFI Silver Theatre)

8:30pmCasting Out (Goethe-Institut)

8:45pmMr. Kaplan (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

8:45pmSerial (Bad) Weddings (DCJCC)

9:15pm 24 Days (AFI Silver Theatre)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22Sponsored by Susan and Michael Gelman

11:00amIt Always Rains on Sunday (AFI Silver Theatre)

11:15am The Polgar Variant (DCJCC)

12:30pmAmerican Matchmaker (Goethe-Institut)

12:45pm Red Father (DCJCC)

1:00pmMagic Men (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

1:00pmThe Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer (AFI Silver Theatre)

2:30pmSallah Shabati (Goethe-Institut)

2:30pm Dancing Arabs (DCJCC)

3:00pmApples from the Desert (AFI Theater)

4:45pmThe Decent One (Goethe-Institut)

4:45pm Invisibles (DCJCC)

5:00pmGo-Go Boys (AFI Silver Theatre)

6:00pmAnywhere Else* (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

*Open to everyone, but specifically arranged for teen groups

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23Sponsored by the Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

12:30pm Divided We Fall (DCJCC)

3:00pm Brundibar (DCJCC)

6:30pmBreaking Home Ties (DCJCC)

7:00pmLost Embrace (Goethe-Institut)

7:15pmNext to Her (AFI Silver Theatre)

7:30pm Deli Man (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

8:45pmTheodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem (DCJCC)

9:15pmIt Always Rains on Sunday (AFI Silver Theatre)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25Sponsored by Linda and Sid Moskowitz

6:30pmThe Rosenwald Schools (Avalon Theatre)

6:30pm Zemene (DCJCC)

7:00pm The Last Metro (Goethe-Institut)

7:15pm Little White Lie (AFI Silver Theatre)

7:30pmThe Dove Flyer (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

7:30pm Fragile (Adas Israel)

8:45pmGett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (Avalon)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24Sponsored by Louie and Ralph Dweck

12:15pm The Last Metro (DCJCC)

3:00pmAu Revoir Les Enfants (DCJCC)

6:30pm In Silence (Avalon Theatre)

6:30pmThe Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer (DCJCC)

7:00pm Brundibar (Goethe-Institut)

7:15pm

CENTERPIECE EVENING & VISIONARY AWARD PRESENTATIONHester Street (AFI Silver Theater)

7:30pmLittle White Lie (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

8:30pmSerial (Bad) Weddings (Avalon Theatre)

8:30pm Almost Friends (DCJCC)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26

6:15pmThe Go-Go Boys (Katzen Arts Center)

6:30pm You Must Be Joking (DCJCC)

7:00pm

SPOTLIGHT EVENING: East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem (Sidney Harman Hall, Shakespeare Theatre Company)

7:00pm2 or 3 Things About Him (Goethe-Institut)

7:15pm Golem (AFI Silver Theatre)

7:30pmZemene (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

8:30pmNext to Her (Katzen Arts Center)

8:30pmLionel Bart: Reviewing the Situation (DCJCC)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27

1:00pmLionel Bart: Reviewing the Situation (DCJCC)

3:00pm Dancing Arabs (DCJCC)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28Sponsored by Deborah and Michael Salzberg

12:30pm Belle and Sebastian (DCJCC)

3:00pm Secrets of War (DCJCC)

5:00pm In Silence (DCJCC)

6:30pmYou Must Be Joking (Goethe-Institut)

6:45pmNext to Her (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

6:45pm Above and Beyond (DCJCC)

7:00pmThe Farewell Party (AFI Silver Theatre)

8:45pmDivided We Fall (Goethe-Institut)

8:45pm 24 Days (DCJCC)

8:45pmAnywhere Else (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

9:00pmThe Dove Flyer (AFI Silver Theatre)

SUNDAY, MARCH 1Sponsored by The Melvin and Estelle Gelman Foundation – Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

11:00am Belle and Sebastian (DCJCC)

12:30pmApples From The Desert (Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman Theater)

12:30pm Almost Friends (Goethe-Institut)

1:00pm Above and Beyond (AFI Theater)

1:00pmAmerican Matchmaker (JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville)

1:15pm Stateless (DCJCC)

2:30pm The Return (Goethe-Institut)

2:45pmFragile (Malsi Doyle and Michael Forman Theater)

3:15pmMy Favorite Neoconservative (DCJCC)

3:30pm Secrets of War (AFI Silver Theatre)

4:30pmFluttering Hearts and Longing Bellies (Goethe-Institut)

5:15pm The Farewell Party (DCJCC)

5:30pmThe Trilogy of Love (AFI Silver Theatre)

7:30pmCLOSING NIGHT: Mr. Kaplan (DCJCC)

magic menDir. Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor (100min, Israel, 2014)Hebrew and Greek with English Subtitles

In the latest feature from the directors of Mabul, A Matter of Size, and Strangers, a 78-year-old Greek-born atheist (Makram Khouri, Ophir-winner for Best Actor) and his estranged Hasidic rapper son travel from Israel to Greece searching for the magician who saved his father’s life during World War II. Their Adriatic road trip involves much familial bickering but also has moments of affection, humor, and good will as father and son reconnect during their adventure.

Opening Night Party with Director Guy Nattiv will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza immediately following the screening. Catered by Provisions.

OPENING NIGHTThursday, February 19, 6:30pm AFI Silver Theatre

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGSunday, February 22, 1:00pm JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

OPENING NIGHTSponsored by The Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

Mid-Atlantic Premiere Narrative

07 | 25TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 | wjff.org | #wjff2015

MR. KAPLANDir. Alvaro Brechner (98min, Uruguay/Germany/Spain, 2014)Spanish with English Subtitles

Jacob Kaplan lives an ordinary life in Uruguay. Like many of his other Jewish friends, Jacob fled Europe for South America after World War II. But now, turning 76, he’s become rather grumpy and fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in its own heritage. Becoming convinced that his German neighbor is a runaway Nazi, he secretly takes on the role of a spy – only he is no match for the forces of age. This heartwarming comedy tells the truth of life that transcends time and ideology. Uruguay’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.

CLOSING NIGHTSponsored by The Melvin and Estelle Gelman Foundation – Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

CLOSING NIGHTSunday, March 1, 7:30pm - DCJCC

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGSaturday, February 21, 8:45pmJCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)


25TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 | wjff.org | #wjff2015 08

THEODORE BIKEL: IN THE SHOES OF SHOLOM ALEICHEMDir. John Lollos (75min, USA, 2014)

Portraits of two beloved icons — Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel — are woven together in this enchanting new documentary. The two men have much in common: wit, wisdom and talent, all shot through with deep humanity and Yiddishkeit. Theodore Bikel, the unstoppable performer whose career spans more than 150 screen roles (including an Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones) and countless stage and musical productions, is also the foremost interpreter of Sholom Aleichem’s work. Now 90, Bikel has played Tevye the Milkman on stage more than 2,000 times, and has animated Aleichem’s work through his two celebrated musical plays about the great Russian author.

CENTERPIECE EVENING

Theodore Bikel will participate in an extended Q&A following the Saturday screening at AFI Silver Theatre.

CENTERPIECE EVENINGSaturday, February 21, 6:45pmAFI Silver Theatre

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGMonday, February 23, 8:45pmDCJCC

Mid-Atlantic Premiere Documentary


Tuesday, February 24, 7:15pm - AFI Silver Theatre

WJFF VISIONARY AWARDSponsored by Louie and Ralph Dweck

HESTER STREET Dir. Joan Micklin Silver (90min, USA, 1975)Yiddish and English with English Subtitles

Joan Micklin Silver’s humorous and poignant movie focuses on a traditional Jewish woman (Carol Kane) who arrives with her son to America in the 1890s, only to discover that her cheating husband has assimilated and resents his wife’s old-fashioned ways. In an Oscar-nominated performance, Kane overcomes her heartbreak by adapting to the new land. This groundbreaking independent film tells a heartfelt immigration tale full of Yiddish sentiment and culture and paints a wonderfully vibrant picture of the Lower East Side.

Film selected and synopsis written by Aviva Kempner, WJFF Founder and Director from 1990-1993.

The Annual Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. The 2015 honorees are Carol Kane and Joan Micklin Silver. Carol Kane will join us for the screening to accept the WJFF Visionary Award.

CAROL KANE first appeared on screen in seminal films of the 1970s: Carnal Knowledge, Dog Day Afternoon and Annie Hall. Her breakout role in Hester Street netted an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Her role as Simka Dahblitz-Gravas on television’s Taxi earned her two Emmy Awards. First and foremost a stage actress, she is well-loved for her portrayal of Madame Morrible in Broadway’s Wicked (2005-2009). Among other projects, she is currently on the hit TV series Gotham.

JOAN MICKLIN SILVER established herself as one of the country’s premier independent film directors with the release of Hester Street. She went on to direct many critically acclaimed box office successes such as Between The Lines and Crossing Delancey. She also conceived and directed the musical revue A...My Name Is Alice with Julianne Boyd.

CENTERPIECE EVENING

WJFF ClassicNarrative


Dir. Erez Miller and Henrique Cymerman (80min, Israel, 2014)English, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

Legendary singer-songwriter David Broza journeys to East Jerusalem to record his latest album with Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians. Broza hopes that bridging cultures through music can be one small step toward peaceful coexistence. The film weaves together soulful music and personal conversations of hope in a time and a place where hope is most needed.

EAST JERUSALEM, WEST JERUSALEM

Thursday, February 26, 7:00pm - Sidney Harman Hall, Shakespeare Theatre Company

Followed by a Q&A and 45min musical set from David Broza, Mira Awad and Steve Earle.

Documentary

SPOTLIGHT EVENING



Monday, February 23, 6:30pm - DCJCC Thursday, February 26, 7:15pm - AFI Silver Theatre

GOLEMDir. Carl Boese and Paul Wegener (91min, Germany, 1920)

Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas presents a reprisal of one of his most beloved original scores: the 1920 German silent horror-fantasy-expressionist film Golem, the tale of a 16th century rabbi who made a man out of clay to save the Jewish community of Prague from annihilation.

Known for his work with Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley, and Gods and Monsters, and for his innovative film scores, Gary has been dubbed “The Thinking Man’s Guitar Hero” by The New Yorker, “the world’s most popular avant-rock guitarist” by The Independent (UK), “One of the 100 Greatest Living Guitarists” by Classic Rock and the “Guitarist of 1000 Ideas” by The New York Times.

BREAKING HOME TIES Dir. Frank N. Seltzer and George K. Rowlands (78min, USA, 1922)

Thinking he has killed his friend Paul in a jealous rage, David Bergmann flees pre-revolutionary Russia for New York. While there, he becomes a successful lawyer and woos smart, independent Rose, the boss’ daughter. Meanwhile, David’s wealthy parents sell their fancy home in St. Petersburg and immigrate to America. Unable to find their son, they fall into poverty. Will David marry Rose? Will the Bergmanns be reunited? And what happened to Paul? Long considered lost, the world’s only existing print of Breaking Home Ties was discovered and restored by The National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF).

Live original soundtrack performed by pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Joseph Moray.

Presented in conjunction with a special evening honoring NCJF Executive Director, Sharon Pucker Rivo, for her lifelong contributions to Jewish cinema. For more than 40 years, Sharon has been a leading film archivist, curator, distributor, producer, and academic. Sponsored by Linda Lipsett and Jules Bernstein.

SILENT FILMS WITH LIVE ORIGINAL MUSIC





WJFF ClassicDocumentary

2015

2 or 3 Things i know about himDir. Malte Ludin (85min, Germany, 2005)English and German with English Subtitles

Family drama and historical truth collide in the painful legacy at the heart of this astonishingly intimate and honest film. In a rare look at descendants of a Nazi, the filmmaker breaks 60 years of silence and repression, investigating his father’s dark deeds as the Third Reich’s ambassador to Slovakia. Interviews with Ludin’s still-denying family members and others affected by his father’s actions reveal profoundly different views of the Holocaust and the public and private effects of evil.

Film selected and synopsis written by Susan Barocas, WJFF Director, 2008-2011

24 daysDir. Alexandre Arcady (108min, France, 2014)French with English Subtitles

In 2006, Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old Parisian Jew of Moroccan descent, gave his phone number to a pretty young woman. Later, when his kidnappers demanded ransom from his family, it became clear that she actually lured Ilan to his capture — he was literally flirting with death.

Based on a book co-written by the victim’s mother, Arcady’s cinematic adaption offers a vicious cycle of dangerously real events including the kidnapping and torture of Ilan, the 700 phone calls, insults, and threats received by the family, and the Parisian police’s incompetence in dealing with an anti-Semitic crime.

Saturday, February 21, 9:15pm AFI Silver Theatre

Saturday, February 28, 8:45pm - DCJCCThursday, February 26, 7:00pm - Goethe-Institut


ABOVE AND BEYOND Dir. Roberta Grossman (89min, USA, 2014)

In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish-American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia and flew for Israel in its War of Independence.

This ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war; they also embarked on personal journeys of discovery, sacrifice, and renewed Jewish pride. Directed by Roberta Grossman (Hava Nagila), and produced by Nancy Spielberg (Elusive Justice), this film celebrates the pilots who formed the Israeli Air Force.


Saturday, February 28, 6:45pm - DCJCC

Sunday, March 1, 1:00pm - AFI Silver Theatre

ALMOST FRIENDSDir. Nitzan Ofir and Barak Heymann (60min, Israel, 2014)Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles

Only 67 kilometers separate Lod and Tlamim, but the residents are a world apart, divided by vast national, cultural and ideological differences. Through an education and technology school program aimed at bridging gaps in Israeli society, sixth-grade students from a secular school in the impoverished city of Lod and a religious school in the settlement of Tlamim are paired as online pen pals.

Samar, an Arab girl from Lod and Linor, a Jewish settler who lived in Gush Katif, forge an instant connection online; when the two girls finally meet, their families enter into a profound and complex experience.


Tuesday, February 24, 8:30pm - DCJCC

Sunday, March 1, 12:30pm - Goethe-Institut


ANYWHERE ELSE Dir. Ester Amrami (85min, Germany, 2014)German, English, Hebrew and Yiddish with English Subtitles

Noa, an Israeli student living in Germany with her boyfriend Jörg, becomes unhinged upon receiving disappointing news about her graduate thesis project – creating a dictionary of untranslatable words. When Jörg goes out of town for a few days, Noa takes the opportunity to spontaneously fly back to Israel — home, sunshine, family and her native tongue. Noa is determined this trip will do her good! Her lovable but dysfunctional family can’t keep old conflicts from arising, however, and soon her homeland begins to feel just like the Berlin she sought to escape. And then Jörg suddenly turns up at the most inopportune time – Memorial Day.



Saturday, February 28, 8:45pm JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

AMERICAN MATCHMAKER Dir. Edgar G. Ulmer (87min, USA, 1940)Yiddish // Restored and with new English subtitles by The National Center for Jewish Film

Sponsored by the Arthur Tracy “The Street Singer” Endowment Fund honoring the memory and musical legacy of Arthur Tracy.

Leo Fuchs, known on Second Avenue as “the Yiddish Fred Astaire,” plays an elegant and eligible bachelor who can never seem to close the marriage deal. An art deco romantic comedy about male ambivalence and Jewish assimilation, Edgar G. Ulmer’s last Yiddish movie was also his most modern. With its urbane, neurotic hero, American Matchmaker heralds the films of Woody Allen.

Co-Sponsored by the Esther Saks Abelman Yiddish Culture Fund.


Sunday, February 22, 12:30pm - Goethe-Institut

Sunday, March 1, 1:00pmJCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)


APPLES FROM THE DESERTDir. Arik Lubetzky, Matti Harari (90min, Israel, 2014)Hebrew with English Subtitles

Rebecca Abravanel is the only daughter of an Orthodox family living in Jerusalem. Unhappy with her strict upbringing, Rebecca secretly opens herself to the secular world. At first her transgressions are relatively minor: she peeks in on Israeli dance classes, and eventually joins the co-ed sessions at the beckoning of a cute boy.

Eventually, she runs away with him to a desert kibbutz. Her parents struggle with the repercussions, and Rebecca, too, finds secular life more complicated than she had anticipated. Based on the bestselling book by Savyon Leibrecht, who also contributed the screenplay.


Sunday, February 22, 3:00pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Sunday, March 1, 12:30pm - Doyle and Masli Forman Theater (American University)

AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS Dir. Louis Malle (105min, France, 1987)French with English Subtitles

A heartbreaking story of friendship and loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie — until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Louis Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice and tragic awakening.

“A work that has the kind of simplicity, ease and density of detail that only a filmmaker in total command of his craft can bring off, and then only rarely.” –Vincent Canby, New York Times

Saturday, February 21, 6:30pm - Goethe-Institut




BRUNDIBAR Dir. Douglas Wolfsperger (85min, Germany, 2014)German with English Subtitles

Holocaust? Again? That’s the reaction of the youth theater company at the Berliner Schaubühne to their newest project: Brundibar, the children’s opera, originally performed at Theresienstadt. This is not a theoretical school lesson, and they are thrown directly into the maelstrom of history when their class travels to Terezin to learn about the terrors of the Third Reich. The group is accompanied by the charismatic dame Greta Klingsberg, one of the few survivors of the original cast of Brundibar. She takes the kids on a trip back in time and, slowly, they begin questioning their lazy attitude towards German history.


Monday, February 23, 3:00pm - DCJCC

Tuesday, February 24, 7:00pm - Goethe-Institut

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN Dir. Nicolas Vanier (104min, France, 2014) French with English Subtitles

A beloved tale since its adaptation for 1960s television, this heartwarming new feature film is set during WWII in the snowy Alps of occupied France. Sebastian, lonely and dreaming of the day his mother will return from America, befriends “the beast” the local farmers are convinced is killing their sheep – an enormous yet gentle sheepdog who quickly becomes the boy’s best friend. With Nazis in the village rooting out the resistance fighters helping Jewish refugees cross the border, Belle and Sebastian’s loyalty – to each other and the village that embraced them both – will be put to the test.

Recommended for ages 10+

DC Premiere Narrative


Sunday, March 1, 11:00am - DCJCC


DANCING ARABSDir. Eran Riklis (104min, Israel/Germany/France, 2014)Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles

First love, school bullies, British New Wave … and SCUD missiles. This bittersweet ‘80s coming-of-age drama from the director of The Syrian Bride and Lemon Tree adapts two autobiographical novels by popular Israeli-Arab writer Sayed Kashua. Eyad is a gifted Arab teenager who wins the chance to attend a prestigious Jewish boarding school. Isolated and lonely at first, he soon develops close friendships and begins fitting in. Soon however, heartbreak, personal tragedy and politics threaten to destroy his adolescent idyll. As Eyad moves into manhood, he makes impossible decisions about where he will stand – and who he will be – in a divided country.

Mid-Atlantic PremiereNarrative

5TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY EDUCATION DAY ON ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL (P. 34)

Sunday, February 22, 2:30pm - DCJCC

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGFriday, February 27, 3:00pm - DCJCC

THE DECENT ONEDir. Vanessa Lapa (94min, Israel/Austria/Germany, 2014)German with English Subtitles

Heinrich Himmler writes, “In life one must always be decent, courageous and kind-hearted.” How can a man be a hero in his own eyes and a mass murderer in the eyes of the world?

Through previously undiscovered private letters, photos and diaries that were found in the Himmler family house in 1945, The Decent One gives unique, and at times uncomfortable, access to the life and mind of the merciless “Architect of the Final Solution.” A unique portrait of one of the most prominent figures of the Third Reich: The Reichsfuhrer-SS, Heinrich Himmler.

DC Premiere Documentary

Friday, February 20, 3:00pm - DCJCC

Sunday, February 22, 4:45pm - Goethe-Institut


DELI MANDir. Erik Greenberg Anjou (90min, USA, 2014)

Jewish culture reflects the heart of a vital ethnic history. As that culture continues to shift and adapt alongside mainstream America, delicatessen food – as its name suggests – remains a beloved communal delicacy.

In Houston, Texas, third-generation deli man Ziggy Gruber has built arguably the finest delicatessen restaurant in U.S. history – building on the contributions of iconic delis such as Katz’s, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate ‘n Al, Carnegie, and the Stage – and embodying a tradition indelibly linked to its savory, nostalgic foods. A laughter-filled, drool-inducing, history of the kugel, corned beef, and knoblewurst.


Saturday, February 21, 4:30pm - DCJCCFollowed by a special dinner hosted at DGS Delicatessen (p. 35)

Monday, February 23, 7:30pm JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

DIVIDED WE FALL Dir. Jan Hrebejk (117min, Czech Republic, 2000)Czech with English Subtitles

“You wouldn’t believe what abnormal times do to normal people,” observes Josef as he and his wife Marie find themselves caught in a series of impossible choices and absurdist situations in Jan Hrebejk’s poignant film based on Petr Jarchovsky’s novel. Set in a small Czech town under German occupation, this Oscar-nominated film explores “not only the banality of evil, but also the banality of goodness, and the ridiculousness, as well as the tragedy, of their collision.” (A. O. Scott, NY Times).

Film selected and synopsis written by Miriam Mörsel Nathan, WJFF Co-Founder and Director, 1990-2002.

Monday, February 23, 12:30pm - DCJCC




THE DOVE FLYERDir. Nissim Dayan (108min, Israel, 2014)Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew with English Subtitles

Based on the autobiographical blockbuster novel by Eli Amir, this sweeping epic recalls a lost and cherished time when over 125,000 Jews lived in Iraq. We follow the teenage Kabi as he navigates the final years of the community’s existence in Iraq, before its expulsion and resettlement to 1950s Israel.

When his uncle Hizkel is imprisoned, Kabi sets off to find him, joining the Zionist underground movement. The film beautifully illustrates the complex existence of the Jewish community in Iraq, which had strong ties to the surrounding Muslim world and Arabic culture, yet simultaneously feared for its safety.


Wednesday, February 25, 7:30pmJCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

Saturday, February 28, 9:00pm - AFI Silver Theatre

THE FAREWELL PARTYDir. Tal Granit, Sharon Maymon (93min, Israel, 2014)Hebrew with English Subtitles

A compassionate dark comedy about friendship and knowing when to say goodbye. A group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home build a machine for self-euthanasia in order to help their terminally ill friend. When rumors of the machine begin to spread, more and more people ask for their help, and the friends are faced with an emotional dilemma. Winner of Best Cinematography and Best Actor, 2015 Ophirs.

“[W]e discovered that when the body fails and the mind remains lucid, self-irony and humor remain the best way to cope with the prospect of death.” -Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon


Saturday, February 28, 7:00pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Sunday, March 1, 5:15pm - DCJCC



FRAGILEDir. Vidi Bilu (104min, Israel, 2013)Hebrew with English Subtitles

Jerusalem, 1966 – the year before the Six Day War, after which everything will change forever. A small family lives in a crumbling old building in the center of the city. Eli, the father, works all day. His wife, Ruti spends her days in bed reading thick novels that he brings her from the library.

Their 11-year-old daughter, a creative and energetic soul, seeks attention from the other tenants in the building to stave off feelings of boredom and loneliness. One day, when Ruti finally decides to get out of bed, the apparent peace and serenity of the house is violated.

Wednesday, February 25, 7:30pm - Adas Israel

Sunday, March 1, 2:45pm - Doyle and Masli Forman Theater (American University)

Gett, The trial of viviane amsalemDir. Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz (115min, Israel/Germany/France, 2014)Hebrew with English Subtitles

Trapped in a loveless marriage, Viviane Amsalem (Ronit Elkabetz) has been applying to the rabbinical court for a divorce from her estranged husband for three years. Her husband continually refuses. In Israel, where neither civil marriage nor civil divorce exist, only an Orthodox rabbi can legalize a union or its dissolution with consent from the husband, locking Viviane into a seemingly unending battle. By turns an absurdist comedy and a heartrending personal drama, Israel’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award is a moving portrait of a woman’s struggle to overcome an inert patriarchy and live a life of her own design.

Presented in conjunction with Reel Israel DC, a partnership with the Embassy of Israel, and the Avalon Theatre.

DC Premiere Narrative

Wednesday, February 25, 8:45pm - Avalon Theatre


THE GO-GO BOYSDir. Hilla Medalia (86min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew with English Subtitles

Directed by Hilla Medalia (Dancing in Jaffa), this documentary reveals the inside story of two Israeli-born cousins, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who in pursuit of the American Dream turned the Hollywood power structure upside down, producing over 300 films and forming Cannon – at its apex, the most powerful independent film company in the world. Celebrated, condemned, loved and loathed, Cannon’s legacy is undeniable, wielding a pop-cultural power that continues to seep into modern life today. The duo brought us Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme, and a flop of epic proportions in 1987’s Superman IV, but also supported cinema artists John Cassavates, Franco Zeffirelli, and Andrei Konchalovsky.



Thursday, February 26 6:15pm - Theater (American University)

IN SILENCE Dir. Zdeněk Jiráský (84min, Slovakia/Czech Republic/Germany, 2014)Czech and Slovak with English Subtitles

A vibrant, sound-rich and brilliant ode to the lives of Jewish musicians during the era of National Socialism in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany. In Silence is based on true stories of Alice Flachová, Karol Ebert, Edith Kraus, and Arthur Chitz. The film draws a sharp contrast between the protagonists’ carefree existence making music during the pre-war era and the subsequent upheaval brought on by the proliferation of Nazism. Intended as a documentary, the director ultimately turned out a feature film of exceptional visual and emotional impact, examining an ostensibly exhausted cinematic theme with extraordinary originality and intensity.

East Coast Premiere Narrative

Saturday, February 21, 6:45pm - JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

Tuesday, February 24, 6:30pm - Avalon Theatre



INVISIBLESDir. Mushon Salmona (80min, Israel, 2014) Hebrew with English Subtitles

From Mushon Salmona, director of Vasermil, comes the story of Raid, a young Bedouin from a desert village, recently discharged from the army. Despite all his problems, he tries to fulfill his dream of taking over the family’s herd of sheep.

While minding the herd, he meets Nofar, the Jewish girlfriend of his cousin, Sleiman, a petty thief ostracized by their family. When Sleiman’s chaotic life endangers Raid’s dream and Nofar’s father discovers their relationship, the three embark on what is intended to be Sleiman’s last big job, but nothing turns out as planned.




IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAYDir. Robert Hamer (92min, UK, 1947)

With an atmosphere redolent of pre-war French “poetic realism,” the recently rediscovered and restored It Always Rains on Sunday is a Brueghelian slice of post-war British life. Amid a raucous street market, a feckless trio of thieves try to unload a truckload of hot roller skates. A music store owner chases one shiksa too many. A fight fixer drops a thick roll in the youth center collection box.

In the meantime, a comfortably pipe-smoking inspector Jack Warner plays Javert throughout a long day – climaxing with an excitingly photographed chase through railroad yards and puffing steam engines, two suicide attempts and a murder.

Sunday, February 22, 11:00am - AFI Silver Theatre

Monday, February 23, 9:15pm - AFI Silver Theatre



THE LAST METRO Dir. François Truffaut (131min, France, 1980)French with English subtitles

Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve star as members of a French theater company living under German occupation during World War II in François Truffaut’s gripping, humanist character study. Against all odds, the troupe – a Jewish theater manager in hiding, a leading man who’s in the Resistance, increasingly restrictive Nazi oversight – believes the show must go on. Equal parts romance, historical tragedy and even comedy, The Last Metro is Truffaut’s ultimate tribute to art overcoming adversity, and became one of his most popular films, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film and 10 French César awards, including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress.



Wednesday, February 25, 7:00pm - Goethe-Institut

LIONEL BART: REVIEWING THE SITUATIONDir. Mick Conefrey (60min, UK, 2014)

The rise and fall of Lionel Bart – the songwriter behind Oliver!, the most successful English musical of all time – told with wit and panache. Born Lionel Begleiter in the Jewish East End of London, Bart was influenced by music of the Yiddish theatre, the synagogue, American show tunes and rock ’n’ roll. Filled with archival footage and interviews, this breezy documentary takes us from the colorful world of Bart’s childhood to the bohemian post-war scene of London’s Soho, the West End Stage, and his friendships with Noel Coward and Judy Garland. The trajectory of Bart’s life is the “stuff of Greek tragedy, but with tighter trousers and catchier tunes.”

Join us on Wednesday, February 25 at 9:00pm for a piano bar salute to Lionel Bart (p. 35).


Thursday, February 26, 8:30pm - DCJCC



LOST EMBRACEDir. Daniel Burman (100min, Argentina, 2004)Spanish with English Subtitles

Ariel, a young man in his twenties, is our guide through a community mostly made up of Jewish business owners struggling to stay afloat in a Buenos Aires shopping mall. Fed up with the grind, he seeks Polish citizenship so he can become “European.” Torn over whether or not to leave Argentina, Ariel’s feelings are amplified by his father’s abandonment of the family during the Yom Kippur War when he left for Israel and never returned. Seeking guidance, Ariel consults his mother, brother, grandmother (whose childhood in Poland is the conceit under which he is applying for Polish citizenship) and the other assorted denizens of his multicultural Buenos Aires neighborhood.

Film selected and synopsis written by Joshua Ford, WJFF Director, 2003-2010.


LITTLE WHITE LIE Dir. Lacey Schwartz (65min, USA, 2014)

What defines our identity, our family of origin or the family that raises us? Lacey Schwartz, who tells her remarkable story, grew up in a typical upper-middle-class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY, with loving parents and a strong sense of her Jewish identity — despite the open questions from those around her about how a white girl could have such dark skin.

At the age of 18, a freshman at Georgetown University, she finally learned the truth: her biological father was not the man who raised her, but a black man named Rodney. The family secret can stay hidden no longer as she begins her quest to reconcile the hidden pieces of her life.

DC Premiere Documentary

Tuesday, February 24, 7:30pm JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

Wednesday, February 25, 7:15pm - AFI Silver Theatre Monday, February 23, 7:00pm - Goethe-Institut


THE MUSES OF ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGERDir. Asaf Galay (72min, Israel, 2014)

Many books, biographies and articles have been written about the life and work of Isaac Bashevis Singer (Nobel Prize winner in Literature, best known for his story Yentl).

This film uncovers a previously unknown and eccentric chapter in his life: in the mid 1960s, Bashevis Singer established an army of female translators – more than 40 women – who helped spread his work. He chose these translators carefully, was inspired by their presence, and often fell in love with them. Nine of the women who were intimately familiar with the man and his work are still here, and theirs are the only voices heard in the film.

MY FAVORITE NEOCONSERVATIVE // ALEX’S LETTERS Dir. Yael Luttwak (64min, USA, 2014-2015)

My Favorite Neoconservative offers a personal insight into the surreal power circles of Washington, DC. The filmmaker’s eccentric father, Edward Luttwak, is a prominent conservative – and architect of the air campaign of the first Iraq war – who makes his living as a military strategist. Raised in a Chevy Chase house overrun by her father’s associates, Yael Luttwak watched Paul Wolfowitz, Michael Ledeen and Richard Perle walk the halls of her childhood home. With unique access, the film reveals the personalities behind the headlines and tells a father-daughter story with a sardonic political twist.

Preceded by a work-in-progress screening of Yael Luttwak’s Alex’s Letters, based on the book Alex: Building a Life, the story of Alex Singer, a 25-year-old American who died while serving in the Israel Defense Forces.


East Coast Premiere Documentary


Tuesday, February 24, 6:30pm - DCJCC Sunday, March 1, 3:15pm - DCJCC


THE POLGAR VARIANT Dir. Yossi Aviram (68min, Israel/Hungary, 2014)Hungarian, English and Hebrew with English Subtitles

The extraordinary story of three Hungarian-Jewish sisters who were raised in 1970s Communist Budapest to be chess masters. The Polgár sisters did not choose to become the heroines of this story. It was their father, who, driven by his educational vision, determined their destiny before they were even born. László Polgár believed that “geniuses are made, not born,” and he set out to prove it. The canvas he chose was his three daughters. The medium he chose was chess. No kindergarten, no school… Three girls, isolated from the normal world of kids, studied and practiced chess – with remarkable results.


NEXT TO HERDir. Asaf Korman (90min, Israel, 2014)Hebrew with English Subtitles

Chelli is raising her mentally disabled sister Gabby all by herself. When the social worker discovers she leaves her sister alone in the house while at work, Chelli is forced to place her in a day-care center and the void left by her sister’s absence makes room for a man in her life. That man tears another hole in the sisters’ symbiotic relationship, and the three are slowly drawn into a strange triangle, where boundaries between love, sacrifice, nurturing, and torturing are broken. With mesmerizing performances from two female leads: Dana Ivgy (Broken Wings, Zero Motivation) and Liron Ben-Shlush.


Monday, February 23, 7:15pm - AFI Silver Theatre

Thursday, February 26, 8:30pm - Katzen Arts Center

Saturday, February 28, 6:45pm JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)

Sunday, February 22, 11:15am - DCJCCAfter the film, join us for chess lessons, games and a simul-match (p. 35).


RED FATHER Dir. Tova Beck-Friedman (56min, USA, 2014)

Red Father follows the life of Bernard Ades, a Communist, Jewish lawyer raised in Baltimore and radicalized by the Great Depression.

Set against the backdrop of the pre-civil rights era, the film follows Ades as he seeks to end systemic legal racism in Maryland, fights Fascism with the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, and becomes a target himself during the dark days of America’s McCarthyism.

THE RETURN Dir. Adam Zucker (83min, Poland/USA, 2014) English and Polish with English Subtitles

Before WWII, Poland’s 3.5 million Jews made the country the epicenter of the Jewish world. Today, less than 20,000 Jews live there. Due to the Holocaust and ensuing Soviet era, Poland’s remaining Jews hid their identity from their children. With the fall of Communism, a young generation of Jews began learning their long-buried ancestry. The Return focuses on four women in their 20s who face the unique challenge of trying to create an identity in a vacuum, with little knowledge of their heritage. The Return depicts their valiant efforts at creating a new, authentic Jewish community in a country still regarded in the U.S. as the “Jewish graveyard.”

DC PremiereDocumentary





Sunday, March 1, 2:30pm - Goethe-Institut


SALLAH SHABATI Dir. Ephraim Kishon (110min, Israel, 1964)Hebrew with English SubtitlesDocumentary

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sallah Shabati – one of the most outrageous, beloved, and enduring artifacts of Israeli cinema – with a presentation of a newly restored print. This sharp, hilarious satire centers on new immigrants Sallah and his Yemenite Jewish family, flown to Israel during “Operation Magic Carpet,” and immediately shuttled to a government settlement camp. Unlike his hard-working neighbors, Sallah (Chaim Topol in his breakout role) is shiftless and lazy. Against all odds, he becomes a hero when, while wheeling and dealing, he uncovers misappropriations and corner-cutting in Israel’s housing industry. This hilarious portrayal of immigrants in Israel was the first Israeli film to be nominated for an Oscar and the first to win the Golden Globe.

World PremiereDocumentary

Wednesday, February 25, 6:30pm - Avalon TheatreThe theme of this film will be further explored by authors, legislators, and audiences (p. 35-36) Sunday, February 22, 2:30pm - Goethe-Institut


THE ROSENWALD SCHOOLS Dir. Aviva Kempner (100min, USA, 2015)

Continuing her work chronicling the untold stories of Jewish heroes, Aviva Kempner (The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg) turns her lens on Julius Rosenwald – who may just be the greatest philanthropist you’ve never heard of. The son of an immigrant peddler, Rosenwald eclipsed his humble origins to become the top executive at Sears and Roebuck. Driven equally by the Jewish ideal of tzedakah (charity), the writings of Booker T. Washington, and an increasing awareness of racial inequality in American society, Rosenwald dedicated his newfound wealth and prestige to joining with African-American communities in the South to build over 5,000 schools and establishing the Rosenwald Fund for the support of African American artists and intellectuals.

Supported by


SECRETS OF WARDir. Dennis Bots (95min, Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg, 2014)Dutch with English Subtitles

During World War II, everyone had to keep secrets to survive, but at what price? Lambert and Tuur, two 12-year-old boys living in a small town in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, share a strong friendship. It’s 1943, but for these thick-as-thieves friends, the German occupation is merely inspiration for more exciting cave-war games.

Even this bond is put at risk with the arrival of a lively young girl named Maartje, carrying with her a heavy secret about her past. As Tuur and Maartje become close, the estranged Lambert grows increasingly jealous and acts irrationally, exposing Maartje’s secret with far-reaching consequences that are beyond his understanding.

Recommended for ages 10+


SERIAL (BAD) WEDDINGSDir. Philippe de Chauveron (94min, France, 2014) French with English Subtitles

A breakout hit in France, Serial (Bad) Weddings comically plays off, and then upends, racial stereotypes of all stripes. The Verneuils are Catholic, well-off and well-educated. They struggle with three daughters who have married, successively, a Jewish man, an Arab man and an Asian man, so when their fourth daughter falls in love with a Catholic, they’re delighted.

But things don’t go as planned and soon the three brothers-in-law are enlisted to prevent the next wedding in this raucous, romantic and quirky comic romp for the ages.

DC PremiereNarrative


Sunday, March 1, 3:30pm - AFI Silver Theatre


Tuesday, February 24, 8:30pm - Avalon Theatre


STATELESSDir. Michael Drob (87min, USA, 2014) Russian and English with English Subtitles

In the late 1980s, on the brink of the collapse of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands of Soviet Jews were finally allowed to leave the USSR. What they did not expect was that their final destination, America, no longer welcomed them with open arms.

In 1988, American policy suddenly changed and thousands of Soviet Jews were stranded in Italy. Stateless. This documentary captures their stories from the point of view of the émigrés as well as expert accounts of the situation from influential Jewish leaders including David Harris of the AJC, Mark Handelman of NYANA and Mark Hetfield of HIAS.


THE TRILOGY OF LOVE Dir. Laurence Attali (75min, Senegal/France, 1999-2002)Wolof and French with English Subtitles

Laurence Attali’s three-part ode to Senegal, spirituality, and the nature of love. We offer an extremely rare screening of the full work.

Even The Wind (1999) A taxi driver traveling at full speed through the streets of Dakar. Beside him, a platinum blonde girl, whose attention he’s aiming for, but missing. In the back seat, a golden saxophone.

Baobob (2000) A marvelous journey to the heart of the forest of Dakar, where a djinn nestles in every baobab. The spirits guide us through this adventure.

The Unshod Man (2002) A free interpretation of the Jewish law of Levirat, which obliges a brother to marry the widow of his deceased brother. A vibrantly shot exploration of the mystical link between Judaic and Senegalese traditions.

WJFF ClassicDocumentary & Narrative

Sunday, March 1, 1:15pm – DCJCC Sunday, March 1, 5:30pm - AFI Silver Theatre


ZEMENEDir. Melissa Donovan (68min, USA/Ethiopia, 2014)English and Amharic with English subtitles

An inspirational story of hope, love and unimaginable possibilities. We follow a spirited 10-year-old Ethiopian girl, Zemenework (Zemene), as she fights to keep hope alive and survive her life-threatening and severe curvature of the spine. With no health care in her village, Zemene travels to the city of Gondar, where she is told no medical treatment can save her. A chance encounter with Dr. Rick Hodes – medical director of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee – takes Zemene down a new path, giving her hope for the future.


YOU MUST BE JOKING Dir. Jake Wilson (91min, USA, 2014)

Barb is an aimless, confrontational 27-year-old paralegal in this edgy comedy of reinvention. Sas Goldberg gives a frenetic, biting performance as a listless woman inspired by her childhood best friend, a ballet dancer, to pick up her long-shelved passion for stand-up comedy.

Featuring a painfully authentic and endearing look into the New York improv scene, You Must Be Joking is a gut-busting, warm comedy with no shortage of emotional outbursts, awkward office dynamics, and dysfunctional families. An original feel-good comedy that asks the question: What makes you so happy you giggle?


Thursday, February 26, 6:30pm - DCJCCAfter the screening, join us for laughs and cocktails with JDate (p. 35)


Wednesday, February 25, 6:30pm - DCJCC

Thursday, February 26, 7:30pm JCC of Greater Washington (Rockville)


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CASTING OUT(113min, Canada/Israel/Germany/USA, 2014)

A series of films that examine extremities, those that dare push beyond them, and the very nature of being an outsider. Some are cast out by birth or circumstance; others choose to cast out on their own. Here we celebrate those who break the mold and challenge norms of all kinds – of religion, family, sexual orientation, dress code; and society’s expectations at large.

FEATURED FILMS: 7 Day Gig, Dear God, End of Season Sale, Firstborn, Gloomy Sabbath, Some Vacation, Yidlife Crisis (episodes 1 & 2), and Zazaland.

FLUTTERING HEARTS & LONGING BELLIES(96min, Canada/Israel/Germany/USA, 2014)

This collection of quirky originals deals with hungry hearts and emotional stomachs. Deep and primitive desires for good food and steamy romance are tackled alongside loftier pursuits for meaning, belonging, and true love. A wonderful mix of animation, magical realism, and truly unique modes of visual storytelling.

FEATURED FILMS: Cherries, Hearts Melt and Knees Tremble, Hollow Land, Jewish Girls are Easy, Salomea’s Nose, The Ten Plagues, and Yidlife Crisis (episodes 3 & 4).

Saturday, February 21, 8:30pm – Goethe-Institut Sunday, March 1, 4:30pm – Goethe-Institut

Dear God Hollow Land


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20155TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY EDUCATION DAY ON ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAELSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1:30pm-5:00pm - DCJCCSponsored by the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues and the Washington DCJCC

Lead support provided by the Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation and the Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

Join us for a day of in-depth exploration of the daily lives and challenges of Arab citizens of Israel. The day will begin with a keynote address by Dr. Dalia Fadila, President of Al-Qasemi College of Engineering and Science. This will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Fadila, and Safa Garb, JDC Division Director, Arab Society and Infrastructure, and moderated by Rabbi Sid Schwarz, Co-chair of the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues.

After the keynote address, attendees are invited to the DC premiere of Dancing Arabs (p. 18) with filmmaker Eran Riklis.

Co-presented by: Adas Israel Congregation, American Jewish Committee, Am Kolel Jewish Renewal Community, American University Center for Israel Studies, Anti-Defamation League, Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, Lois and Richard England Family Foundation, Embassy of Israel, Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, The Israel Action Center at the JCRC of Greater Washington, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, New Israel Fund, University of Maryland Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies, Washington Hebrew Congregation.


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SPECIAL DINNER HOSTED BY DGS DELICATESSENSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 7:00PM (following Deli Man screening and Q&A at the DCJCC)1317 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC

In conjunction with the screening of Deli Man (p. 14), Nick Wiseman, owner of DGS Delicatessen, prepares a special menu for filmgoers. The dinner will be served in the private dining room on the second floor, and RSVPs are required as space is limited. This dinner is only open to film attendees, but not covered in the price of the film ticket.

HERE’S ROOKING AT YOU, KIDSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 12:45PM – DCJCC

Chess lessons, games, and a simul-match following the screening of The Polgar Variant (p. 27). All ages and levels of players (including beginners) are welcome to join!

The simul-match will pit up to 16 participants taking on a GM-ranked player at the same time.

100 YEARS LATER: THE LEGACY OF BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND JULIUS ROSENWALD

DATE TBD – HOWARD LAW SCHOOL (details at wjff.org)

Filmmaker Aviva Kempner (The Rosenwald Schools, p. 29) is joined by E. Ethelbert Miller, director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University, and Jay Stewart, Professor of Political Science at Howard University, for an extended conversation about the cultural and educations legacy of Julius Rosenwald on the African-American community.

ISRAEL SCREENED: THE STATE OF ISRAELI DOCUMENTARY CINEMATUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 7:00PM – DCJCC

Leading Israeli documentary distributor Ruth Diskin offers a state of the cinema address, looking at the evolving landscape of Israeli non-fiction film, and the challenges and changes ahead.

MR. SMITH’S PIANO BAR SALUTE TO LIONEL BARTWEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 9:00PM-1:00AM 3205 K St NW, Washington, DC

DC’s top piano bar, Mr. Smith’s of Georgetown, gets in on the act! In preparation for our screening of Lionel Bart: Reviewing the Situation (p. 24), superstar piano man Jon Adelson tinkles the ivories with a special dash of Lionel Bart’s musical catalog including hit tunes from Oliver! He rounds out the selections with other queer Jewish rock and showtunes, and drinks are $1 off with a WJFF ticket.

LAUGHS & COCKTAILS WITH J DATETHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 6:30PMMasa 14, 1825 14th Street NW, Washington, DC

Join WJFF, J Date and singles from around the city for an evening of drinks, laughs, and new friends. Start off the evening with the raucous romantic comedy You Must Be Joking (p. 34) before enjoying a fancy cocktail at the stylish Italian gastro pub Ghibellina with filmmakers Sas Goldberg and Jake Wilson. Drink specials and discounts for WJFF ticket holders!

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2015ROADS TAKENTHE GREAT JEWISH MIGRATIONS TO THE NEW WORLD AND THE PEDDLERS WHO FORGED THE WAY WITH AUTHOR HASIA DINER

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 7:00PM – DCJCC

Delving further into themes raised by Hester Street (p. 10) and The Rosenwald Schools (p. 29), Hasia Diner tells the story of millions of discontented young Jewish men who sought opportunity abroad, leaving parents, wives, and sweethearts behind to become peddlers selling their goods across the world. Hasia Diner is a Professor of American Jewish History and director of the Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History at New York University.

FOR HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE STUDENTS:Sponsored by the Samuel and Marlene Halperin Arts Fund at the DCJCC established in memory of Dr. Samuel Halperin

WJFF YOUTH CRITICS FORUMA small group of applicants will be selected to participate in a pre-festival workshop with leading film critics from DC and NYC, which will focus on learning to write analytically about media. These students will then be given full access to the 2015 Festival and asked to submit 2-3 reviews of films they saw – these reviews will be published prominently on the WJFF website and pitched by the festival for syndication by national cultural and Jewish publications.

WJFF YOUTH FILM COMPETITIONDC area students are encouraged to submit their short films (10min and under) to a student media competition. The winning entries – best high school and best college submissions – will be publically screened in front of premium nights at the WJFF, ensuring hundreds of people will see your work!

To learn more and apply to both, visit WJFF.ORG by January 28.

25TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL PREVIEW SCREENING (FOR DONORS)TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 7:00PM

2015 WJFF donors at the Camera ($550+) level and above are invited to attend a special sneak preview event of the film 24 Days (p. 13) followed by an hors d’oeuvres reception. Get a head start on the festival and be the first to see this engaging, timely, and important film.

TWO JEWS WALK INTO A BARSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 5:00PM

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Join us for a cinematic U Street bar crawl that’s become a beloved annual tradition. $30 gets you access to more than 20 films and three drinks. This year, the film focus will be Israeli animation and music videos.

The event will likely sell out; get your tickets and more information (including bar route) at wjff.org.

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FILM, PAGE NUMBER

ARAB CITIZENS OF ISRAEL

Almost Friends, 14

Dancing Arabs, 18

East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem, 11

The Dove Flyer, 20

Sallah Shabati, 29

BLACK & JEWISH

The Rosenwald Schools, 29

Little White Lie, 25

Red Father, 28

COMEDY

American Matchmaker, 15

The Farewell Party, 20

Sallah Shabati, 29

Serial (Bad) Weddings, 30

You Must Be Joking, 32

CLASSIC CINEMA

2 or 3 Things I Know About Him, 13


Au Revoir Les Enfants, 16

Divided We Fall, 19

Golem, 12

Hester Street, 10

It Always Rains on Sunday, 23

The Last Metro, 24

The Lost Embrace, 26

Sallah Shabati, 29

The Trilogy of Love, 31

FAMILY/TEEN (RECOMMENDED AGE)

Belle and Sebastian (10+), 17

Dancing Arabs (14+), 18

Secrets of War (10+), 30

FEMALE FOCUSED

Almost Friends, 14

Apples from the Desert, 16

Fragile, 21

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, 21

Hester Street, 10

Little White Lie, 25

The Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer, 26

Next to Her, 27

The Polgar Variant, 27


ISRAEL

Above and Beyond, 14

Almost Friends, 14

Anywhere Else, 15

Apples from the Desert, 16

Dancing Arabs, 18

The Dove Flyer, 20


The Farewell Party, 20

Fragile, 21

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, 21

The Go-Go Boys, 22

Invisibles, 23

Magic Men, 7

Next to Her, 27

Sallah Shabati, 29

The Polgar Variant, 27

MUSIC

Breaking Home Ties, 12

Brundibar, 17


Golem, 12

In Silence, 22

Lionel Bart: Reviewing The Situation, 24

Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem, 9

ROMANCE


Anywhere Else, 15

Apples From the Desert, 16

Dancing Arabs, 18

The Last Metro, 24

Next to Her, 27

Serial (Bad) Weddings, 30


WWII / HOLOCAUST

2 or 3 Things I Know About Him, 13

Au Revoir Les Enfants, 16

Belle and Sebastian, 17

Brundibar, 17

The Decent One, 18

Divided We Fall, 19

In Silence, 22

The Last Metro, 24

Secrets of War, 3037 | 25TH WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 | wjff.org | #wjff2015

DAY SPONSORAnonymousNaomi and Nehemiah Cohen

FoundationScott and Ellen DreyerLouie and Ralph DweckSusan and Michael GelmanShelley and Allan HoltThe Melvin and Estelle Gelman

Foundation - Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

Linda and Sid MoskowitzDeborah and Michael Salzberg

PRODUCERLinda Greenberg and Tac TaceloskyLinda Lipsett and Jules BernsteinMelanie and Lawrence Nussdorf

DIRECTORPatty Abramson and Les SilvermanMichele and Allan BermanCyna and Paul Cohen & Sara Cohen

and Norman RichLois and Richard England Family

FoundationDina GoldRichard SollowayMarcia and Ira WagnerDiane Abelman Wattenberg Judith Weintraub

FOOD & BEVERAGEcafé

d.c. C A F E D I E M D C . C O M @ C A F E D I E M D C

PRODUCERSFESTIVAL SPONSORS EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

LIGHTSBelman Klein Associates, LTDJacqueline and Edward CohenBrenda Gruss and Daniel HirschTamara and Harry HandelsmanAviva KempnerMarian and Alan MalaskyJoy MidmanSusan Wedlan and Harold RosenAnita Wolke and Kenneth Brooks

CAMERAEsther Saks Abelman Yiddish

Culture Fund Babs and Rabbi A.N. AbramowitzCharlotte and Michael BaerMiriam and Eliezer BenbassatKathy BorrusSusan Brett and Rob ShesserFrances and Leonard BurkaCORTJET - Lisa and Bruce CortMargie Corwin and Neil SchechterLeesa Fields and Jonathan BandSusan and Michael FriedmanKaren and Howard JatlowSally KlineJanet Leno and Peter HarroldDianne and Herb LernerRikki and Nat LewinIris LipkowitzDalya and Edward LuttwakDorothy Moss and Lawrence Meyer

Miriam Mörsel Nathan and Harvey Nathan

Peggy ParsonsZelda PorteDeborah and Juan PrawdaElaine ReubenMelinda and Robert RobbinsBeth Sackler and Jeffrey CohenMichael SingerFrancine Zorn Trachtenberg and

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg

ACTIONLeslie BarrSanders H. Berk, MD and Sally BerkSuanne and Richard BeydaDrs. Cohen, Goodman, Simon, Ribera,

Menhinick, HetzNeil Cohen and Paul WolfsonRosalind and Donald CohenRose and Robert CohenCarol Ann DyerMyrna FawcettLorraine Gallard and Richard LevyNina and Sol GlasnerMarilyn and Michael GlossermanDebra Goldberg and Seth WaxmanLisa and Tom GoldringDr. Kenneth* and Cheryl Gorelick FundMartha Winter Gross and Robert TracyWilliam KreisbergStuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin

MEDIA SPONSORS

Aviva MeyerSarah Pokempner and Jerry LevineHoward Schilit and Diane Lipson

SchilitSilver Family Foundation - Peggy and

Sidney SilverDeborah Tannen and Michael

MacovskiJohn TollerisJoan Wessel

CINEPHILEAnonymousSusan BarocasFrancine C. BerkowitzSteven BlacherRichard and Amira ChadwickVictoria CordovaMargery and Mel ElfinDebra and Marvin FeuerRonna and Stan FosterPamela and Richard GelfandAnn and Frank GilbertAnita GlickSusan Sachs GoldmanHazel GromanNaomi and Jack HellerAlma and Sid KaplanRon Kaplan and Yoni BorkJanet KolodnerBill LevensonMargery and Sheldon London

Madalyn and Ernest MarcusCarol MatesEllen and Grant OttensteinSusan and Dennis PapadopoulosEdna and Larry PovichDeborah PrigalWilma Probst Levy and Louis LevyDr. Sherry Levy-Reiner and Rabbi Fred

N. ReinerOlga RyzhikovDiane ScheiningerDebra SchwartzYulia Spivak and Roman SvirskyMindy Strelitz and Andrew CornblattIrene and Bill WallertSuzanne Wolk

DCJCC FUND SUPPORTMilton and Helen Covensky FundThe Samuel and Marlene Halperin

Arts FundChaim Kempner FundThe Harriet J. Neuman Endowment

FundThe Arthur Tracy “The Street Singer”

Endowment Fund

* of blessed memoryGift listed as of 12.26.14


Irwin P. Edlavitch Building1529 16th Street NWWashington, DC 20036(202) 518-9400washingtondcjcc.org

WASHINGTON DCJCC PRESIDENTRose H. Cohen

WASHINGTON DCJCC STAFFCarole R. Zawatsky, Chief Executive OfficerIlya Tovbis, WJFF DirectorSara Loeb, WJFF CoordinatorLily Singer, WJFF AssociateBrittiany Broadwater, WJFF Box Office & Operations Coordinator

WJFF FILM COUNCIL Dina Gold, Co-ChairSid Moskowitz, Co-ChairPatty AbramsonMichele Berman Ed CohenSara CohenAlan MalaskyJoy MidmanDiane Wattenberg

Aviva Kempner, WJFF AdvisorMiriam Mörsel Nathan, WJFF Director Emerita

WJFF – CORE VOLUNTEERSRoz Cohen, Special EventsMark Raisher, Transportation

25th Washington Jewish Film Festival

Documents

Transcript of 25th Washington Jewish Film Festival