2012 Festival Film Schedule
*Charlotte Jewish Film Festival All-Festival Pass*
Purchase a ticket to all 11 events in the 2012 Charlotte Jewish Film Festival.
Click here to purchase the All-Festival Pass.
Saturday, February 25
| Event: Opening Night and Dessert Reception |
| Film: La Rafle (The Round Up) |
| Venue: Regal Ballantyne Village Stadium 5 |
| Time: 7:30PM |
As seen through the eyes of one Jewish child, this beautifully crafted film is a heart-wrenching recreation of the 1942 roundup of 13,000 Parisian Jews. Stirring performances by A-list actors Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds) and Jean Reno (The Professional).
Audience Awards from more than a dozen major Jewish Film Festivals.
View the Trailer
Director: Roselyne Bosch
Language: French with subtitles
Run time: 115 minutes
Drama
France 2010
Sunday, February 26
| Film: Anita |
| Venue: Regal Ballantyne Village Stadium 5 |
| Time: 2:00PM |
An innocent young Jewish woman with special needs has her comfortable life in Buenos Aires disrupted by an unforeseen event. Ultimately, tragedy turns into an odyssey of discovery, resilience and human compassion.
11 Audience Awards from USA Festivals.
View the Trailer
Director: Marcos Carnevale
Language: Spanish with subtitles
Run time: 104 minutes
Drama
Argentina 2009
Tuesday, February 28
| Film: David: The Movie |
| Venue: Levine JCC |
| Time: 7:00PM |
David: The Movie
Followed by panel discussion
Sponsored by: Mecklenburg Ministries
One boy, two faiths. An innocent act of good faith leads 11-year old David, the son of a Brooklyn Imam, to befriend a group of Jewish boys and in the process break down interfaith barriers.
Special Ecumenical Prize 2011 Montreal World Film Festival. Interfaith Panel discussion to follow.
View the Trailer
Director: Joel Fendelman
Language: English
Run time: 80 minutes
Drama
USA 2011
Wednesday, February 29
| Film: Eichmann's End: Love, Betrayal, Death |
| Venue: Levine JCC |
| Time: 7:00PM |
Innocent attraction between 2 teenagers leads to the capture of a hated war criminal in this mesmerizing tale of love, betrayal and death. An amazing story that uniquely combines historical reenactments with rare footage and interviews.
A Favorite Of The Film Selection Committee.
Director: Raymond Ley
Language: German, Hebrew and Spanish with subtitles
Run time: 90 minutes
Docudrama
Germany & Israel 2011
Thursday, March 1
| Event: A Special Evening with Dr. Eric Goldman |
| Topic: A Lens on Israel: A Society Through its Cinema |
| Venue: Temple Beth El |
| Time: 7:00PM |
A Lens on Israel:
A Society through its Cinema
Sponsored by Temple Beth El and Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast
Israeli movies provide intimate insight into the dynamic nature of Israel and its diverse people. The cinema provides an ideal "lens" by which we gain a greater understanding of Israel's history, culture and challenges. Through film clips and discussion, Dr. Eric Goldman examines the changing nature of Israeli society as reflected through its cinema.
Dr. Goldman earned his Ph.D. in Cinema Studies from NYU, an MFA and an MA from Brandeis in Theater Arts and Contemporary Jewish Studies, and is a well-known and sought after lecturer around the world.
Special Guest: Sharon Kabalo, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southeast
Guest Speaker: Dr. Eric Goldman
Saturday, March 3
| Film: Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness |
| Venue: Temple Israel |
| Time: 7:30PM |
Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness
Sponsored by Temple Israel and the Charlotte Yiddish Institute
Before there was Fiddler, there was Tevye...and the genius who created him. A riveting portrait of the most famous Yiddish writer of all time, as well as the people, world and language that shaped him.
Bonus program: Pianist Ethan Uslan will perform Jewish musical selections with his special ragtime flair!
View the Trailer
Director: Joseph Dorman
Language: English
Run time: 93 minutes
Documentary
USA 2011
Sunday, March 4
| Film: The Concert (Le Concert) |
| Venue: Temple Israel |
| Time: 7:00PM |
The Concert
(Le Concert)
Co-Sponsored by The Light Factory as part of Ulysses: Charlotte's New Spring Festival of the Arts.
The renowned conductor of the Bolshoi was fired for employing Jewish musicians. Thirty years later and now a janitor, he attempts to reunite his musicians for one last grand performance. A feel-good film about commitment, loyalty and most importantly, the incredible healing power of music!
View the Trailer
Director: Radu Mihaileanu
Language:French and Russian with subtitles
Run time: 119 minutes
Drama
France 2011
Thursday, March 8
| Film: Violins of Hope |
| Venue: Temple Israel |
| Time: 7:00PM |
Violins of Hope
Sponsored by Gloria Feibus
Free Admission - Donations Appreciated
As part of the UNC-Charlotte-led "Violins of Hope" project, Co-ordinator of Exhibitions Wendy Fishman has chosen this mesmerizing new documentary about the Polish maestro Bronislaw Huberman and his heroic struggle to bring Jewish musicians out of Nazi Europe to create the Palestine Philharmonic.
The Charlotte Jewish Film Festival is proud to be presenting this very special screening to the community. The Charlotte audience will be among the first ever to see this special film!
Language: English
Run time: 85 minutes
USA & Israel 2011
Saturday, March 10
| Film: The Human Resources Manager |
| Venue: Levine JCC |
| Time: 7:30PM |
The HR manager of Jerusalem's largest bakery goes on a business trip to restore his company's reputation and in the process begins to restore his own humanity.
Winner of 5 Ophirs (Israeli Oscars), including Best Picture and Best Director.
View the Trailer
Director: Eran Riklis
Language: Hebrew and Romanian with subtitles
Run time: 103 minutes
Drama
Israel 2010
Sunday, March 11
| Film: Nicky's Family |
| Venue: Levine JCC |
| Time: 3:00PM |
A moving portrait of 102-year old Sir Nicholas Winton who took great risks 70 years ago to save Jewish children and continues to inspire us all to make today's world a better place.
"People were very moved, cried and laughed during the screening. Many talked afterwards about how uplifting and hopeful it was... People truly responded to the positive hopeful message in the film and appreciated the emotional complexity so expertly conveyed through the archival footage and reenactment scenes."
---Iris Dechsler, Artistic Chair of the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival after Nicky's Family showing garnered an audience score of 95%!
Best Documentary 2011 Montreal World Film Festival.
Best Film 2011 UK Jewish Film Festival
View the Trailer
Director: Matej Minac
Language: English
Run time: 96 minutes
Documentary
Czech Republic 2011
Sunday, March 11
| Film: Jews in Toons: An Animated Evening of Entertainment |
| Venue: Levine JCC |
| Time: 7:00PM |
Jews in Toons:
An Animated Evening of Entertainment
Sponsored by The Levine Jewish Community Center
Mike Reiss, longtime writer/producer of The Simpsons, presents "The Simpsons and Other Jewish Families," a hilarious evening featuring rare clips and inside stories from one of the longest running shows in TV history.
A former editor of bothThe Harvard Lampoon and The National Lampoon, Reiss wrote for "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson", "The Garry Shandling Show" and "Alf" before he was hired in 1989 for what he thought was going to be a six-week summer job for a new animated show called "The Simpsons." Four Emmys and a Peabody award later, Reiss has written or produced more than 300 episodes of "The Simpsons" and is still involved in the show as a producer.
Reiss' appearance last year at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival was sold out. "Jews in Toons" is certain to be a fun way to close the 2012 Charlotte Jewish Film Festival!
*Please note: Possible mature content, not for young children.
Sunday, March 25 ADDED BONUS FILM
| Film: Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story |
| Venue: Alvarez College Union, Davidson College |
| Time: 7:00PM |
Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Sponsored by Jewish Council of Lake Norman
Second chance to see the film that played to a sold out crowd at last year's festival! A popular film portraying the contribution of Jewish Major Leaguers as well as the special meaning of baseball to American Jews over the years.
Tickets available at the door only.
View the Trailer
Director: Peter Miller
Language: English
Run time: 91 minutes
Documentary
USA 2010
Sunday, April 15 SPECIAL BONUS SCREENING
| Film: Lies My Father Told Me |
| Venue: Barbara and Allen Tate Hall, Overcash Center, CPCC Central Campus |
| Time: 7:00PM |
Lies My Father
Told Me
Proudly sponsored by Charlotte Jewish Film Festival as part of CPCC's SENSORIA: "A Celebration of the Arts"
This heart-warming Canadian film classic set in the 1920's Jewish immigrant community of Montreal is seen primarily through the eyes of David, an impressionable six-year-old boy. David lives with his Canadian-born parents and his grandfather "Zaida", a junk peddler who emigrated from Russia.
David's father is a modern materialistic man who dreams of striking it rich by designing unique inventions. Zaida, on the other hand, is a humble man who works hard and maintains a traditional lifestyle and religious beliefs. Intuitively, David responds to his grandfather's love. Every Sunday, David travels the back alleys of Montreal with Zaida and his horse and cart.
"New" world contrasts with old, as David's father and his grandfather respond to David's questions and life's challenges very differently.
Winner of the 1976 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film
Limited seating on a first come, first served basis
Director: Jan Kadar
Language: English
Run time: 102 minutes
Drama
Canada 1975
Tuesday, April 17 SPECIAL BONUS SCREENING
| Film: Louder Than A Bomb |
| Venue: Barbara and Allen Tate Hall, Overcash Center, CPCC Central Campus |
| Time: 2:00PM |
Louder Than
A Bomb
Proudly sponsored by Charlotte Jewish Film Festival as part of CPCC's SENSORIA: "A Celebration of the Arts"
Hailed as "one of the most inspiring and exhilarating documentaries in years" (Steve Pond, The Wrap), Louder Than a Bomb tells the story of four Chicago high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the world's largest youth slam. By turns hopeful and heartbreaking, the film captures the turbulent lives of these unforgettable kids, exploring the ways writing shapes their world, and vice versa.
Louder Than a Bomb is not about "high school poetry" as we often think of it. It's about language as a joyful release, irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance. While the topics they tackle are often deeply personal, what they put into their poems-and what they get out of them-is universal: the defining work of finding one's voice.
Winner of more than a dozen film festival prizes, including seven audience awards.
Louder Than a Bomb has been hailed as "powerful and exhilarating" (TimeOut Chicago), "inspiring" (L.A. Times), "irresistible" (Chicago Tribune), "vibrant and moving" (The Wrap), and "a get-up-and-clap kind of movie" (Paste).
Limited seating on a first come, first served basis
Director: Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel
Language: English
Run time: 99 minutes
Documentary
USA 2010
