Thursday, February 25

It All Begins at Sea  9:45 a.m.
Israel, 2008, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
With an excellent ensemble cast, It All Begins at Sea is a witty and deeply poignant family drama that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. Its three vignettes focus on the life and death issues faced by Udi Goldstein, his parents and their neighbors in Ashkelon over a decade in the boy’s life.

CCJCC | $5

And Thou Shalt Love  11:45 a.m.
Israel, 2008, 28 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
Winner of the Best Drama at the Jerusalem Film Festival, this moving film showcases the dilemma of a closeted Orthodox student who struggles to accept his sexual orientation while remaining observant.

Co-sponsor: LGBT Alliance. Guest Speaker: Frederick Hertz.

With The Kiddish Man
Canada, 2009, 12 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
A sweet, poignant film that reminds us that we often don’t see the true “face” of people we presumably “know.”

CCJCC | $5

Outside Love  2:00 p.m.
Denmark, 2007, 90 minutes, Danish with subtitles
Shmuli, a charming daydreamer, lives with his parents and his five year-old son in a crowded, small apartment, always dreaming of leaving Denmark for America. One day he meets Amina who runs the candy store around the corner. She is Muslim; he is Jewish. With the Second Intifada taking place, tensions run high in both of their communities, and their relationship is put to the test. Adult content.

CineArts | $7

Wedding Song  4:15 p.m.
Tunisia, 2008, 100 minutes, Arabic, French, Hebrew with subtitles
Set in Tunis at the beginning of World War II, The Wedding Song is an intimate portrayal of two 16 year-olds—Nour, a Muslim, and Myriam, a Jew—who become close despite their cultural differences. While Nour finds love with a young man, Myriam is unwillingly engaged to an older physician who can offer her protection once the Nazis enter Tunisia and enact their racial laws. This film has strong sensual overtones and presents a revealing picture of the role of women in Tunisian society. Adult content.

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsors: JIMENA and Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership Division.

Ajami  7:30 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 120 minutes, Arabic, Hebrew with subtitles
From co-directors Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, an Israeli Arab and an Israeli Jew, comes this tense, urban drama set in the multi-ethnic Jaffa neighborhood of Ajami where Jews, Muslims and Christians live side by side in fragile co-existence. Favorably compared to the Oscar winner Crash with its interlocking stories, Ajami won five Israeli “Oscars” in 2009 and the Camera D’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The film introduces us to feuding members of warring clans, a local policeman searching for his soldier brother and other memorable characters. Ajami is Israel’s submission to this year’s Academy Awards. Adult Content.

CineArts | $10
Underwritten by Shira & Efi Lubliner
and Beryl & Ivor Silver.

A Matter of Size  7:30 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
What is an under-employed, hefty chef to do when he is tired of counting calories? While working as a dishwasher in a Japanese restaurant in Ramlah, Herzl is exposed to the art of sumo wrestling by his boss. Soon he and his three equally hefty friends stop going to their weight-loss group and begin sumo training under the direction of Sumo Master Kitano (Togo Igawa from Memoirs of a Geisha). This delightful, crowd-pleasing comedy was a phenomenon in Israel.

Vine Cinema | $10
Co-sponsor: Contra Costa Jewish Day School.
Underwritten by Pearl and David Furman.

Srugim, Episodes 10&11  10:00 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
Srugim, one of Israel’s most popular TV series (and a big hit at our ‘09 Festival) is back with 12 new episodes screened over several days! You will fall in love with these thirty-something Modern Orthodox Jerusalamites and share their emotional ups and downs as they look for love in all the wrong places. Srugim (which is a reference to the knitted yarmulkes of its male characters) was awarded best drama honors plus three additional statuettes by the Israeli Film and Television Academy.

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsors: Diablo Valley Hadassah and Temple Isaiah.

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