PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are available at the door for Thursday's performances.

Saturday, February 20

A Matter of Size  7:00 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.

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

Eyes Wide Open  9:15 p.m.
Israel/France/Germany, 2009, 91 minutes, Hebrew and Yiddish with subtitles
From the 2009 Cannes Film Festival comes this sensitive exploration of faith and desire. Aaron Fleishman (Zohar Strauss in a brilliant performance) is an observant married man who has taken over his family’s kosher butcher shop following the death of his father. His world is turned upside down upon the arrival of Ezri (Ran Danker), a young homeless man. Aaron welcomes Ezri as an apprentice, and soon their working relationship turns into a romantic one—leaving both men ostracized by their Ultra Orthodox community. Adult content.

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsors: Consulate General of Israel and Jewish Federation’s LGBT Alliance. In Memory
of Lee Engel. Guest Speaker: Consul General
Akiva Tor, Consulate General of Israel.

Sunday, February 21

Inside Hana's Suitcase  9:30 a.m.
Canada, 2009, 75 minutes, Japanese, English with subtitles
Blending documentary and dramatic techniques, this moving film tells the story of two children who grew up in pre-WWII Czechoslovakia and the terrible events that they endured just because they happened to be born Jewish. Based on an internationally acclaimed book, it is also the present-day story of a group of Japanese children and their tenacious teacher, Fumiko Ishioka, and how they solved the mystery of Hana Brady, whose name was painted on an old battered suitcase that they received from Auschwitz. The film seamlessly transports us through history and back and forth across three continents, providing the viewer with a contemporary global perspective.

CCJCC | $5
Co-sponsor: Holocaust Center of Northern California. Underwritten by Selma & Paul Forkash and Eve Gordon-Ramek & Henry Ramek.

White Balance  11:00 a.m.
Israel, 2003, 50 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
Twelve year-old Itamar enjoys one passion: ice skating with his partner Natalie, a wild and rebellious girl. But suddenly his competitive edge is put to the test when he is diagnosed with a hearing loss. His only chance of becoming an ice skating champion rests upon Natalie’s loyalty. Playing with a selection of family-oriented shorts, including Shelf Life, USA, 2009, 2 minutes.

CCJCC | $5

Comme Ton Père (Father's Footsteps)  
1:00 p.m.
France/Israel, 2007, 95 minutes, French and Hebrew with subtitles
Nominated for 5 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film, Comme ton Père takes you to the early 1970s when the Maimons, a tight-knit Tunisian-Israeli family, settle in Paris seeking their fortune. Felix (Gad Elmaleh), Mirelle (Yael Abecassis) and their two young sons rely on each other especially when Felix’s minor crimes escalate to bank robbery after he meets a local Jewish gangster (Richard Berry). It is then that 11 year-old Michael, who has always thought of his father as a “super hero,” discovers that his definition of hero needs to change.

CineArts | $5
Co-sponsor: Tri-Valley Cultural Jews.

Killing Kasztner  3:30 p.m.
USA, 2008, 120 minutes, Hebrew, Hungarian and English with subtitles
Was Rezso Kasztner a hero or a traitor for having negotiated with the Nazis to save the lives of over 1600 Hungarian Jews in 1944? This documentary showcases an historic mystery, a courtroom drama, a political murder and a family saga. After WWII, Kasztner was accused of collaboration, and became the focus of one of the most inflammatory political trials in Israel, only to be assassinated in Tel Aviv. We see the Kasztner family’s efforts to rehabilitate their father’s legacy and also hear from his detractors, among them Kasztner’s assassin.

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsor: Congregation B’nai Tikvah. Underwritten by Joyce and Max Gross. Guest Speaker: Film Director Gaylen Ross.

Eli & Ben  4:30 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
A successful architect and town planner, Ben (Lior Ashkenazi, the star of Walking on Water and Late Marriage) has all the trappings of a successful life—a good home, a happy marriage and Eli, an intelligent and mischievous 12 year-old son. But a few days after refusing to approve a planning permit for an ugly shopping centre, Ben is charged with corruption and accepting bribes. Eli’s life seems like a roller coaster ride as the news makes its way into his school and the media. Convinced of his father’s innocence, Eli is determined to see his father cleared. This bittersweet drama is for film lovers of all ages!

Vine Cinema | $7

La Fille du RER (The Girl on the Train)
7:00 p.m.
France, 2009, 105 minutes, French with subtitles
In one of his best films, veteran French director Andre Techine turns in a provocative and passionate drama about the complexities of modern French politics and society. With an ensemble cast that includes Catherine Deneuve, the film unfolds the story about Jeanne, a fragile young woman who lives with her widowed mother in a Parisian suburb. The first half focuses on Jeanne’s relationship with a young man with a dubious background. In the film’s second half, Jeanne casts herself as a victim of an anti-Semitic assault, leading her and her mother to seek out the counsel of Samuel Bleistein, a leading figure in Paris’ Jewish community. Adult content.

CineArts | $10
Underwritten by City National Bank and Bette & Stewart Schuster.

Srugim, Episodes 4–6  9:15 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
Underwritten by Claudia & Rick Felson
and Eileen & Rob Ruby.

Inside Out  7:15 p.m.
South Africa, 2000, 98 minutes, English
Guess who is directing the Christmas pageant? In this romantic comedy-drama, Hazel Levine, an extroverted Jewish actress from Johannesburg, is stranded in a small South African town. Soon, she finds herself drafted to direct the annual Nativity play, falls in love with a ruggedly handsome Boer sheep farmer, and is forced to deal with the petty intrigues of the townsfolk when she wants to involve the black community in the pageant. Inside Out is a must-see film!

Vine Cinema | $10

Monday, February 22

Rafting to Bombay  9:45 a.m.
Israel, 2009, 70 minutes, Hebrew, Polish with subtitles
Two generations of the Laufer family visit Bombay (Mumbai), India, to see where the grandparents lived as Polish refugees during WWII. In the midst of their visit, the largest terrorist attack in the city’s history occurs. A moving documentary about two intersecting periods of history and one family’s struggle to survive.

CCJCC | $5
In Memory of Norma Sherman.

The Road to Tel Aviv  11:15 a.m.
Israel, 2009, 18 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
This provocative short feature reveals the impact of terrorism on everyday citizens. A young Israeli man finds himself in a tricky situation when a suspicious looking woman enters the same bus as his fiancée. Adult content. Playing with a selection of other short features.

With Pinhas
Israel, 2008, 30 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
Six year-old Pinhas’ mother works the night shift, leaving him alone in their small apartment. He envies the close family ties of the tight-knit Orthodox Sephardic family next door. When that family welcomes him into their home, his mother, a firm non-believer from the former Soviet Union, expresses her outrage.

CCJCC | $5

Inside Hana's Suitcase  2:00 p.m.
Canada, 2009, 75 minutes, Japanese, English with subtitles
Blending documentary and dramatic techniques, this moving film tells the story of two children who grew up in pre-WWII Czechoslovakia and the terrible events that they endured just because they happened to be born Jewish. Based on an internationally acclaimed book, it is also the present-day story of a group of Japanese children and their tenacious teacher, Fumiko Ishioka, and how they solved the mystery of Hana Brady, whose name was painted on an old battered suitcase that they received from Auschwitz. The film seamlessly transports us through history and back and forth across three continents, providing the viewer with a contemporary global perspective.

CineArts | $5
Co-sponsor: Holocaust Center of Northern California. Underwritten by Selma & Paul Forkash and Eve Gordon-Ramek & Henry Ramek.

Out of Sight  4:15 p.m.
Israel, 2006, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
Starring Assi Dayan, this taut and haunting mystery follows 24-year-old Ya’ara, a blind Israeli woman who leaves her Ph.D. studies at Princeton after she learns that her cousin and best friend Talia has committed suicide. Joining Talia’s family for the traditional 7-day mourning period, Ya’ara investigates her friend’s death only to reveal secrets that were always kept “out of sight.” Adult content.

CineArts | $10

A Gift to Stalin (Podarok Stalinu)  7:30 p.m.
Kazakhstan/Russia/Poland/Israel, 2008, 99 minutes, Russian and Kazakh with subtitles
Set against the harsh, sweeping beauty of the Kazakh Steppes in central Asia, this earthy and poignant feature film is the story of Sashka, an “orphaned” Jewish boy, who is sent into exile in 1949 during a Stalinist purge, but saved by Kasym, an older Muslim man. Likened to such acclaimed films as Cinema Paradiso and Il Postino, A Gift to Stalin reminds us of the crimes that Stalin committed against Jews and other Soviet minorities. Adult content.

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsors: Beth Chaim Congregation
and JCRC/East Bay.

A Touch Away, Episodes 1–3  9:30 p.m.
Israel, 2007, 90 minutes, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian with subtitles
Forbidden love blossoms in Bnei Brak in this popular Israeli TV miniseries. We follow a recent Russian immigrant who is paving the way for his family to join him. Unknowingly, he rents an apartment in an Orthodox section of town and falls in love with the daughter of his religious neighbor. Add a few more storylines and you have a marvelous multi-family drama that will keep you glued to the screen.

CineArts | $10

Tuesday, February 23

The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost
9:45 a.m.
USA, 2009, 70 minutes, English
In this riveting documentary, civil libertarian and Harvard University Law Professor Alan Dershowitz joins former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Israeli leaders such as Tzipi Livni and Natan Sharansky in showcasing the Israel “behind the headlines.”

CCJCC | $5

Who the Jew Are You?  11:15 a.m.
USA, 2009, 50 minutes, English
When Alan Goldman’s son was born, he was faced with the decision of whether to circumcise him and also how he should raise Sacha religiously since his wife was not Jewish. Embarking on a journey that asks, ‘What does it mean to be Jewish?,’ he visits Jewish rappers, a lesbian couple who wants their adopted Chinese daughter to have a traditional Bat Mitzvah, Chassidim in Crown Heights, and his own atheist grandfather. Eventually, Alan finds meaning in a reinvigorated Judaism that embraces a multiplicity of people.

CCJCC | $5
Guest Speaker: Rabbi Judy Shanks,
Temple Isaiah.

Bruria  2:00 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
Bruria, a mother of two children and married to a loving husband, always thought of herself as a traditional woman. But when she becomes fixated on finding out why her father was excommunicated thirty years earlier, she comes into conflict with her husband. This is a film about a husband’s need to control and about a wife’s need to test the limits of their lifestyle.

CineArts | $7

Cinco Días Sin Nora (Nora’s Will)  4:15 p.m.
Mexico, 2008, 92 minutes, Spanish with subtitles
Although divorced for more than two decades, Nora has kept tabs on Jose with Machiavellian proficiency…and with the help of a pair of binoculars! Just a few days before Passover, Jose learns that his ex has taken her own life. Angry with her, he tries to unravel Nora’s carefully laid edicts—mixing-up her instructions about the Passover dinner, antagonizing her rabbi and searching for the truth behind a mysterious photograph he has found. This black comedy boasts an irresistible charm. Award Winner: Cine Las Americas Film Festival.

CineArts | $10

La Cámera Oscura  7:30 p.m.
Argentina, 2008, 90 minutes, Spanish and Yiddish with subtitles
It is the end of the 19th century, and shy and self-conscious Gertrudis grows up as an ugly duckling in a colony of Argentinean Jews. She fashions herself almost invisible, even hiding her face in photographs. After she is married off to an older Jewish rancher, Gertrudis raises a family and finds solace in the beauty of everyday life on the pampas. One day, her husband invites an itinerant French photographer to take a family portrait. His wondrous photographs force Gertrudis to see herself for the first time. Camera Obscura is a luminous, enchanting and inventive film from award-winning Argentine director María Victoria Menis.

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

Srugim, Episodes 7–9  9:30 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.

Wednesday, February 24

Arab Labor, Episodes 1&2  9:45 a.m.
Israel, 2007, 60 minutes, Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles
This breakthrough TV sitcom comedy (written by Israeli-Arab journalist/novelist Sayed Kashua) centers on a young Arab couple, Amjad and Bushra, who live on the outskirts of Jerusalem with their two children. Amjad is a journalist who works for a Hebrew newspaper and desperately seeks to assimilate into the prevailing Jewish Israeli culture. Often compared with All in the Family, Arab Labor was a phenomenal hit in Israel.

CCJCC | $5
Co-sponsor: Temple Sinai.

Yes, Miss Commander  11:15 a.m.
Israel, 2009, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
For 100 days, the film crew of Yes, Miss Commander followed soldiers at a military base in the Galilee. But these soldiers are not ordinary recruits—they come from violent and criminal backgrounds. Their officers are young female soldiers who work with great patience to improve the men’s self image and teach them discipline and military skills. The viewer will be swept away by the intense events in this compelling documentary.

CCJCC | $5

For My Father  2:00 p.m.
Israel, 2008, 100 minutes, Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles
Tarek, a young Palestinian man blackmailed into a suicide mission in Tel Aviv, is given a second chance at life when his explosive vest fails to detonate. Forced to spend the weekend in Tel Aviv awaiting its repair, Tarek must live amongst the people he was planning to kill. To his surprise he connects with several Israelis on the outskirts of society, including Keren, who has cut off contact with her own family. An unlikely love blooms between these two isolated individuals. When the weekend ends, Tarek must make the decision of his life. Adult Content.

CineArts | $7

Unter Bauern  4:15 p.m.
Germany, 2008, 120 minutes, German with subtitles
Based on a true story, this emotionally piercing film tells of farmers who sheltered Jewish friends from the Nazis. It is 1943, and horse trader Menne Spiegel evades a round-up of the Jews in his hometown of Westphalia. Fearful his family will be deported to “the east,” he turns to a neighbor, Heinrich Aschoff, who offers to hide Menne’s wife and young daughter. Menne moves from farmer to farmer while both his “saviors” and his family live under constant threat of exposure from Gestapo officers and nosy neighbors.

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsor: Holocaust Center of Northern California.

Eli & Ben  7:30 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 90 minutes, Hebrew with subtitles
A successful architect and town planner, Ben (Lior Ashkenazi, the star of Walking on Water and Late Marriage) has all the trappings of a successful life—a good home, a happy marriage and Eli, an intelligent and mischievous 12 year-old son. But a few days after refusing to approve a planning permit for an ugly shopping centre, Ben is charged with corruption and accepting bribes. Eli’s life seems like a roller coaster ride as the news makes its way into his school and the media. Convinced of his father’s innocence, Eli is determined to see his father cleared. This bittersweet drama is for film lovers of all ages!

CineArts | $10
Co-sponsors: Congregation B’nai Shalom and Jewish Federation’s Young Leadership Division. Underwritten by Carole & Donald Chaiken and Susan & Moses Libitzky.

A Touch Away, Episodes 4–6  9:30 p.m.
Israel, 2007, 90 minutes, Hebrew, Yiddish, Russian with subtitles
Forbidden love blossoms in Bnei Brak in this popular Israeli TV miniseries. We follow a recent Russian immigrant who is paving the way for his family to join him. Unknowingly, he rents an apartment in an Orthodox section of town and falls in love with the daughter of his religious neighbor. Add a few more storylines and you have a marvelous multi-family drama that will keep you glued to the screen.

CineArts | $5

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.

Friday, February 26

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss  
9:45 a.m.
Germany, 2009, 99 minutes, German with subtitles
While Leni Riefenstahl’s name is better known, Veit Harlan was the Third Reich’s most prominent movie director, having made films under the auspices of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, unearthed films and rare home movies, this documentary is a searing portrait of the controversial filmmaker who was the only Nazi artist to be charged with war crimes. Harlan made the anti-Semitic propaganda film Jew Suss which was required viewing for all SS members. (His 1945 film Kolberg was the basis for Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds’ film-within-a-film.)

CCJCC | $5
Guest Speaker: Riva Gambert,
Jewish Federation of the East Bay.

Srugim, Episodes 10–15  12:30 p.m.
Israel, 2009, 210 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.

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

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