Films We Streamed in 2020 and 2021
In 2020, like many other film festivals, we created a series of between-festival programs that would engage our audience and keep us connected. In one of these popular and ongoing series Around the World with Fred, a film was made available for streaming from four to six days for free and one evening during that run, award-winning author and historian Fred Rosenbaum would place the film into its historic/cultural context.
Below is the list of movies that kept us in touch even though we were physically apart. If you missed the screening of any of these titles, you may find them in Chai Flicks or various other streaming services. You can also visit justwatch.com and search by title to find their availabilities online.
ISRAEL, UK / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW, ENGLISH / 2016
​
Israeli filmmakers Tomer & Barak Heymann dig deep into the themes of manhood, religion, family and sex in this documentary about Saar Maoz, an HIV-positive gay man who is torn between his “out” life as a member of the London Gay Men’s Chorus and his desire to reconnect with his Jewish Orthodox family in Israel. The film captures the journey of a man striving to maintain his true self as he navigates two very different worlds.
Who's Gonna Love Me Now?
(December 2021)
ISRAEL / COMEDY, DRAMA / HEBREW / 2016
​
One of the most popular films in Israel in recent years, this good-hearted “dramedy” shows that there are many ways to follow tradition. After the women’s balcony collapses in a modern Orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem and the elderly rabbi falls ill, a young rabbi is hired as the temporary spiritual leader. But his stricter views on Jewish law cause major repercussions, leading the female congregants to rally for their right to be full partners in the synagogue’s religious life.
The Women's Balcony
(November 2021)
Inside Hana's Suitcase
(November 2021)
CANADA, CZECH REPUBLIC, GERMANY/ DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH, CZECH, JAPANESE / 2009
​
A poignant story of two young children who grew up in pre-WWII Czechoslovakia and the life-changing events that they endured just because they happened to be born Jewish. Based on the internationally acclaimed book Hana's Suitcase which has been translated into 40 languages, the film is an effective blend of documentary and dramatic techniques.
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW, ENGLISH / 2021
​
These two episodes of The New Jew documentary series are funny and insightful. They showcase the culture of the American Jewish community, the variety of alternative models it offers for living a rich Jewish life and the attitudes shared or "not shared" by Israeli and American Jews.
The New Jew
(October 2021)
MOROCCO / COMEDY, DRAMA / ARABIC, ENGLISH, FRENCH / 2016
​
The film follows Michael Abitbol, the estranged son of a once famous Moroccan musician, as he returns to Morocco to make peace with his father. Hoping to better understand the man’s legacy, Michael sets off on an adventure to track down the surviving members of his father’s old orchestra …rediscovering his cultural roots along the way.
The Midnight Orchestra
(October 2021)
The Auschwitz Report
(October 2021)
SLOVAKIA / DRAMA, HISTORY, WAR / SLOVAK / 2021
​
This is the true story of Freddy and Walte, two young Slovak Jews, who were deported to Auschwitz in 1942. On 10 April 1944, after meticulous planning and with the help and the resilience of their inmates, they manage to escape. While the inmates they had left behind courageously stand their ground against the Nazi officers, the two men are driven on by the hope that their evidence could save lives. After many grueling physical challenges, they make their way through the mountains back to Slovakia and finally meet the resistance and The Red Cross. Although they compile a detailed report about the systematic genocide at the camp, their account seems to be too harrowing to believe.
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH / 2020
​
This is the story of a promising young rider from San Diego who held the Israeli high jump record for 20 years. But it is also the story of how the mutual affection for horses became an entry point for a significant collaboration between Israelis and Palestinians. On the personal side, Nancy crosses the borders of the divided secular and religious groups in Israel and also becomes the trainer for a Palestinian equestrian group in Jericho in the West Bank.
UnReined
(September 2021)
Abulele
(August 2021)
ISRAEL / ANIMATION, ADVENTURE, FAMILY / HEBREW / 2015
​
Adam’s older brother was killed in a car crash a year ago, and his family has not been the same since. As his parents struggle to cope with their grief, Adam (10), plagued with guilt over his brother’s death feels he is all alone in the world. But everything changes the day he meets Abulele. Together, they outsmart Adam’s mean schoolteacher and beat the class bullies. But Adam’s parents start to suspect he is harboring a secret, And when a government, Special Forces unit called “Thunder” appears in the neighborhood on a mission to capture Abulele things go from bad to worse. In order to save his best friend, Adam will have to get Abulele back home to its family, and to do so, he will need to put the past behind him and realize that when you truly love someone, you are never really alone.
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW / 2017
​
Elad was born deaf to a hearing family. After his mother's tragic death and the breakdown of his family, he makes the most important decision of his life, to become a father. The film is his first person account of the life he created for himself as a deaf, gay Israeli man. In his heartfelt documentary, Elad explores the meaning and experience of family, the bias against individuals with disabilities, and the power of human relationships.
The Sign for Love
(July 2021)
Welcome and Our Condolences
&
Like a Fish Out of Water
(July 2021)
WELCOME AND OUR CONDOLENCES - ISRAEL / SHORT / RUSSIAN, HEBREW WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 2012
​
The year is 1991, the beginning of the massive Jewish immigration wave from the USSR to Israel. The stressful immigration experience is enhanced up to absurd proportions when a family's elderly aunt dies on the plane just before it touches down at Ben-Gurion Airport.
​
LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER - ISRAEL / FEATURE / HEBREW WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 2007
​
The question on Marcelo's mind is whether he will ever learn Hebrew well enough to get a job on an Israeli TV soap opera. The very secular, Argentinean 30-something has just immigrated to Israel with few job prospects despite being a noted actor in his home country. Taking a crash course in Hebrew, he not only gains language skills but also a crush on his teacher, who unlike him, is religious. Can he convince her that he is worthy husband material? A delightful rom-com with a twist.
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW / 2020
​
This documentary reveals an important slice of history and explores several unreported actions by the late Prime Minister of Israel, especially those in 1991, a pivotal year that started with Iraqi missiles launched on Israel and ended with the consequential Madrid Peace Conference.
Shamir, His Way
(May 2021)
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW / 2019
​
The film tells the story of six gay men that were born in the days of the establishment of the State of Israel. Their stories serve as the film's background for the depiction of the clandestine and undocumented lives of homosexuals in Israel during the 1960-70s.
We Were the Others
(April 2021)
BELGIUM, FRANCE, ISRAEL / DRAMA / AMHARIC, FRENCH, HEBREW / 2005
​
This acclaimed French/Israeli drama is a tour de force. With stellar acting and a powerfully moving story, it captures the challenges of a young Ethiopian boy from his rescue from a refugee camp in the Sudan through his growing up in Israel.
Live and Become
(March 2021)
ETHIOPIA, USA / DOCUMENTARY / AMHARIC, ENGLISH, HEBREW / 2019
​
This award-winning documentary follows two young Ethiopian Jewish men on their fateful trip to America where they advocate for an expanded immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
The Passengers
(March 2021)
Six Minutes to Midnight
(March 2021)
USA / DRAMA / ENGLISH / 2021
​
Based on true events, this drama starts in the summer of 1939, just weeks prior to the start of WWII. Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) has been hired to teach English to the daughters of high-ranking Nazis at the Augusta-Victoria College, a finishing school on the southern coast of England. Under the watchful eye of their headmistress Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench), and her dedicated assistant Ilse Keller (Carla Juri), the girls practice their English and deportment, increase their physical fitness, and learn how to represent the ideal of German "womanhood." However, with war imminent, many of the people in the small town resent the students' presence.
UK / COMEDY, DRAMA / ENGLISH / 2016
​
Curmudgeonly widower Nat Dayan (Jonathan Pryce) clings to his way of life as a Kosher bakery shop owner in London’s East End. Understaffed, Nat reluctantly enlists the help of teenager Ayyash (Jerome Holder), who has a secret side gig selling marijuana to help his immigrant mother make ends meet. Dough is a warmhearted and humorous story about overcoming prejudice and finding redemption in unexpected places.
Dough
(February 2021)
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW, ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 2018
​
Ofir Trainin's documentary Family In Transition, tells the story of an Israeli family after Amit, a husband and father of four, living in a small traditional town, reveals to his family that he's a transgender woman. The film follows the courage and tolerance demonstrated by all family members insisting on staying together despite personal difficulties and social stigmas and believing that love will overcome all difficulties, and gives us a unique perspective on the experiences of the trans community in Israel.
Family In Transition
(February 2021)
USA / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH / 2016
​
Join award-winning Chef Michael Solomonov on a delicious journey to meet Israel’s top chefs, home cooks, vintners and cheese-makers. They represent more than 100 cultures that reflect Israel’s diverse society. Discover the rich and human story that emerges from the food of Israel.
In Search of Israeli Cuisine
(February 2021)
GREECE / COMEDY, DRAMA / GREEK, ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 2003
​
Fanis, a forty year old astrophysics professor, journeys back to his childhood home. In affectionate, uplifting scenes, A Touch Of Spice portrays Fanis’ relationship with his beloved grandfather, the pain he suffered from being thrown out of Turkey at an early age, and the difficulties his family faced as they adjusted to life in Greece.
A Touch of Spice
(January 2021)
USA / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH / 2020
​
Via London, Versailles, and Instagram, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles follows famous chef Yotam Ottolenghi on his quest to bring the sumptuous art and decadence of Versailles to life in cake form at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Ottolengi and the Cakes of Versailles
(January 2021)
ISRAEL / DOCUMENTARY / HEBREW, ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 2020
​
The film shines a light on several LGBT men and women who, for religious reasons, decided to marry against their own sexual orientation. They married in order to be accepted into their families and religious communities.
Marry Me However
(January 2021)
USA / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH / 2020
​
Common cause was found in the turbulent ‘60s Civil Rights era, as Jewish leaders backed Dr. King’s efforts at racial equality and harmony. Yet, the relationship has frayed in recent years, as a once mighty bond of support and respect has seemingly faded, been forgotten or ignored.
Shared Legacies
(January 2021)
USA / DOCUMENTARY / ENGLISH / 2014
​
In Berlin in the 1930's, the civil rights of Jews were systematically stripped away. A young rabbi refused to be silent. His name was Joachim Prinz and he set out to restore the self-esteem of the German Jews.
Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent
(January 2021)
ARGENTINA / DRAMA / SPANISH / SUBTITLED / 2011
​
Anita is the story of a young woman with Down syndrome who lives a happy, routine life in Buenos Aires, with her mother Dora, until one tragic morning in 1994 everything changes.
Anita
(December 2020)
USA / BIOGRAPHY, DRAMA, THRILLER / ENGLISH / 2019 / PG-13
​
When winning World War II seemed hopeless, one group of extraordinary women changed the course of history forever.
A Call To Spy
(November 2020)
ISRAEL, USA / DRAMA / HEBREW, ENGLISH / SUBTITLED / 2020
​
Set in Tel Aviv, Eytan Fox's newest film SUBLET is a warm, touching drama about relationships, hope and self-discovery.
Sublet
(October 2020)
FRANCE / DRAMA / FRENCH / SUBTITLED / 2016
​
A dedicated history teacher at a French high school is determined to give the best education she can to her underprivileged inner-city pupils.
Once In A Lifetime
(September 2020)
SLOVAKIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, AUSTRIA / COMEDY, DRAMA / ENGLISH, RUSSIAN / SUBTITLED / 2018
​
Setting off with a pistol, 80-year-old translator Ali Ungár travels from Slovakia to Vienna to take revenge on the former SS man who he believes was responsible for his parents’ execution.
The Interpreter
(August 2020)
AUSTRIA, GERMANY / DRAMA, HISTORY, WAR / CHEZCH, GERMAN / SUBTITLED / 2018
​
The life of a naive young man from a small Austrian town is changed forever after he moves to Vienna to learn a trade from a tobacconist.