Monday, March 15 7:30 pm
ELI & BEN
Eli v’ Ben

Eli is a 12-year-old boy whose world is turned upside down when his father, the city architect of Herzliya, Israel is charged with taking bribes. When Ben is taken into custody right before Eli’s eyes and the news makes its way into the newspaper and the school ground alike, Eli is convinced that his father is innocent. He intends to draw on the full reserves of his innocence and mischief to see to it that his father is released. But the path is not as simple as Eli faces injustice, corruption and pretense, among both adults and children. He shapes his own principles and sticks to them. In the process he will rediscover his father and taste the bitter sting of first love. In this heartbreaking yet captivating coming-of-age feature, an Israeli boy grapples with profound ethical dilemmas and the love for his father.

Israel, 2009
Hebrew, English subtitles
90 minutes
Director: Ori David

Awards

• Grand Prix Golden Swan, Moscow International Film Festival for Children and Youth, 2009
• Audience Award for Best Feature Fiction, Boston Jewish Film Festival, 2009

Nomination
• Best Supporting Actor, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2009

PG: Not recommended for young children, language may offend.

Tuesday, March 16 7:30 pm
HUMAN FAILURE
Menschliches Versagen

What happened to the possessions that the Jews left behind during and after the
Holocaust? Apartments, furniture, bed linens, kitchenware, cars, cash, bank
accounts (in Germany and abroad), and of course the offices, the stores, the
factories, etc. The appropriation of assets from German Jews during the Third Reich benefited virtually every other German citizen. It was not the Gestapo who invaded Jewish homes in order to confiscate all property, from bank accounts to bed linens - it was the German tax officials. While larger assets went to the tax offices, smaller assets and goods were sold to friends and neighbours in public auctions of "Non- Aryan" property. Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Verhoeven's documentary documents the bizarre competition that developed between bureaucrats as to how to organize the robbery of the Jews prior to their deportation and death. Until just several years ago, the documents proving this planned expropriation were lost, destroyed or hidden away. This excellent film was an international success, received many prizes and was nominated for an Academy Award as best foreign language film.

Germany
German, English subtitles
90 minutes
Director: Michael Verhoeven

• Yad Vashem Chairman’s Award, Jewish Experience Section, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2009
• Top Prize for German Documentaries on Jewish Themes, Berlin Jewish Film Festival, 2009
• Visionary Award for filmmaker Michael Verhoeven, Washington Jewish Film Festival, 2009

G: Mature Theme

Wednesday, March 17 7:30 pm
BROKEN PROMISE
Nedodrzan´y slub

An exceptional drama from Slovakia, Broken Promise recounts the compelling and true story of teenager Martin Friedmann’s escape from deportation several times between 1938 and 1945. Born as the youngest of five sons in the family of a poultry trader, Martin starts off life carefree, playing soccer and even assisting with the bell-ringing in the local church. At the outset, Martin and his family are naïve to the imminent Nazi threat, even when the recently established Slovak state allies itself with Hitler. As Martin’s Bar-Mitzvah approaches, life begins to change and Martin’s family leaves his life one by one. Some escape to Palestine, some are sent to Slovak work camps and others to concentration camps in Poland. Martin’s own calling takes him away from home and family to starvation, hard labour and illness to a new identity (Petrá?sek), and to armed combat where he joins the Partisan resistance to take up arms against the Nazis. With plenty of thrills and twists along the way, Broken Promise unravels the process of transformation of a boy into an adult; all the circumstances which help Martin to live by stressing his joie-de-vivre despite the pitfalls of the post-WW II era.

Slovakia / Czech Republic / USA
Slovak, Russian, English subtitles
130 minutes
Director: Jiri Chlumsky

Awards
• Best Narrative Feature, Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, 2009
• Silver Dolphin Award for the Best Actor Samuel Spisák, Festroia IFF 2009

PG: Not recommended for young children.

Thursday, March 18 7:30 pm
MAX MINSKY & ME
Max Minsky und ich

For a 13-year-old, Nelly has little time for superficial girl talk. Her only friends are her books because she wants to be an astronomer when she grows up. Her love of the stars is her connection to her heartthrob, the sweet 16-year-old prince of Luxembourg, Edouard.
When her school’s girls basketball team gets invited to compete in Luxembourg, under the patronage of the Prince, her direction is clear - she has to get on the team! However Nelly is a total zero when it comes to sports and needs all the help she can get. Thank
goodness for the kid next door, Max Minsky who is ready to make a deal: he will teach her basketball if she does his homework for him. Max may be a genius with a ball, but when it comes to school he is a total loser. But as Nelly practices daily on the court, she is letting her Hebrew studies slip and, much to the dismay of her mother, Lucy this could spell big trouble for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah. Nelly is desperately trying to juggle her family, school and sports but in the end she has to decide for herself what’s truly important...

Germany, 2007
German, English subtitles
95 minutes
Director: Anna Justice

Awards
• Jury Award Cinekid Lion Prize, 21st International Children’s Festival, Amsterdam 2007
• Audience Award- Best Film, Sarajevo Film Festival, 2007
• Grand Prix de Montreal, Montreal International Children’s Film Festival, 2008
PG

Saturday, March 20 9:00 pm
A MATTER OF SIZE
Sipur Gadol

A Matter of Size is a tender comedy that tackles the themes of body shame and
body celebration. Fed up with a diet-obsessed world and being teased for their weight, four working class friends from a small Israeli city discover the world of sumo wrestling, where large people are honoured and appreciated. With the benefit of a Japanese former Sumo
coach turned restaurant owner, they decide to follow a new aspiration of becoming
sumo wrestlers and eventually fall in love with the sport. The outcome is a delightful and very funning story of resolve and personal acceptance. This feel-good movie of the festival circuit has already been picked up for a Hollywood remake by the Weinstein brothers.

Israel/Germany/France
Hebrew, Japanese, English
subtitles
95 minutes
Directors: Erez Tadmor and
Sharon Maymon

Awards
• Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Israeli Film Academy, 2008
• Audience Award, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2009
• Best Feature Film - Prix Aquitaine, Sarlat International Cinema Festival, 2009
• Favourite Feature Film-Audience Award, Washington Jewish Film Festival, 2009

Nominations

• Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography,
Best Director, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Sounds, Israeli Film Academy, 2008

14A

Sunday, March 21 2:00 pm
MRS. MOSCOWITZ
& THE CATS
Gevert Moscowitz V'Hachatulim

Mrs. Moscowitz & the Cats is a beautiful and tender story about the isolation,
fear and confinements of growing old alone. When Yolanda a retired French
teacher wakes up in the hospital geriatric ward she is positive that it is a mistake.
But the titanium plate in her hip confines her to a wheelchair and to length convalescence. Nevertheless, Yolanda discovers a new life in the hospital and befriends
Allegra, an introverted woman who is her roommate and Shaul who teaches her
to love again in spite of his own demons.

Israel
Hebrew, English subtitles
Director: Jorge Gurvich
85 minutes

Awards
• Wolgin Award – Best Actress, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2009
Nomination
• Best Actress, Israeli Film Academy Awards, 2009

PG: Not recommend for young children

Sunday, March 14 7:00 pm
JEW SÜSS
Jud Süss
Special screening of the original film by Veit Harlan                                                                                                                        Free Admission                                                                                                                                                                                            Special Location: University of Winnipeg Lockhart Hall(1L11)                                                                                                                         

This anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda film and great cinematic success describes the life of the early 18th-century court Jew Josef Süss Oppenheimer. This film is being shown for educational purposes as a precursor to the Harlan screening on March 21.

Germany, 1940
German, English subtitles
Director: Veit Harlan
90 minutes

Following the screening there will be a panel discussion
regarding the film with University of Manitoba scholars:

Catherine Chatterley, Department of History
Jonah Corne, Film Studies Program
Stephan Jaeger, Department of German and Slavic Studies
Adam Muller, Department of English, Film, and Theatre
Lionel Steiman, Department of History
                                                                                                                         
Presented by: Judaic Studies Program, University of Manitoba; JSA/Hillel; Jewish
Studies Research Circle; Institute of Humanities, University of Manitoba; Department of
German-Canadian Studies, University of Winnipeg; Chair in German-Canadian Studies,
University of Winnipeg; Winnipeg International Jewish Film Festival

Sunday, March 21 7:00 pm
HARLAN
IN THE SHADOW OF JEW SÜSS
Harlan- Im Schatten von Jud Süss

Though almost forgotten today, Veit Harlan was one of Nazi Germany’s most notorious
filmmakers. Millions all across occupied Europe saw his films, the most perfidious of which was the treacherous anti-Semitic propaganda film Jew Süss (Jud Süss)—required viewing for all SS members. As Joseph Goebbels’ top director he was an unrepentant and blindly obsessive craftsman, and was also the only artist from the Nazi era to be charged with war crimes. With never-before-seen archival footage, unearthed film excerpts, rare home movies and new interviews, (including Christine Kubrick, wife of legendary director Stanley Kubrick) this powerful documentary is indeed a searing portrait of the controversial filmmaker and an eye-opening examination of World War II film history. But it also shows how Veit Harlan’s family—especially the youngest generation—struggles even today
with the dark myth of his artistic immorality. It’s the story of a German family from the Third Reich to the present, one that is marked by reckoning, denial and liberation.

Germany, 2009
German, English subtitles
99 minutes
Director: Felix Moeller

Following the screening there will be a panel discussion regarding the film with:

Benjamin Baader, Department of History, University of Manitoba
Catherine Chatterley, Department of History, University of Manitoba
Alexander Freund, Department of History and Chair in German-Canadian Studies, University of Winnipeg
Stephan Jaeger, Department of German and Slavic Studies, University of Manitoba
Adam Muller, Department of English, Film, and Theatre, University of Manitoba

PG: Not recommend for young children

Monday, March 22 7:30 pm
THE LITTLE TRAITOR

The founding of the State of Israel is the setting for this inspiring and acclaimed film
that portrays a surprising friendship between a feisty boy and a kindhearted British
soldier. Proffy Liebowitz, a militant yet sensitive twelve year old, has grown up under
British occupation and wants nothing more than for the occupying British to get out of his land. While out after curfew, Proffy is apprehended by British Sergeant Dunlop
(Alfred Molina). Instead of arresting him, Sergeant Dunlop escorts him back
home. The accidental encounter leads to a meaningful bond between supposed enemies. A
beautifully shot film that parallels the creation of the State of Israel with one boy’s formative years. Chosen as the opening night film for the Israeli Film Festival to
celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary.

Israel/USA 2007
English, Hebrew,
English subtitles
90 minutes
Director: Lynn Roth
Executive Producer: Marilyn Hall, wife of Winnipegger Monty Hall.

Awards
• Audience Award – Best Feature Film, Palm Beach International Film Festival, 2008
• Audience Award – Best Feature Film, Atlanta & Los Angeles Jewish Film Festivals, 2008

Nomination
• Best Costume Design, Israeli Film Academy Awards, 2008

PG: Mature theme

Tuesday, March 23 7:30 pm
SIXTY SIX

It is the summer of '66, and England is about to be overwhelmed by World Cup
fever. For 12 -year-old Bernie though, the biggest day of his life is approaching—his
Bar Mitzvah—and the day he becomes a man. The extent of Bernie’s Bar Mitzvah
fades daily as Bernie’s parents—played by Helena Bonham Carter and Eddie
Marsan—is growingly preoccupied by the risk of losing their family business and their rebellious older son. Worst of all, the Cup Final is listed to take place on the same day and when England makes it through the qualifying rounds, Bernie's longed-for Bar
Mitzvah looks like it is going to be a complete catastrophe. A wistful tale of childhood,
Sixty Six is told with the right combination of hilarious comedy and real-world drama
that finish offs triumphantly for Bernie and his family.

UK, 2006
English
95 minutes
Director: Paul Weiland

PG: Not recommended for young children, language may offend, tobacco use/promotion

PG: Not recommended for young children.

Wednesday, March 24 7:30 pm
SAVIORS IN THE NIGHT
Unter Bauern

The mesmerizing true feature film of a Jewish family that found
haven with courageous Westphalian farmers during WW II. Based on the memories of Marga Spiegel, we discover how courageous farmers in southern Münsterland hid her, her husband Menne and their little daughter Karin from 1943 until 1945, thus saving them from deportation to the extermination camps in the East. The film tells this story of survival with a sense for the absurd in daily life and not without the typical Westphalian humour.
Without reservation, the farmers offer the refugees their protection. That this turns them into heroes would never occur to them. They are used to weathering even dangerous situations somehow, guided only by their instinct and century-old code of ethics. They
risk their own lives, and, if necessary, even that of their families. There is never a
discussion about friendship, reliability and humanity. Saviors in the Night is an uplifting and
life-affirming story which honours these voiceless heroes.

Germany/France
German, French, English subtitles
95 minutes
Director: Ludi Boeken

Thursday, March 25 7:30 pm
NORA’S WILL
Cinco días sin Nora

Mexico City’s close-knit Jewish community is the setting for this moving and unassuming comedy where a divorcée plans to bring together her family and friends by ending her life on the eve of Passover. She leaves behind detailed plans for the Passover Seder and unintentionally, a mysterious snapshot that leads to a surprising revelation about
Nora that changes everyone's perspective on her. A colourful collection of characters
assembles in Nora’s apartment, including disapproving rabbis, a devoted housekeeper, a half blind aunt and the couple’s grown son as Nora’s ex-husband José grudgingly handles funeral arrangements considering his cynicism about Jewish rituals. As this disparate group meets and tries to honour Nora’s wishes, they find out a great deal about her and themselves.

Mexico, 2009
Spanish, English subtitles
95 minutes
Director: Mariana Chenillo

Awards
• Best Film, Biarritz International Festival of Latin American Cinema, 2009
• Best Mexican Film, Festival, 2009
• Grand Coral Award – Feature Competition, Havana Film Festival, 2009
• Jury Award – Best Director & Best First Film, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, 2008
• Best Film, Mar del Plata, 2009
• Audience Award, Miami Film Festival, 2009

PG: Not recommend for young children, mature theme

Saturday, March 27 9:30 pm
LOST ISLANDS
Iim Avudim

Lost Islands is a humorous drama which focuses on a large and high-spirited working class
family struggling with marital fidelity, sibling jealousy and teen anguish. The early 1980s are the backdrop of this autobiographical film which was Israel’s biggest box office
success in 2008. Twin brothers Erez and Ofer are two members of this unique yet typical family who seem opposite in every way. Happily wreaking havoc and chasing girls in a still rather naïve Israel, they fall in love with the same free-spirited girl setting off a rivalry that pulls them apart. This poignant film tackles the division between
family commitments and individual desires.

Israel, 2008
Hebrew, English subtitles
103 minutes
Director: Reshef Levy

Awards
• Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Music, Best Costume Design, Israeli Film Academy Awards, 2008

Nominations
• Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor,
Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Awards of the
Israeli Film Academy, 2008

14 A: Not recommend for young children, course language

TICKETS & PACKAGES
Rady Jewish Community Centre
123 Doncaster Street

Tickets/Information: 477-7510
www.radyjcc.com – Click on Ticket Central

Individual Ticket:  $8M / $10NM

Six Pack: Choose SIX different films in Advance: $40M / $50NM

Festival Pass: Access to ALL festival films 80M / $100NM

Prices include GST.
Pass holders must arrive a minimum of 15 minutes in advance to ensure seating.
No exchanges/refunds. Films are subject to classification