2019 Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival
September 14–28, 2019
PRE-FEST
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22
7 PM • SABES JCC
The origin story behind one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when “tradition” was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving.
2019 | Documentary | English | 92 minutes
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Join us for a special evening as we kick off the 2019 Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival with a little tradition and celebration. Live music by Eisner Klezmorim, ticket giveaways, movie snacks, and more!
OPENING NIGHT!
Back to Maracanã
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
8 PM • SABES JCC
The only thing more important in life than family – is soccer. An unplanned trip to the World Cup for three generations turns into a wild journey that changes all of them.
2019 | Drama | Portuguese, English with English subtitles | 90 minutes
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Presented in partnership with the Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation and the and the Brazil-Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
Black Honey: The Life and Poetry of Avraham Sutzkever
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
1:30 PM • SABES JCC
The life and works of Russian-born Yiddish poet Avraham Sutzkever reflect his wit, passion and vitality through the darkness of the Holocaust.
2018 | Documentary | Hebrew with English subtitles | 76 minutes
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Post Film Speaker
Meyer Weinshel, PhD candidate (Germanic Studies and History) at the University of Minnesota, completing his doctoral research on German and Yiddish poetry before-and-after World War II.
Presented in partnership with Minneapolis Yiddish Vinkl.
The Museum
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
4 PM • SABES JCC
A documentary collage depicting the life and art of the “Israel Museum”.
2017 | Documentary | Hebrew, English with English subtitles | 74 minutes
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Post Film Panel
Boris Oicherman, PhD,
Cindy and Jay Ihlenfeld Curators for Creative Collaboration Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota
Katya Oicherman, PhD, Artist, Researcher, Educator.
Presented in partnership with Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
ISRAEL CENTER OF THE MINNEAPOLIS JEWISH FEDERATION CO-PRESENTS:
An Evening with Ori Elon,
Co-creator of Shtisel
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
7 PM • SABES JCC
Ori Elon is an Israeli author and filmmaker who co-created the critically acclaimed television drama Shtisel, that brings viewers inside the life of the Haredi community in Jerusalem. Available on Netflix, the series has become an international hit, and has won 17 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Script for Drama. This rare event will treat audiences to a behind-the-scenes look at the hit Israeli TV show and the creative force behind it.
King Bibi
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
7 PM • SABES JCC
An exploration of Benjamin Netanyahu’s rise to power, using archival footage of his media performances over the years: from his days as a popular guest expert on American TV, through his public confession of adultery, and his mastery of the art of social media.
2018 | Documentary | Hebrew and English with English subtitles | 87 minutes
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Post Film Speaker
Gal Aslan, The Jewish Agency-Israel Fellow to Minnesota Hillel
Presented in partnership with Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
From Cairo to the Cloud
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
7 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
The story of an astonishing collection of ancient manuscripts hidden for centuries in a Cairo synagogue, and their remarkable odyssey to the modern world.
2018 | Documentary | English | 94 minutes
Shorts Night
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
7 PM • SABES JCC
An extraordinary evening featuring six short films ranging from a narrative drama, to a crime documentary, to a thriller.
Post Film Panel
Michael Forstein, Filmmaker and Producer
Wendy Weiner, Executive Producer/Co-Writer
Moderator, Michael Sutz, Producer and Partner, Twelve Plus Media
WALTER’S PICK
The Keeper
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
8 PM • SABES JCC
The love story of a young English woman and a soccer-playing German POW overcome prejudice, public hostility and personal tragedy near the end of World War II.
2019 | Biography, Drama, Romance | English | 113 minutes
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Post Film Speaker
Jack Zipes, Professor Emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota.
The Humorist
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
1 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
A week in the life of Boris Arkadiev, a fictional Soviet stand-up comedian, who is tormented not only by external oppression and censorship, but also by his own insecurities that poison all his relationships.
2018 | Biography | Russian with English Subtitles | 100 minutes
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Post Film Speaker
Julia Chadaga, Associate Professor and Chair of Russian Studies, Macalester College
Presented in partnership with Russian American Jews in Minnesota (RAJMN), The Russian Cultural Center, The Museum of Russian Art, and The Latvian Consulate in Minnesota.
Fig Tree
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
4 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
During the Ethiopian civil war, a Jewish teenager hatches a scheme to keep her Christian boyfriend from being drafted, as she and her family prepare to flee the country and go to Israel.
2018 | Drama | Amharic with English subtitles | 93 minutes
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Presented in partnership with Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
The Unorthodox
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
7 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
Yaakov Cohen, tired from being pushed around, establishes a Sephardic-ultra-Orthodox list that will run to the Jerusalem municipality. With two friends, they improvise a campaign – no means, no connections, no money, but with much rage, passion and a sense of justice.
2018 | Drama/Comedy | Hebrew, Yiddish with English subtitles | 92 minutes
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Presented in partnership with Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
Promise at Dawn
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
7 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
A man recounts his life, from his childhood through his experiences in World War II, and the story of his self-sacrificing mother, who raised him alone.
2017 | Drama, Romance | French with English subtitles | 131 minutes
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Presented in partnership with Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul.
CLOSING NIGHT
My Polish Honeymoon
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
8 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
Anna and Adam, a young Parisian couple, travel to Poland for the first time and attend a ceremony in memory of the Jewish community in the village of Adam’s grandfather, experiencing a journey full of surprises, during which they will not find exactly what they came for.
2019 | Comedy/Drama | French with English subtitles | 88 minutes
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Post Film Speaker
Susan Weinberg, Artist, Author and Genealogy Consultant
Presented in partnership with Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul.
POST FEST
Sustainable Nation
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23
TIME: TBD • SHOWPLACE ICON
In a world where water is everything, Sustainable Nation follows three individuals who are doing their part to bring sustainable water solutions to an increasingly thirsty planet.
2019 | Documentary | English | 60 minutes
Join the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival and Twin Cities Film Fest as we celebrate our milestone years! Twin Cities Film Fest Lounge, across the street from the Icon Showplace Theater, West End – 8 – 11 pm.
Post Film Speaker
Melissa Rappaport Schifman, Sustainability Consultant and Author of Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth, and Soul. (Skyhorse Publishing, September 2018)
Presented in partnership with Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
POST FEST
Leona
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24
TIME: TBD • SHOWPLACE ICON
A young Jewish woman from Mexico City finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love with a non-Jewish man.
2018 | Drama | Spanish with English subtitles | 95 minutes
Post Film Speaker
Sandra Felemovicius, Contemporary Artist born in Mexico City.
POST FEST
Family In Transition
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27
3 PM • ST. PAUL JCC
Shot over the course of two years, an Israeli family deals with the effects when the father transitions into a woman.
2018 | Documentary | Hebrew with English Subtitles | 70 minutes
Panel Discussion to Follow
Presented in partnership with Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. Co-presented as part of the 2019 Gender Reel Film Festival.
