January 14 – 23, 2016
Tickets at tucsonjewishfilmfestival.com
Celebrating 25 years.
In memory of Robert Polinsky.
TWO Festival Kick-offs
Sunday, Jan. 10, 3:00 pm, $5
Encore screening of
The Best of Men
(UK, 2012, 90 min., English)
In 1944, Ludwig Guttmann,a talented neurologist and German Jewish refugee, revolutionized the way Great Britain treated soldiers with debilitating spinal injuries.
Co-presented by Northwest Division, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
Desert View Performing Arts Center
– 39900 S. Clubhouse Drive, Tucson
Sunday, Jan. 10 at The J 2:00 pm, FREE
The Age of Love
(USA, 2014, 79 min., English)
A Speed Dating event exclusively for 70- to 90-yearolds spurs a diverse group of seniors to take stock of aging bodies and still-hopeful hearts.
Presented by Senior Support Alliance
Opening night at the Loft: Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:00 pm
Once in a Lifetime
(Les Heritiers)
(France, 2014, 105 min., French with subtitles)
Anne Gueguen is determined to give the best education she
can to her underprivileged inner-city pupils, but overcoming their apathy is more difficult than expected. Based on a true story, this inspiring film celebrates the
power of education and the importance of cooperation and coexistence.
Made possible by the Bob Polinsky Memorial Media Arts Fund
Friday, Jan. 15, 1:30 pm
Advanced Style
(USA, 2014, 72 min.)
Dahling, you look mah-velous!
Come meet seven unique New Yorkers whose eclectic personal style and vital spirit have guided their approach to aging.
Join us for a very special luncheon and fashion show at noon, presented by Maya Palace and Lynn Rae Lowe. RSVP required by Jan. 12.
Saturday, Jan. 16, 7:30 pm Direct from the Other Israel Film Festival
Women in Sink
(Israel, 2015, 35 min., Hebrew with subtitles)
Friday, Jan. 15 4:00 – 6:00 pm
SPECIAL EVENT
Body Scripting Workshop with Tamar Rogoff
Join us for an in-depth exploration of Tamar’s movement techniques. The workshop is appropriate for those who dance, teach dance or yoga, or are interested in therapeutic
movement instruction.
$36 General, $18 Students, seniors and J members
Please be advised that all films are unrated and may contain content that is unsuitable for children under the age of 13.
For the comfort of all our patrons, please refrain from wearing fragrance to screenings.
All films shown at the Tucson J unless otherwise noted.
Filmmaker Iris Zaki trains her lens on the women of an Arab- Israeli beauty salon in Haifa
and learns how they really feel about peace, strife, life, love, and friends. with
Rock in the Red Zone
(Israel, 2015, 90 min., English and Hebrew with subtitles)
When American filmmaker Laura Bialis set out to document the Sephardic music scene in Sderot, not far from the Gaza border, she had no way to predict where the path would lead. Bialis has crafted an intimate, insightful portrait of Israelis living in a war zone.
Sunday, Jan. 17 1:00 pm
The Seder
(Canada, 2011, 13 min., English)
Leo is bringing his boyfriend home to meet the folks, but Mitchell isn’t just any date, and the Passover Seder isn’t just any meal!
with
Portrait of a Serial Monogamist
(Canada, 2014, 84 min., English)
Smart, successful, and charming, Elsie is the perfect girlfriend. She also has a long history of broken hearts. When Elsie breaks up with her longstanding girlfriend to pursue another woman, she faces the nagging suspicion that she may have made a big mistake.
Sunday, Jan. 17 3:30 pm
Mr. Kaplan
(Uruguay/Spain/Germany, 2014, 98min., Spanish with subtitles)
Jacob Kaplan has grown tired of his quiet, post-war life, so he reinvents himself as a Nazi hunter to give his twilight years some meaning. The film creates a thoughtful portrait of family, aging, and the drive for significance.
Presented by Sarah Iden & Marc Herman, in memory of Lola and Marvin Herman.
Sunday, Jan. 17 7:00 pm
Enter the Faun
(USA, 2015, 68 min., English)
An unlikely collaboration between a veteran choreographer and a young actor with cerebral palsy delivers astonishing proof that every body is capable of miraculous transformation.
Q & A with filmmaker Tamar Rogoff to follow the film
Monday, Jan. 18, 1:30 pm
Dear God
(Elohim Yakar)
(Israel, 2014, 12 min., Hebrew with subtitles)
A devout woman visits Jerusalem’s Western Wall each day, hoping that someone will hear her prayers. Little does she know, her supplications are being observed by someone who wants to make her hopes and dreams come true.
with
Vice Versa
(Haahayot Cahana)
(Israel, 2015, 62 min., Hebrew with subtitles)
Vice Versa tells the story of an unlikely romance between a devout Yeshiva scholar and his terminally ill student. Their intimate love story transcends the rules of religion, society, and faith.
Monday, Jan. 18, 7:00 pm
Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem
(USA, 2014, 75 min.)
When Theodore Bikel passed away in 2015 at the age of 91, he left behind a legacy on stage and screen that few could hope to match. Re-visit folk albums, to his iconic Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Bikel recounts the highlights of his illustrious career.
Presented by Lillian Essex
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 5:00 pm
A Borrowed Identity
(Aravim Rokdim)
(Israel/Germany/France, 2014, 104 min., Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles)
Eyad is a gifted Arab teenager trying to find his place in Israeli society. But gaining a spot at a prestigious Jerusalem boarding school means that he will have to sacrifice his identity in order to be accepted.
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 7:30 pm
The Farewell Party
(Mita Tova)
(Israel/Germany, 2014, 95 min.)
When a gutsy group of senior citizens decides that the end is not coming fast enough for one of their dear friends, they decide to take matters into their own hands. .
Presented by Steven, Warren, & Devorah, in loving memory of their parents, Dorothy & Saul Goldman
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 5:00 pm
To Life! (Auf das Leben)
(Germany, 2014, 95 min., German with subtitles)
Ruth, an aging cabaret singer, is tormented by her past and prepared to end her life. Jonas, a young man with his own secrets, arrives in Berlin just in time to distract her from her pain.
Presented by California Closets
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Watchers of the Sky
(USA/Netherlands/France, 2015, 120 min., English)
Watchers uncovers the forgotten life of Raphael Lempkin, the man who coined the word “genocide” and who believed that the law could protect the world from mass atrocities. His passion still resonates today, reflected in stories of courage, compassion and determination.
Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the Jewish History Museum, and the Holocaust History Center
Thursday, Jan. 21, 5:00 p.m.
Carvalho’s Journey
(USA, 2015, 85 min., English)
Pioneering artist Solomon Carvalho (1815-1897) took his camera and left Charleston, South Carolina’s thriving Jewish community to document John C. Fremont’s Fifth Western Expedition. This stunning film retraces the adventure of a lifetime.
Thursday, Jan. 21, 7:30 pm
End of Season Sale
(Mechirats of Haona)
(Israel, 2014, 35 min. Hebrew)
Two aging strangers connect on a rainy night, one looking for sex, the other holding out for love. When the lack of Viagra precludes a onenight stand, the two men have the chance to exchange the pleasures of the flesh for the pleasures of the heart. Best Israeli short film, Tel-Aviv LGBT International Film Festival.
with
The Invisible Men
(Gvarim Bilti Nir’im)
(Israel/Netherlands/Palestine, 2012, 68 min., Hebrew/English/Arabic with subtitles)
This revelatory documentary highlights the untold story of persecuted gay Palestinians forced to hide illegally in Tel Aviv. Fleeing torture and the threat of death , these men find temporary asylum in Israel’s gay underground.
Presented by Federation Pride, Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona
Friday, Jan. 22, 1:30 pm
7-Day Gig
(USA, 20103, 10 min., English)
A precocious Brownie, an old man, and a chicken gather round after Jay (a Guamanian/
Romanian/Catholic/Jew) puts an ad on Craigslist looking for mourners to assist him in sitting shiva for his father.
with
Marvin Hamlisch: What he did for Love
(USA, 2013, 85 min., English)
Composer, conductor, genius, mensch – Marvin Hamlisch was a modern day Da Vinci. But a career marked by breathtaking success (The Sting, A Chorus Line) also saw some staggering flops. The film crafts a touching and candid portrait of one of the great artists of our time.
Presented by Seniors Helping Seniors
Saturday, Jan. 23, 7:30 pm
Closing Night Raise the Roof & Wrap Party – $18
(USA, 2015, 85 min., English)
Artists Rick & Laura Brown set out on an improbable quest: to reconstruct a replica of a stunning, mural-covered 17th century wooden Polish synagogue. Raise the Roof tells the story of their remarkable 15-year journey.
Wrap party to follow the film, with music by The Klezmopolitans. Proceeds benefit the Bob Polinsky Memorial Media Arts Fund. Presented by Fay Green and Family
Please be advised that all films are unrated and may contain content that is unsuitable for children under the age of 13. For the comfort of all our patrons, please refrain from wearing fragrance to screenings.
All films shown at the Tucson J unless otherwise noted.
Friday, Jan. 15 4:00 – 6:00 pm
SPECIAL EVENT
Body Scripting Workshop with Tamar Rogoff
Join us for an in-depth exploration of Tamar’s movement techniques. The workshop is appropriate for those who dance, teach dance or yoga, or are interested in therapeutic movement instruction.
$36 General, $18 Students, seniors and J members
Locations and ticket prices:
Opening Night at
the Loft ……………………………..$10
General Admission …………….$9
Students/Seniors/
JCC Members ……………………..$8
6-pack ………………………………. $40
Group Admission ………….. $150
Theodore Bikel, Carvalho’s Journey and Raise the Roof provided by the National Center of Jewish Film: www.ncjf.org
The J’s Ballroom contains closed-loop hearing assist technology.
