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Jewish Films In Limelight At Festival

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN

mbearden@tampatrib.com

Published: February 28, 2009

TAMPA - The timing is perfect.

After seeing snippets of some of Hollywood's finest fare at the Oscars last Sunday, local moviegoers have something new to look forward to beginning Monday: The 13th annual Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival.

A mix of feature-length and short films about the Jewish experience from countries around the world form the lineup.

"Israel isn't just about the conflict in the Middle East," says co-chairwoman Rina Donchin. "Audiences will see so much more beyond that. It's a beautiful, beautiful country, rich in culture and history, and these films will give some insight about that."

Donchin says none of the films would end up in commercial movie theaters.

"These are strictly art-theater films, and we have so few options to see these kinds of offerings around here anymore," she says.

The festival gala is Wednesday at Tampa Theatre and includes an unusual pairing: a Jewish and Muslim stand-up comic team. Rabbi Bob Alper and Azhar Usman will present "The Funny Business About Religion" before the screening of "Circumcise Me." Festival patrons and major donors can meet the pair at a cocktail party before the main program.

"This is probably the most effective way for everyone to appreciate the differences and similarities in religion," says Cathy Gardner, director of the Tampa Jewish Community Center.

"Who better to comment on the Judeo-Christian-Muslim experience than a rabbi who's a Catholic convert to Orthodox Judaism and now is a comedian in Jerusalem, and a Muslim lawyer-turned-comic who grew up in Skokie Ill.?"

The festival is presented by the Tampa JCC in partnership with the Golda Meir/Kent Jewish Center in Clearwater.

"Noodle" (Hebrew)

7:30 p.m. Monday at the USF Health Sciences Auditorium, Tampa

At 37, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been deported from Israel. The touching comic-drama follows their remarkable journey - one that takes them both back to a meaningful life. 90 minutes

"Heaven Is Not There: The Comedy of Yisrael Campbell," aka "Circumcise Me" (English)

7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tampa Theatre

Yisrael Campbell looks more like a rabbi than a comedian, but don't be fooled by the Hasidic side-curls. Born Chris Campbell, the son of an ex-nun and a Catholic schoolteacher, he converted to Judaism not once, but three times - Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. This hilarious, searching and moving story follows one man's quest for spiritual enlightenment against the bewildering backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 50 minutes

"The Orthodox Way" (Hebrew)

7:30 p.m. Thursday at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

Eli, a single religious guy, is forced to go on a blind date. He picks up the wrong girl, and the two spend a bizarre evening driving around the streets of Jerusalem. A romantic comedy about dating the Orthodox way. 25 minutes

"Two Ladies" (French)

8 p.m. Thursday at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

In Paris, a young nurse experiences anti-Arab prejudice during her regular rounds of house-calls. She applies for a job caring for an elderly Jew, Esther, a hot-tempered and cranky patient. The two like one another and eventually the nurse's mother and father take the ailing Esther into their home. 73 minutes

"Orthodox Stance" (English)

7 p.m. March 7 at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

For the past 60 years, the term "Jewish boxer" has been an oxymoron. But Dmitriy Salita, a 25-year-old Russian immigrant is making history as a top professional boxer and a rigorously observant Jew. 83 minutes

"Bad Faith" (French)

9 pm. March 7 at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

Clara, a Jew, and Ismael, an Arab, are a happy couple. When Clara becomes pregnant, they're happy - until they realize they have to tell their parents; a romantic comedy for our troubled times. 88 minutes

"Max Minsky and Me" (German)

1 p.m. March 8 at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

Nelly Sue Edelmeister is a skinny 13-year-old Berlin schoolgirl with a brain the size of an encyclopedia. But that's before she develops a hopeless crush on handsome Prince Edouard from the tiny European country of Luxembourg. And it's definitely before she meets basketball ace Max Minsky, 15. A comedy about friendship and family, Royals and klutzes. 94 minutes

"The Little Traitor" (Hebrew)

3 p.m. March 8 at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

This film takes place in Palestine in 1947, just a few months before Israel becomes a state. Proffy Liebowitz, a militant yet sensitive 12-year-old, wants nothing more than for the occupying British to get the heck out of his land. One evening, Proffy is seized by Sgt. Dunlop, a British officer, and a friendship ensues. 88 minutes

"The Galilee Eskimos" (Hebrew)

7:30 p.m. March 12 at Tampa Theatre

Twelve senior citizens awake in a kibbutz old-people's home to discover they have been deserted and left to fend for themselves. The group initially sinks into deep depression, but later begins to organize an effective communal unit. 90 minutes

"A Secret" (French)

8 p.m. March 14 at Tampa Theatre

The secret to "Un secret" is that there is more than one secret. Based on true events, the film tells of a family in quiet crisis. It is Paris in 1955, and 7-year-old Francois is skinny, frail and sickly, a constant disappointment to his athletic father. When Francois is baptized, it leads to significant glances between his parents and their Jewish best friend. There's a surprise twist in this one - but we're not giving it away. 110 minutes

"Arab Labor" (Arabic-Hebrew)

10 p.m. March 14 at Baywalk Muvico, St. Petersburg

In the first episode of this wickedly funny new Israel TV series, protagonist Amjad, an Israeli Arab reporter for a Hebrew-language newspaper, decides to trade in his family's beat-up old Subaru for a "less Arab car." After consulting with his Jewish friend Meir, Amjad buys a Rover sedan, which gets him waved through Israeli checkpoints. 90 minutes

"Praying in Her Own Voice" (Hebrew)

1 p.m. March 15 at Tampa Theatre

A group called Women of the Wall leads a movement for equality next to the Wailing Wall. The film raises many questions about the battle of the sexes within the religious Jewish world. 60 minutes

"Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh" (English)

3 p.m. March 15 at Tampa Theatre

Narrated by three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen, this is the first documentary feature about Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter and modern-day Joan of Arc. 85 minutes

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival

WHEN: Films will screen at Tampa Theatre, BayWalk Muvico and the University of South Florida from Monday through March 15. Opening Night Celebration is Wednesday at Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa.

ADMISSION: Opening night gala, $15 in advance and $18 day of show; all other films, $6 in advance and $8 day of show; $7 for students and seniors.

INFORMATION: Call (813) 769-4722, or visit www.jewishtampa.com or www.gmkjc.org

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