Featured image: Madam Prime Minister
From star-studded stories Love, Gilda and Studio 54, to emotional war drama Sobibor and marvellous musical mayhem in Redemption and Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, the Jewish International Film Festival returns for another year of spectacular Jewish cinema from around the globe.
With over 60 films from 23 countries, the Festival builds on a 29 year long history of bringing the best of Jewish cinema to Australia, presenting 31 features and 28 documentaries to audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra. The Festival will also screen films by the 2018 recipients of the JIFF Short Film Fund, The Birth of Hunter Finkelstein and Thank G-d.
Some Highlights Include Love, Gilda, a moving portrait of comedy legend and SNL original Gilda Radner. Directed by US filmmaker Lisa D’Apolito, the film features interviews with fellow SNL stars Chevy Chase, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph. D’Apolito will also introduce her film and engage in audience Q&As. Romania’s official Oscars candidate for Best Foreign Language Film “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History As Barbarians”, by Cannes Illy Prize-winning filmmaker Radu Jude (Aferim!); queer Israeli coming-of-age story Red Cow; and winner of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Ecumenical Jury Award, Redemption, religion-to-rockstar musical with a soundtrack elevating traditional simcha music to rock ’n’ roll cool. Golden Globe-nominated actor Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) stars alongside award-winning Hungarian actor Géza Röhrig (Son of Saul) in quirky buddy comedy To Dust, and family drama Holy Lands features a star-studded cast: Hollywood legend James Caan (The Godfather), Tom Hollander (Pride and Prejudice), and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bend It Like Beckham). Music fans can’t miss: a lively account of renowned Brooklyn A-list nightclub Studio 54, the epicentre of 70’s hedonism; Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes, the story behind the Jewish-founded record label home to jazz icons from Miles Davis to Thelonious Monk; Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, by Larry Weinstein (Our Man in Tehran) about the Jewish songwriters who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity’s most musical holiday; and Itzhak, an affectionate documentary about the celebrated 16-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Itzhak Perlman. Madam Prime Minister, a fascinating portrayal of Israel’s first and only female Prime Minister Golda Meir; and A Rose in Winter, celebrating the legacy of Women’s Rights activist Edith Stein, a feminist champion courageously challenging the Nazi regime in the midst of World War II. An Act of Defiance, spotlighting Jewish involvement in Nelson Mandela’s rebellion against Apartheid. Documentary Who Will Write Our History, the first film shining a light on the Oyneg Shabes band of journalists and scholars fighting Nazi oppression with pen and paper.
The International Jewish Film Festival is on 23 October – 21 November at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction and 10 November – 21 November at new venue, Roseville Cinemas, Roseville. See more information at the JIFF website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
With thanks to the Jewish International Film Festival Sydney Arts Guide has 3 double passes to give away. These passes are for each winner's choice of film and session during the Sydney Season (excluding Opening Night, Closing Night, and special events). To be in the running, email (editorialstaff.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com) with JIFF as the subject, along with your full name AND mailing address. Competition closes Midnight on Wednesday October 17, 2018 when the winners will be drawn. Only the winners will be notified and the passes will be mailed by Sydney Arts Guide when received from the promoter.
