The dates for the screenings are February 1 – March 8. (Every Thursday). All movies will be screened at the Wesleyan University Center for Film Studies, at the Goldsmith Family Cinema, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, CT at 8pm.
Free Admission. On site parking.
The Festival is organized by Dalit Katz, Adjunct Associate Professor of Religion and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Wesleyan University. It is sponsored by the Ring Family, the Center for Jewish Studies, and co-sponsored by the College of Film and the Moving Image and the Wesleyan Film Series.
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The Cakemaker (February 1)
English subtitles
Directed by Ofir Raul Graizer (2017) Watch trailer |
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Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who visits Berlin frequently on business. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a café in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her and create German cakes and cookies that bring life into her café. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life, and to protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.
Speaker: Ofir Raul Graizer, Director of The Cakemaker
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Past Life (February 8)
English Subtitles
Directed by Avi Nesher (2017)Watch trailer |
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 Inspired by true events, PAST LIFE tracks the 1977 trans-European odyssey of two sisters–one an introverted ambitious classical music composer, the other a combative liberal magazine editor. As they try to unravel a disturbing wartime mystery that has cast a foreboding shadow on their entire lives, they realize that freedom from the shackles of the past requires painful sacrifices, as does the struggle to discover one’s unique voice.
Speaker: Marc Longenecker, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Film Studies |
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A Quiet Heart (February 15)
English subtitles
Directed by Eitan Anner (2016)Watch trailer |
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In present day Jerusalem, a city fractured by religious fanaticism, a young concert pianist finds herself persecuted by ultra-religious groups. Faced with escalating isolation and violence, she must learn to use music as a bridge over a deep religous divide.
Speaker: Isaac Zablocki, Director of JCC Manhattan Film Programs |
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Holy Air (February 22)
English subtitles
Directed by Shady Srour (2017)Watch trailer |
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Adam and Lamia are a Christian Arab couple from Nazareth – members of a vanishing minority in the Holy Land. When Lamia gets pregnant, Adam decides it’s time to make it big and provide for his family by entering the biggest local business – religion. He begins to sell… Holy Air.
Speaker: Laura Blum, Film Critic |
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Scaffolding (March 1)
English Subtitles
Directed by Matan Yair (2017)Watch trailer |
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Seventeen-year-old Asher has always been the impulsive troublemaker: he is compelled by rage and violence, yet he is also endowed with a considerable amount of charm and street wisdom. While his strict father sees him as a natural successor to the family’s scaffolding business, Asher finds a different masculine role model in his gentle literature teacher, Rami, and forges a special connection with him. Torn between the two worlds, Asher looks for a chance for a new life and new identity. When a sudden tragedy occurs, he has to take the ultimate test of maturity.
Speaker: Nitzan Gilady, Gittel and Marvin Silverberg Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Wesleyan University |
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The Women’s Balcony (March 8)
English Subtitles
Directed by Emil Ben-Shimon (2017)Watch trailer |
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When the women’s balcony in an Orthodox synagogue collapses, leaving the rabbi’s wife in a coma and the rabbi in shock, the congregation falls into crisis. Charismatic young Rabbi David appears to be a savior after the accident, but slowly starts pushing his fundamentalist ways and tries to take control. This tests the women’s friendships and creates an almost Lysistrata-type rift between the community’s women and men.
Speaker: Yaniv Feller, Assistant Professor of Religion
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