The dates for the screenings are January 29 – March 5. (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 Israel Studies and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Wesleyan University. It is sponsored by the Ring Family, Jewish and Israel Studies and co sponsored by the Film Studies Department.
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Screening of Two Episodes of the Israeli TV Show Arab Labor (Season 2) (January 29)
English subtitles |
Watch trailer
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Arab Labor is a satirical sitcom about Israeli Arab couple and their daughter who have moved to live in a Jewish neighborhood. Sayed Kashua, the scriptwriter of this show, will introduce the series and will conduct a question answer session after the screening.
Speaker: Sayed Kashua, Arab Labor scriptwriter.
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The Wonders (February 5)
English Subtitles
Directed by Avi Nesher (2013) |
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A graffiti artist nicknamed Arnav (rabbit) tries to rescue a rabbi held against his will with the help of a cynical private eye and a mysterious femme fatal in a chase through the Jerusalem streets. The film is an original mixture of genres and moods and is co-written with Shaanan Strett, the lead vocalist of the Israeli hip hop band Hagag Nahas.
Speaker: Scott Higgins, Associate Professor of Film Studies and Chair of Film Studies at Wesleyan University. |
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Hunting Elephants (February 12)
English subtitles
Director: Reshef Levy, (2013) |
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Hunting Elephants is a comedy about three elderly men and one teenager who get involved in robbing a bank that took advantage of the boy’s deceased father.
Speaker: Isaac Zablocki, Director of Film Programs at the JCC in Manhattan. |
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The Dove Flyer (February 19)
English subtitles
Director: Nissim Dayan (2014) |
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The film, based by a novel written by Eli Amir, is told from the point of view of the teenage protagonist, Kobi, about the final years of the Baghdad Jewish Community in the 1950’s. This is the first film made in the distinctive Iraqi-Jewish dialect of Arabic.
Speaker: Elisha Russ- Fishbane, Associate Professor of Religion at Wesleyan University |
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The Ballad of the Weeping Spring (February 26)
English Subtitles. Winner of four Israeli Oscars.
Director: Ben Torati (2012) |
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Israeli Western about an attempt to reunite members of the legendary Turkish Ensemble musical band to perform The Weeping Spring Time Symphony, a piece which was never played, in order to grant the final wish of one of the dying ensemble members and bring peace to the band’s leader’s tormented soul. The film was hailed for its riveting drama and its outstanding music.
Speaker: Laura Blum, Film Critic. |
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Back by Popular Demand: The Dolphin Boy (March 5)
English Subtitles
Director: Dani Menkin and Yonatan Nir (2011) |
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Morad, an Arab Boy who was severely attacked, has withdrawn from people. His father takes him to be treated at the Dolphin reef in Eilat. After months Morad starts talking again. However, he refuses to acknowledge his past and go back home.
Speaker: David Fisher, Film director and Distinguished Visiting Scholar of the Center for Jewish Studies at Wesleyan University. |
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