A Matter of Size (Sipur Gadol)
Thursday, April 8, 7:15 pm
Watch the trailer>>

Herzl is a shy 340 pound man living with his mother in the Israeli city of Ramle. Fired from his job because of his unacceptable image, and dumped by his weight loss group, he takes a job as a dishwasher in a Japanese restaurant. There, he discovers the one activity where girth is a virtue and fat guys can be rock stars—sumo wrestling! See what happens when they go from shame to celebration and from loneliness to love. In the process, they learn that happiness and success will only come from being true to themselves. Age 12+

Directors: Sharon Maymon & Erez Tadmor | Israel, 2009 | 92 minutes | Hebrew with English subtitles

Sponsored by:
Israel Program Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation and TCJewFolk.com

Community Partner:
Jewish Singles Collaborative

Opening Night Film + Party
Thursday, April 8

Sushi, sweets and sumo—come celebrate the largest Jewish cultural arts event of the upper Midwest! Sumo-sized!

Party
Doors Open at 5:45 pm
Hopkins Center for the Arts
1111 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343
Space is limited for party- reservation highly recommended!
Party + Film: $15

Film
A Matter of Size
7:15 pm
Hopkins Mann Theater
1118 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343
Film only: $9

Encore screening: Saturday, April 17, 2 pm

The Debt
Saturday, April 10, 9 pm

In 1964, Rachel Brenner is one of three Mossad agents whose mission it is to capture the ‘Surgeon of Birkenau’, a monstrous Nazi war criminal who is working under a false identity, as a gynecologist in Berlin. As part of the operation, Rachel becomes one of his patients, building a trust between the two and enabling the agents to discretely kidnap the doctor. As the three agents wait for their return to Israel in order to deliver the war criminal for public trial, a psychological duel erupts between the Nazi doctor and the young agents. This is one unique psychological cat-and-mouse espionage thriller. Adult audience

Director: Assaf Bernstein | Israel 2007 | 93 minutes | Hebrew, German & Russian with English subtitles

Sponsored by the Israel Program Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation

Encore screening: Monday, April 12 at 4:15 pm

Off and Running
Sunday April 11, 12 noon

Avery is an African-American teen raised Jewish, living in a multi-cultural home with her lesbian adoptive parents, her Korean brother and her mixed-race brother. Curious about her biological roots, she contacts her birth mother. The exchange spurs a full-blown identity crisis. A gifted runner, Avery planned to attend college on a track and field scholarship, but she becomes estranged from her loving family and drops out of school. She decides to pick up the pieces of her life and is Off and Running to the brink of adulthood, exploring the strength of family bonds and the challenges of becoming oneself. Age 13+

Director: Nicole Opper | USA, 2008 | 75 minutes | English

Speaker: Ellen Shulman, Equity and Integration Coordinator and educator in the Burnsville School district. Ellen is bi-racial and was adopted by a white Jewish family. She speaks on the topics of racism, diversity and trans-racial adoption.

Certificates of Attendance will be available

Take a walk/run!
Sunday April 11, 10 am
Be Off and Running with Cari Tschida, Sabes JCC Health, Wellness and Aquatics General Manager, for a 1.5 mile run/walk outdoors(or indoors if weather does not permit). Meet in the lobby of the JCC outside of the theater. All participants will get bagels, OJ and a free Film Festival t-shirt!

Community Partner: Rainbow Families/Family Equality Council

Stumbling Stone (Stolperstein)
Sunday, April 11, 2 pm

The conceptual artist Gunter Demnig has embedded brass-plated stones with 17,000 names of forgotten Nazi victims into the concrete pavements in European countries. Images of the fabrication and placement of engraved, brass-capped cobblestones are interwoven with interviews with enthusiasts and critics of the project throughout this captivating and endearing road doc film. Ages 13+

Director: Dörte Franke | Germany, 2008 | 75 minutes | German and Hungarian with English subtitles

Introduced by Daniel Wildeson, Director of the Center of Holocaust and Genocide Education at St. Cloud State University

Sponsored by Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education, St. Cloud State University

Immediately following film, Peter Zelle will lead a gallery talk of his exhibit Selected Works in the Tychman Shapiro Gallery

Protektor
Sunday, April 11, 4 pm

Hana, an actress, has just been given the role of a lifetime but her husband Emil, a radio reporter, does not cope well with her greater success. When the Germans invade Czechoslovakia in 1938, Hana is forced to give up the theater and her dreams because she’s Jewish. Meanwhile, Emil’s career takes the opposite path as the Nazis recognize his on-air talents and make him the voice of their propaganda. Sexy, stylish, and full of suspense—Protektor is not to be missed! Age 18+

Director: Marek Najbrt | Czech Republic, 2009 | 98 minutes| Czech with English subtitles

Inside Hana's Suitcase
Monday, April 12, 6 pm

The delivery of a battered suitcase to Fumiko Ishioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum begins an amazing true-life mystery. The suitcase, from the Auschwitz Museum, had Hana Brady’s name painted on it. Larry Weinstein’s masterful film follows Fumiko’s search to discover the details of Hana’s life, which leads to the discovery Hana’s brother George, a survivor, in Toronto. The voices of children from Japan, Canada, and the Czech Republic are woven throughout the drama, to create a film of astonishing power and hope. Age 10+

Director: Larry Weinstein | Canada and Czech Republic, 2009 | 90 minutes | English and Japanese with English subtitles

Certificates of Attendance will be available.

Community Partner: Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota & the Dakotas

Mary and Max
Monday, April 12, 8 pm

This stop-motion claymation feature portrays the 20-year pen pal friendship of Mary Dinkle (voiced by Toni Collette), a chubby lonely 8-year old from Melbourne, and Max Horowitz (voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman), an obese isolated 44-year old New Yorker with Asperger’s Syndrome. This is a truly exceptional portrait of compassion and love. The originality of the voices in this ever-spinning kaleidoscope of innocence and idiosyncrasy comes straight from an incredibly rich imagination. Age 13+

Director: Adam Elliot | Australia, USA, 2008 | 92 minutes | English

Introduced by Ann Hoffer and Anita Lewis, Inclusion Directors of the St. Paul JCC and the Sabes JCC. Discussion following film.

Discussion following film led by Shelly Christensen, Program Manager,
Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities

Certificates of Attendance will be available

Sponsored by Ruth Usem

Community Partners:
Jewish Family and Children's Service
Sabes JCC Inclusion Program
St. Paul JCC Inclusion Program
Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities

My Führer: The Truly Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler
Tuesday, April 13, 6:45 pm

December 1944: WWII is as good as lost. On New Year’s Day, the Führer is supposed to re-ignite the public’s fighting spirit with an aggressive speech. The only problem is that the Führer is depressed and is avoiding the public. The only person who can now help is his former acting teacher, Adolf Grünbaum…a Jew. The Führer has only five days to return to top form. This farce—in the tradition of Chaplin and Mel Brooks— is hilarious with a definite “wince” factor. Age 14+

Director: Dani Levy | Germany, 2007 | 89 minutes | German with English Subtitles

The Jazz Baroness
Tuesday, April 13, 8:30 pm

The British heiress Baroness Pannonica Rothschild de Koenigswarter (Nica for short), one of the richest women in the world, has a great passion for jazz music, and in particular, jazz genius, Thelonious Monk who was raised in a working class home. The film’s director—great niece of the Baroness—writes: “in 1951 the beautiful married mother of five left home and went to New York in search of the man who wrote Round Midnight. She found him, and this is the extraordinary account of what happened next.” Of course one of the highlights of the film is its superb jazz soundtrack. Age 13+

Director: Hannah Rothschild | UK, 2009 | 90 minutes | English

Dealers Among Dealers
Wednesday, April 14, 12 noon
Special discount screening: $6

Gem cutters in blue smocks and yarmulkes sing a Hebrew song while they work. Within the virtually impenetrable world of diamond and precious jewel dealing, from the street exchanges of New York's 47th Street, and to the great auction houses of Sotheby's and Christie's in Geneva, Switzerland, Dealers Among Dealers is the first and only film to capture the drama, ritual, and confidences of the Jewish diamond trade. Age 13+

Double Feature

The Worst Company in the World
Wednesday, April 14, 5:15 pm
Love and humor are plentiful, but success is scarce in a small Tel Aviv insurance agency. Perennially on the verge of bankruptcy, the failing agency is run by three middle-aged, divorced, and not particularly successful men. Intelligent, well-educated, warm and good-humored, they have no inkling about how to run a business. This award-winning and refreshingly entertaining documentary offers an amusing behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the firm over one fiscal year, as the manager’s son—also the film’s director—joins this motley crew in a last-ditch attempt to save his father’s collapsing business. Age 12+

Director: Regev Contes | Israel, 2009 | 50 minutes | Hebrew with English subtitles

Killing Kasztner
Wednesday, April 14, 7:15 pm

Kasztner negotiated with Eichman for 1,700 Jews to leave Hungary by train in exchange for money, gold and diamonds. After Kasztner moved to Israel, he was accused of being a collaborator and fought a vicious libel battle. Though the verdict against Kasztner was overturned he was gunned down on his Tel Aviv doorstep in 1957. The assassin talks about the fateful night he pulled the trigger. For the first time, the perspective of his daughter and granddaughter are told. Age 14+

Director: Gaylen Ross | USA, 2008 | 120 minutes | English, Hebrew with English subtitles

Film sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women, Greater Minneapolis Section, Women’s Philanthropy of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Israel Program Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation

There will be a dessert reception sponsored by NCJW prior to the film at 6 pm.

Community Partner: Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest

Encore screening: Thursday, April 15, 3 pm
Film introduced by director Gaylen Ross and Professor Elhanan Yakira at 3 pm screening only

The Wedding Song
Thursday, April 15, 6 pm

Tunis, 1942: against the backdrop of Allied bombs and the goosesteps of the Nazi occupiers, two teenage girlfriends, one Muslim, the other Jewish, cling to the bond they’ve shared since childhood. Nour is engaged to handsome Khaled. Myriam, for her part, has opportunity Nour lacks but now Myriam and her mother Tita are no longer safe, and Tita attempts to marry her reluctant daughter to a wealthy doctor to save them both. A fearless and poetic exploration of female sexual awakening and Jewish-Arab coexistence, The Wedding Song is a story of seemingly powerless women reclaiming their destinies. Age 18+

Director: Karin Albou | France, Tunisia, USA, 2008 | 100 minutes | Arabic, French, German with English subtitles

Encore screening: Saturday, April 17, 6 pm

City of Borders
Thursday, April 15, 8 pm

City of Borders follows the daily lives of five Israelis and Palestinians at Jerusalem’s only gay bar, Shushan, as they navigate the minefield of politics, religion and discrimination to live and love openly. This inspiring documentary explores the bond forged when people from warring worlds embrace what they share in common. Age 15+

Director: Yun Suh | USA, 2009 | 66 Minutes | English, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

Community Partners: J-Pride and Jewish Singles Collaborative

Breaking Upwards
Thursday, April 15, 10 pm

Breaking Upwards explores a young, real-life New York couple who, four years in and battling codependency, decide to strategize their own break up. Based on an actual experiment devised by director/actor Daryl Wein and actress Zoe Lister-Jones (Arranged), the film follows a year in their lives exploring alternatives to monogamy, and the ensuing madness. It asks the question: is it ever possible to grow apart together? Age 18+

Director: Daryl Wein | USA, 2009 | 88 minutes | English

Community Partners: Jewish Singles Collaborative

Read the NYTimes Review Here

Lonely Man of Faith: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik
Friday, April 16, 12 noon

Lonely Man of Faith, narrated by Tovah Feldshuh and with readings by Theodore Bikel, deals with the life and legacy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, who arguably was the most influential leader of the American Jewish community in the twentieth century. Rabbi Soloveitchik spent much of his life trying to negotiate between the demands of Judaism and the opportunities of the modern age. Now, over two decades after his death, Rabbi Soloveitchik’s impact still reverberates, as his legacy continues to be debated. Age 12+

Director: Ethan Isenberg | USA, 2006 | 99 minutes | English

The Gift to Stalin
Saturday, April 17, 9 pm

Set against the sweeping beauty of the Kazakh steppes, The Gift to Stalin is the heartwarming tale of a young orphaned Jewish boy who is sent into exile during a Stalinist purge, but saved by a gruff older Muslim. Gorgeously photographed, the film exhibits the kind of charm that critics have compared to Cinema Paradiso and Il Postino. Age 18+

Director: Rustem Abdrashev | Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, United States, 2008 | | 97 minutes | Kazakh, Russian with English subtitles

SHORTS COMPETITION
Profiling: exploring the diversity of the Jewish community in ten minutes or less!
Sunday, April 18, 10 am
Pay what you can!

Soap Box Derby Champion: Boy Makes Good
Director: Angela Andrist

400 Miles to Freedom
Directors: Avishai Mekonen + Shari Rothfarb Mekonen

The Voice of the Soviet Jews: A Kitchen Story
Director: Igor Dadashev

Ten Years and One Day
Director: Marc Tasman

Hold the Soup
Directors: Faye Lederman + Jeremy Nacht

Outside the Box
Director: Lacey Schwartz

All Audiences

This competition is part of the Tychman Shapiro Gallery’s exhibit of the same name, on display May 6–June 28, 2010.

Speaker: Robin Washington, Editor, Duluth News Tribune, will discuss diversity in the Jewish community and how we go beyond awareness.

Bewoket: By the Will of God
Sunday, April 18, 12 noon

Each year 10,000 orphans die in Ethiopia. A child named Bewoket survived—with the help of Dr. Rick Hodes. Twenty years later, "Dr. Rick" treats thousands of Ethiopians, among them a group of boys who live with him following life-saving surgery. Bewoket is a unique opportunity to visit the day-to-day life of a medical relief worker, an idealist and powerhouse, who has devoted his life to the medical crisis in Africa. All audiences

Directors: Andrea Mydlarz-Zeller and Sam Shinder | USA, 2008 | 66 minutes | English

Speaker: Dr. Rick Hodes
Photo courtesy of The National Center for Jewish Film

Sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning of the University of St. Thomas and Saint John’s University, Marcia Cohodes and David Goldsteen, and Congregation Darchei Noam

Community Partners: Temple Israel and Knesseth Israel

Who Do You Love
Sunday, April 18, 3 pm
Snacks and exhibit at 2 pm, prior to film (which begins at 3 pm)

The rise and fall of music industry pioneer Leonard Chess gets an inspired big-screen treatment in Who Do You Love, a toe-tapping biopic rich with sentimental tunes and settings of the 1950s and ‘60s. A Jewish nightclub owner from Poland, Leonard (Alessandro Nivola) rose from obscurity after founding the Chicago-based label Chess Records with his brother Phil. Without playing a note, the pair changed the face of modern music by popularizing such extraordinary blues and rock talents as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. As the music around them transformed, so too did their strained family lives. Replete with punchy dialogue and a seductive soundtrack, Who Do You Love explores the professional success and personal sacrifices of the Jewish entrepreneurs and rising black artists who together reinvented the entertainment world. Directed by theater titan Jerry Zaks (Six Degrees of Separation). (Summary courtesy of Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2010). Adult audience—language, sexuality, and nudity

Director: Jerry Zaks | USA | 90 minutes | English

Speaker: Ira Heilicher

Community Partner: Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest