May 5--9, 7 pm, Flint Institute of Arts
What do early rock 'n' roll, Israeli-Palestinian relations, Operation Entebbe, and the party song "Hava Nagila" have in common? They're cinematic subjects in Flint's ninth annual showcase of Jewish-oriented movies.
Sponsored by the Flint Jewish Federation and the Flint Institute of Arts, the 2013 Karen Schneider Jewish Film Festival of Flint will offer five movies, focusing on Jewish life and cultural issues.
The festival will open Sunday, May 5, with a screening of "Hava Nagila: The Movie," a documentary about the famous song's fascinating, infectious journey from the villages of Eastern Europe to the cul-de-sacs of America. The Los Angeles Times has praised the film as a "fun, nostalgic, informative journey."
The event continues Monday, May 6, with "The Other Son," a French-produced drama in which two young men, one Israeli and one Palestinian, discover they were accidentally switched at birth. The New York Times calls the film "a graceful and touching story."
"Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story," to be shown Tuesday, May 7, chronicles the life of the Israeli commando leader who became a national icon following the hostage-rescue mission Operation Entebbe. The Boston Globe reviewed the movie as "a searing portrait of [a] short but meaningful life."
The festival offering for Wednesday, May 8, is "A Bottle in the Gaza Sea," a drama from France based on the acclaimed novel about the long-distance relationship between French-Israeli and Palestinian youths. Acclaimed actress Hiam Abbass ("Munich") heads the cast.
Closing the festival on Thursday, May 9, will be the documentary "AKA Doc Pomus," about the polio survivor who reinvented himself as a blues singer and then as the composer of such pop hits as "Save the Last Dance for Me," "This Magic Moment," and "Can't Get Used to Losing You." Music historian and collector Marty Natchez, a former Flint Journal columnist, will speak at the screening.
Tickets for each film are $5 at the door; ticket packages are available in advance through the Flint Jewish Federation, (810) 767-5922.
The festival is named in memory of Karen Schneider, its first chairperson, who died in 2009. It is affiliated with the Lenore Marwil Jewish Film Festival, which presents movies in multiple southeastern Michigan locales each spring.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SHIRT
(in honor of Israel's 65th Anniversary)
22 Participants in the 2013 Riegle Interfaith Mission returned home on May 1. We made great friends and learned so much. Thank you to Diane Lindholm for a great trip.