Jewish Film Festival Offers Award-Winning Dramas and Docs

Falmouth Jewish Congregation’s 2018 Summer Jewish Film Festival will open on Tuesday, July 10 with the award-winning documentary Itzhak, about violinist Itzhak Perlman. The festival brings the best of the Jewish and International film festival circuit to Cape Cod, culling award-winners in both drama and documentary categories for a varied selection of entertaining and thought-provoking films. The 2018 season will offer two screenings of one film on Tuesdays from July 10 through August 14, a 2:00pm matinee and a 7:30pm evening screening. All screenings are followed by a guided discussion led by Pamela Rothstein, the festival organizer and Falmouth Jewish Congregation’s Director of Lifelong Learning. This year’s Summer Jewish Film Festival is supported by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Cape Cod.

The festival opens with an uplifting and enchanting documentary about the renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. In this winner of the Jury Prize at both the Atlanta and Miami Jewish Film Festivals, director Alison Chernick captures the life force of this extraordinary musician, looking at but also beyond his sublime artistry. Through revealing footage from archival materials and performance clips, including this breakthrough appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show at age 13, we see the polio survivor whose parents emigrated from Poland to Israel, and the young man who struggled to be taken seriously as a music student when schools saw only his disability. As a man and artist, Itzhak is funny, irreverent and self-deprecating, not to mention resilient and passionate. As we watch his life story revealed in conversations with fellow musicians, family and friends, we observe how Perlman’s musical discipline is contrasted with an intimate view of his home life, as a modern Jewish family embraces its heritage in a changing world. Most endearingly, we see him with Toby, his devoted wife of 50 years, who fell in love the moment she heard him play. Itzhak and Toby's lives are dedicated to their large, loving, Jewish family in New York City and their continual support of young musicians through the Perlman Music Program on Shelter Island, NY, which welcomes gifted young string students into a richly supportive musical community. Approximately 40 musicians from around the world, ages 12-18, come together each summer in an educational setting that aims to develop “the whole person – not just the musician. A rigorous yet non-competitive approach creates a nurturing environment, where each student is encouraged to take risks and discover their individual voice.” It’s an educational philosophy that is beautifully illustrated in Chernick’s portrayal of Perlman himself. As charming and entrancing as the famous violinist himself, Itzhak is a portrait of his musical virtuosity seamlessly enclosed in warmth, humor, and above all, love. The film runs an hour and 22 minutes and is in English and Hebrew.

Itzhak will be followed on July 17 by the Israeli drama In Between, a multiple award-winning drama by debut director Maysaloun Hamoud, who received the Women in Motion Young Talents award at this year’s Cannes festival. Hamoud’s fresh scene of modern Israeli life centers of three Palestinian Israeli citizens – all young women from diverse backgrounds and with varied roles in society. The three share an apartment in Tel Aviv and, both on their own and in solidarity, fight the constraints of their Muslim faith and patriarchal society. The film, in Arabic and Hebrew, won both Best Actress (Shaden Kanboura, Sandstorm) and Best Supporting Actress (Mouna Hawa, Fauda) Awards from the Israeli Film Academy, plus multiple other best film and best debut director awards at international film festivals.

The remaining films for the 2018 festival include: July 24: Sammy Davis Jr., (Documentary); July 31: An Act of Defiance (Drama); August 7 Foxtrot (Documentary, USA); and August 14 RBG (Holocaust Drama, France/Belgium).

All screenings are open to the public and take place in the congregation’s Blanche & Joel D. Seifer Community Center at 7 Hatchville Road, East Falmouth. Everyone is welcome and facilities and parking are accessible to all. Doors open 30 minutes prior to screenings and refreshments are included in the entry price. Individual tickets are available at the door only at the cost of $10 for members and $15 for non-members. A discounted Season "REEL Pass" for all six films is available in advance or at the door at the cost of $55 for congregation members and $85 for non-members. Passes may be purchased in advance by bringing or sending a check to the congregation’s office or purchasing one at the door. REEL passes ordered in advance will be held at the door for pickup.

The Falmouth Jewish Congregation’s Blanche & Joel D. Seifer Community Center is located at 7 Hatchville Road, East Falmouth. Facilities are handicap accessible and all are welcome at this Reform Jewish congregation serving the Upper Cape and beyond with opportunities for social justice, lifelong Jewish learning, vibrant worship, and cultural programs. For further information please call 508-540-0602, visit www.falmouthjewish.org or like us on Facebook.