Beginning this week,
the JCC Ames Amzalak Rochester Jewish Film Festival
celebrates its 18th year of shining a spotlight on Jewish culture and heritage,
with film screenings, live performances, visiting directors, and post-film
discussions. Featuring 29 films from 14 countries, the RJFF starts Sunday, July
8, and continues through Monday, July 16.
This year’s lineup includes a number
of wonderful documentary biopics paying tribute to great artists like Rat Pack
crooner Sammy Davis Jr., with Opening Night film “Sammy Davis Jr.:
I’ve Gotta Be Me”; renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman in “Itzhak,” with
a screening preceded by a short concert featuring students from the Eastman
School of Music; and “Love, Gilda,” a touching documentary about the life of the late, great comedy legend
Gilda Radner.
Other highlights include next
Thursday’s “dive in” screening of the underrated animated epic “The
Prince of Egypt” held at the JCC Bobry Family Pool, as well as the new addition of a shorts
program on the first day of the festival. For more information and a full
schedule of films and events, visit rjff.org. Tickets can also be purchased by
calling 461-2000 or in person at the JCC.
Read on for CITY’s take on some of
the bright spots from this year’s lineup, providing just a hint of what to
expect over the course of the 9-day festival.
RJFF kicks off on Sunday with “The
Twinning Reaction,“ which — like another recently released
documentary, “Three Identical Strangers” — focuses on a secret study by psychiatrists
Peter Neubauer and Viola Bernard conducted through
the 1960s and 70s in which identical twins and triplets were split up and sent
off to be raised by separate families. Intended to study the effect of nature
vs. nurture, the study was done without the knowledge of the families, who were
told that the psychiatrists were simply observing the adopted children’s
general development. The families were never made aware that their children’s
sibling’s even existed. Whereas “Strangers” unfurls as a mystery, narrowing its
focus to the story of one set of triplets involved in the study, Lori
Shinseki’s gripping film is more expansive, interviewing several other subjects
and those who helped conduct the study. The implications of the study and its
effects are ripe for exploration, easily supporting two films. Heck, I’d be
happy with a third doc on the subject.
A post-film Q&A with director
Lori Shinseki and moderated by One-Take Film Festival director Linda Moroney will follow the screening. (Sunday, July 8, 1
p.m., Dryden Theatre)
The fleet-footed and lively doc “Shalom
Bollywood: The Untold Story of Indian Cinema” explores how several Jewish
performers became the rising stars of Indian film in the early days of the
industry. Chronicling the careers of several pioneering performers: Sulochana, Miss Rose, Pramila,
and Nadira, in addition to actor David Abraham,
Australian filmmaker Danny Ben-Moshe weaves a fascinating story and delivering
a peak into a little-known chapter of film history. (Tuesday, July 10, 1:30
p.m., JCC Hart Theatre)
The title tells you exactly what
you’re going to get with “Budapest Noir,” a hard-boiled story of
political corruption, prostitution, and murder told in the style of a classic
film noir. Set in 1930 Hungary, just as the country began to succumb to
fascism, the story follows hard-drinking reporter Zsigmond
Gordon (KrisztiánKolovratnik)
as he investigates the murder of a young woman and stumbles into a case that
authorities seem suspiciously uninterested in solving. The film doesn’t
reinvent the wheel when it comes to noir storytelling, indulging in every trope
the genre has to offer (complete with world-weary voiceover from the film’s
protagonist). But director ÉvaGárdos
maintains a strong handle on the seedy material, making for an entertaining
trip into the narrative’s heart of darkness. (Saturday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.,
Dryden Theatre)
In the intensely moving “The Cakemaker,” German baker Thomas (Tim Kalkhof) embarks on a passionate love affair with Oren (Roy
Miller), an Israeli businessman with a wife and child back at home. But when
Oren dies in a tragic accident, Thomas travels to Jerusalem to find his
deceased lover’s wife, Anat (Sarah Adler), taking a
job in the cafe she operates and striking up a personal relationship without
revealing his true connection to her husband. Sensitively directed by Ofir Raul Graizer, the film
refrains from passing judgment on its characters. While offering a subtle
excavation of German-Israeli relations, the story becomes a touching exploration
of grief and loneliness (plus plenty of delicious looking baked goods), and the
lengths we’ll go to in order to hold on to what we’ve lost. (Sunday, July
15, 9 p.m., Dryden Theatre)
Visit rochestercitynewspaper.com on Friday
for additional film coverage, including an interview with Amy Adrion, director of the documentary “Half the Picture.”
This article appears in Jul 4-10, 2018.
