Nancy Spielberg
10 days in March
22 screenings with talkbacks
16 Boulder premieres
5 biographical tributes to luminaries from Sophie Tucker to Winston Churchill
3 gala special events
2 filmmakers in person
1 red hot film festival
The dates and times of the third annual Boulder Jewish Film Festival – sponsored by the Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James, and Grace and Gordon Gamm – are now finalized, and posted online at boulderjcc.org. The full schedule is below.
Mark your calendars now and purchase tickets when they go on sale on February 9, online at thedairy.com. We are excited to present a mix of feature films and documentaries that explore popular culture, examine the complexities of the Jewish experience, address current political concerns, and pay tribute to unsung heroes of world history.
Tickets are $12 unless otherwise noted below, and all films feature talkbacks. As the festival’s executive director and founder, I take great pride in guiding conversations and inviting guest speakers to provide insight into the provocative films selected to inspire and stimulate you, our cherished audience.
The list of films below are in chronological order. Our Opening Gala is Sunday, March 15. Our Centerpiece event with Nancy Spielberg is Thursday, March 19, and Closing Night is Sunday, March 22.
OPENING WEEKEND TRIBUTE TO RICHARD TRANK
“The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers” – Part 1
Saturday, March 14, 7:45 pm in the Boe
Based on the best-selling book by Ambassador Yehuda Avner, this masterful appraisal of Israel’s formative years provides context for well-known but not easily understood events, casting light on the Six-Day War, Israel’s strategic relationship with the United States, the fight against terrorism, and the impact of the Yom Kippur War.
Directed by: Richard Trank
Running time: 115 minutes / Language: Hebrew and English
Talkback: Director Richard Trank
Sponsored by: HW Homes
“It Is No Dream: The Life of Theodor Herzl”
Sunday, March 15, Noon in the Boe
This inspiring historical biography examines how a well-known journalist, playwright, and assimilated Budapest-born Jew – horrified by the Dreyfus trial in Paris and the anti-Semitism he saw spreading across Europe – took upon himself the task of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Directed by: Richard Trank / Narrated by Ben Kingsley and voiced by Christoph Waltz
Running time: 87 minutes / Language: English
Talkback: Director Richard Trank
Sponsored by: Stand by Israel
“Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny”
Sunday, March 15, 2:00 pm in the Boe
An inspirational look at the famed English leader’s early and unpopular opposition to Hitler and Nazism, this biography makes a case for historian Martin Gilbert’s assertion that if Churchill’s warnings about Nazi Germany’s policies towards Jews had been heeded in the early 1930’s, the Holocaust may never have occurred.
Directed by: Richard Trank,
Running time: 101 minutes / Language: English
Talkback: Director Richard Trank
Sponsored by: Marilyn and Jerry Pinsker
“Against the Tide”
Sunday, March 15, 4:15 pm in the Boe
This compelling film documents a shameful and largely ignored chapter in American Holocaust history, dramatically depicting how activist Peter Bergson fought valiantly to rescue Europe’s Jews, challenging both Washington’s apathy and the Jewish establishment’s astounding opposition to the rescue efforts.
Directed by: Richard Trank / Narrated by: Dustin Hoffman
Running time: 102 minutes / Language: English
Talkback: Director Richard Trank
Sponsored by AEA Consultants: Graham Walker and Howard Bernstein
OPENING NIGHT SCREENING AND RECEPTION
“The Prime Ministers: Soldiers and Peacemakers” – Part 2
Sunday, March 15, 6:30 pm in the Performance Space
This riveting account of Israel’s leadership details negotiating agreements with Egypt, the raid on Entebbe, Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem, the Camp David Accords, the bombing of Iraq’s nuclear facility, the war in Lebanon, the Oslo Accords, and Israel’s ongoing struggle to make peace with its neighbors.
Directed by: Richard Trank / Voiced by Michael Douglas and Christoph Waltz
Running time: 120 minutes / Language: Hebrew and English
Talkback: Director Richard Trank
Sponsored by: Linda Brotman-Evans
“The Long Way Home”
Monday, March 16, 1:00 pm in the Boe
This heartbreaking and illuminating Academy Award winner depicts the tragic plight of Jews after the gates of the death camps were thrown open, marking the end of one ordeal and the beginning of another for Jews with no home, family or financial resources, facing an uncertain future and an indifferent world.
Directed by: Richard Trank / Narrated by: Ben Kingsley, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg
Running Time: 120 minutes / Language: English and other European languages
Talkback: Director Richard Trank
Sponsored by: Susan Litt
“Run, Boy, Run”
Monday, March 16, 4:00 pm in the Boe
Sunday, March 22, 1:00 pm in the Boe
A superbly acted saga of a young boy’s desperate battle for survival, this harrowing drama tells the true story of a Yoram Fridman, who bravely endures the nightmare of the Holocaust alone in the forests – inspired by his father’s admonition to keep his Jewish faith alive. Based on the best-selling novel by Uri Orlev. Chosen for opening night of the Boston Jewish Film Festival.
Directed by: Pepe Darquant
Running time: 107 minutes / Language: Polish
Talkback: Professor Paul Shankman
Sponsored by: Judy and Alan Megibow
“24 Days”
Monday, March 16, 7 pm in the Performance Space
This gripping French thriller depicts the personal drama behind the brutal kidnapping of Ilan Halimi in a Paris suburb in 2006. This stunning act of terrorism foretold the firestorm of anti-Semitism raging out of control in France today.
Directed by: Alexandre Arcady
Running Time: 108 minutes / Language: French
Talkback: Rick Ackerman and Sylvain Hayoun
Sponsored by: Rick Ackerman and Sylvain Hayoun, and the Boulder Steering Committee of the Anti-Defamation League
“Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholem Aleichem”
Tuesday, March 17, 4:00 pm in the Boe
This affectionate documentary showcases the artistry of two fabled Jewish talents, who were brought together by a humble milkman: the iconic Jewish literary figure known around the world as Tevye. The film elicits equal appreciation for the literary legend whose memorable Yiddish writing was robustly brought to life by Bikel, a beloved singer and actor still performing at age 90.
Directed by: John Lollos / Narrated by Alan Alda
Running time: 75 minutes / Language: English
Talkback: Professor David Shneer
Sponsored by: Nicky Wolman and David Fulker
“Cupcakes”
Tuesday, March 17, 7:00 pm in the Boe
A surprisingly buoyant musical comedy from Israel, this entertaining confection delights with its inspirational message of personal fulfillment and amuses with its fanciful story of eccentric friends who are accidentally sent to represent Israel in a national singing competition.
Directed by: Eytan Fox
Running time: 100 minutes / Language: Hebrew
Talkback: Gregg Drinkwater
Sponsored by: Diane Israel, and Women of the J
“Bethlehem”
Wednesday, March 18, 7 pm in the Boe
The tense relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his Palestinian informant is the basis of this chilling thriller, which offers a compelling behind-the-scenes look at Israel’s intelligence efforts. Co-written by an Israeli and a Palestinian, and based on real-life experiences, the film finds personal drama in the harrowing treachery of the embattled region.
Directed by: Yuval Adler
Running time: 99 minutes / Language: Hebrew and Arabic
Sponsored by: Richard Schad and Devon Schad: Farmers Insurance
“Welcome to Kutshers”
Thursday, March 19, 3 pm in the Boe
Bittersweet and nostalgic, this documentary traces the end of an era, as the last Catskills hotel struggles to keep a tradition alive in what was once an unparalleled Jewish mecca. These hotels gave birth to stand-up comedy, the NBA All-Star Game, the all-inclusive resort concept, and rejuvenated Jewish traditions such as the “tummler,” and – of course – hearty kosher feasts.
Directed by: Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg
Running time: 73 minutes / Language: English
Talkback: Becky O’Brien
Sponsored by: Hazon
CENTERPIECE GALA: IN LOVING MEMORY OF GEORGE LICHTER
WITH PRODUCER NANCY SPIELBERG IN PERSON
LIVE MUSIC BY THE PROHIBITION 6
“Above and Beyond”
Thursday, March 19, 6:45 pm in the Performance Space, with dessert reception and concert following. Tickets: $25
Private dinner reception with Nancy Spielberg at Jai Ho, 5:00-6:30 pm
Tickets for the VIP dinner, film and reception: $60
In 1948, a group of WW II fighter pilots, many Jewish-Americans, heeded the call for help from the newfound Israeli nation and volunteered to fight in the War of Independence. They were not only crucial to Israel’s victory, but in the process founded the fabled Israeli Air Force. Their courage made them living legends in the fledgling Jewish homeland, and – thanks to this acclaimed film – these heroes are finally being acknowledged around the world.
Directed by: Roberta Grossman
Running Time: 89 minutes / Language: English and Hebrew
Talkback: Nancy Spielberg
Sponsored by: The George Lichter Family Foundation, Colorado Capital Management, and “Friends of George”
“Because I Was a Painter”
Friday, March 20, 4:30 pm in the Boe
Essential to an understanding of the Holocaust, this painstakingly detailed documentary depicts the only surviving visual record of daily life inside the Nazi death camps: art created in secret by its prisoners. It also asks provocative questions about beauty, the role of art, the nature of the artist, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Directed by: Christophe Cognet
Running Time: 105 minutes / Language: French, German, Hebrew
“The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Pictures”
Saturday, March 21, 7:45 pm in the Boe
As outrageous as its subjects, this documentary profiles the celebrated Israeli moguls known as Golan-Globus, whose chutzpah conquered Hollywood in the ‘80’s and whose influence is undisputed, even if their taste is often questioned. These odd-couple cousins created the most powerful independent film company in the world. Often dismissed as schlockmeisters, they pumped out more than 300 low-brow movies, as well as seminal independent films from acclaimed art-house directors such as John Cassavettes. In tribute to Menachem Golan, who also helped found Israeli cinema before dying in August at age 85.
Directed by: Hilla Medalia
Running time: 88 minutes / Language: English
Sponsored by: The Jewish National Fund
“The Outrageous Sophie Tucker”
Sunday, March 22, 4 pm in the Boe
This flamboyant documentary showcases the life of the self-dubbed “Red Hot Mama,” a ground-breaking Jewish singer, comedian, TV, film and radio personality who enjoyed unsurpassed popularity as she redefined Jewish womanhood.
Directed by: William Gazecki
Running time: 96 minutes / Language: English
Sponsored by: Jackie and Mark Wong
CLOSING NIGHT DINNER AND SCREENING
“The Dove Flyer”
Sunday, March 22, 6:45 pm in the Performance Space
Tickets for film only: $15
Middle-Eastern dinner at 5:45 in the lobby; tickets for dinner and film: $25
Based on the best-selling novel by Eli Amir, this moving portrait of a family living in a world full of contradictions, ambivalent relationships, and tests of love and loyalty unfolds in 1950 Baghdad. More than 130,000 Jews are about to be forcibly expelled from Iraq, where they have lived for thousands of years – ending the existence of the most ancient community in the world.
Directed by: Nissim Dayan
Running time: 108 minutes / Language: The Iraqi-Jewish dialect of Arabic
Talkback: Shaul Gabbay
Sponsored by: Stephanie and Alan Rudy