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Arts & Entertainment

New Jersey Jewish Film Festival

 

 

                  The 11th Annual New Jersey Jewish Film Festival (NJJFF)

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  Celebrates 11 Years of Extraordinary Film with 15 Award-Winning International Films

                        March 23-April 3 at Five Venues in Essex and Morris County

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The 11th Annual New Jersey Jewish Film Festival (NJJFF) will open on Wednesday evening, March 23 with the New Jersey Premiere of The Yankles at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, Morristown.  It will conclude with the New Jersey Premiere of My So-Called Enemy, on Sunday evening, April 3, at the NJJFF’s home base, the Cooperman JCC in West Orange.  A major cultural arts event in the state, the NJJFF screens important and thought-provoking films that foster dialogue in the community. 

 

The complete Festival features 15 award-winning films from around the world, including 11 New Jersey Premieres and one United States Premiere. There will be screenings at five venues in Essex and Morris County, including the Cooperman JCC (JCC MetroWest) in West Orange; AMC Loews East Hanover; the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, Morristown; Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston; and B’nai Keshet in Montclair. Community Partners include Morris County Connection, MetroWest ABLE, UJC Young Leadership Division, National Council of Jewish Women, the Holocaust Council of MetroWest, Women inSync, Hadassah, Women’s Philanthropy of UJA MetroWest NJ, and synagogues across Essex and Morris County including Oheb Shalom Congregation’s Men’s Club, Temple B’nai Abraham, and B’nai Keshet.

 

For a complete film schedule with dates, times, and locations, please visit www.njjff.org

 

Highlights of the NJJFF include:

The Yankles, Wednesday, March 23, 5:00pm (Film Only); 7:45pm (Film with Gallery Access at 6:00pm & Reception at 7:00pm with Director David Brooks & Producer Zev Brooks) Opening Night (New Jersey Premiere)—A washed-up pro baseball player, Charlie must do community service after a series of drunk driving convictions.  He discovers that coaching an Orthodox rabbinical college’s winless baseball team, the Yankles, is his only choice.  Charlie and the team’s star, a former minor league player now rabbinical student, both work to mend fences with those from their past  as the Yankles bring cultural shock to the league.  Co-starring Don Most (Happy Days).

Best Comedy, 2010 International Family Film Festival; Best Comedy, 2010 Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival; Best Feature, 2010 Anaheim International Film Festival.

Location: Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, Morristown

 

Bride Flight, Saturday, March 26, 7:30pm (New Jersey Premiere)—En route to their fiancés in New Zealand on the historic 1953 air race from London, three women who become fast friends as brides-to-be find themselves inextricably linked to a hunky bachelor named Frank.   A blockbuster from Holland, Bride Flight is a true story based on the bestselling novel by Marieke van der Pol. Location: AMC Loews, East Hanover

 

 

Precious Life, Sunday, March 27, 7:30pm (New Jersey Premiere)—A cinema verite exploration of the paradox of a Palestinian infant being treated for a rare immune disorder in an Israeli hospital during Israel’s 2008 military offensive in Gaza.  Full of puzzling developments, the film offers an evenhanded, personal study of the Arab/Israeli conflict.  Short-listed for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar nomination. A Post Screening Discussion will follow with Gil Hoffman, Bureau Chief, Jerusalem Post and a Saint Barnabas Health Care Representative. Location: JCC MetroWest, West Orange

 

La  Rafle, Tuesday, March 29, 7:30pm (New Jersey Premiere) & Wednesday, March 30, 12:30pm—A moving drama depicting a deplorable chapter in French history.  During the summer of 1942, three children wearing yellow stars play in the streets of Paris.  Their parents believe the French government will protect them, but complying with Hitler’s demands, Vichy authorities round up the Jews and send them on a journey of no return.

March 29 Only:  A Post Screening Discussion will follow with Dr. Gilbert Kahn, Professor of Political Science, Kean University & Columnist, New Jersey Jewish News and commentaries by French Holocaust survivors.

Location: JCC MetroWest, West Orange

 

Brothers, Thursday, March 31, 7:30pm (New Jersey Premiere)—Aaron, an American lawyer and religious scholar, comes to Jerusalem to defend the rights of Torah students and stays with his brother, Dan, a secular Jew who has no patience for the religious of Israel.  The conflict between the two brothers reflects conflicts in Israel today on the family and societal level.

A Post Screening Discussion will follow with Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor-in-Chief, New Jersey Jewish News.  Director Igaal Niddam invited to attend.

Location: JCC MetroWest, West Orange

 

Gruber’s Journey, Thursday, March 31, 7:30pm (New Jersey Premiere)—The first Romanian feature film to explore the Holocaust begins as an absurd search for a Jewish doctor by an Italian journalist. It turns into the discovery of the fate of the local Jews, victims of the Final Solution.  Based on Kaput, Curzio Malaparte’s disturbing 1944 chronicle of his wartime experiences.

Location: Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, Morristown

 

Family Day Double Header

The Yankles. Sunday, April 3, 12:30pm (See Opening Night film description)

2:30pm-3:15pm—Seventh Inning Stretch with a special sports celebrity guest, hot dogs and popcorn

Jews & Baseball: An American Love Story, Sunday, April 3, 3:30pm--Written by Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter Ira Berkow and narrated by Dustin Hoffman, this is a treasure trove of never seen film clips and photos.  Jews & Baseball is a celebration of the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the role of baseball in the lives of American Jews.  Featuring music ranging from Benny Goodman to Yo-Yo Ma.

Location:  JCC MetroWest, West Orange

My So-Called Enemy, Sunday, April 3, 7:30pm (Closing Night, New Jersey Premiere)— The story of six Jewish and Arab teenagers whose lives were changed in 2002 when they traveled to the U.S. to participate in “Building Bridges,” a women’s leadership camp in New Jersey.  The film reveals the impact of the program as they grow over the following 7 years into the next generation of adult women and political leaders.  2010 Hamptons International Film Festival, Jury Prize, Best Conflict & Resolution Film; 2010 Starz Denver Film Festival, Jury Prize, Filmmaking; 2010 Boston Jewish Film Festival, Audience Award, Best Feature Documentary Film. A Post Screening Discussion will follow with Producer/Director Lisa Gossels and Melodye Feldman, Founder, Building Bridges for Peace, plus a Dessert Reception.

Location:  JCC MetroWest, West Orange

For tickets, please visit boxofficetickets.com or call 1-800-494-TIXS. You can purchase tickets at the venue where the film is being screened 45 minutes prior to the screening.  For a complete 11th Annual New Jersey Jewish Film Festival schedule, please visit www.njjff.org

Major sponsors of the NJJFF include: Bank of America, Legow Israel Program Center, Russell Berrie Foundation, Saint Barnabas Health Care System, Sara-Ann & Robert Sanders and Toby & Leon Cooperman.

 

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