Jewcy is excited to debut the trailer for A Prayer, a new indie Jewish LGBT film.

A Prayer (written and directed by Alon Borten) is about Maya, a young, Orthodox married woman living in New York who develops an attraction to a woman at her synagogue. Confusion, guilt, and a difficult decision follow. In the trailer, Maya (Elana Gantman) tries praying with tefillin, something she’s previously considered forbidden to women, to try to sort out her feelings.

“One of the main motivations in completing this film was because of how important I felt it was to me to tell this story and have it be shared by as many people as I could show it to,” says Borten. “At best, I hope this film can shine a light on and help those struggling to find their truths and self-acceptance.”

Keep an eye out for the film on the festival circuit, and in the meantime, enjoy the trailer, below:

Image courtesy of Alon Borten.

The post JEWCY EXCLUSIVE: The Trailer For ‘A Prayer’ appeared first on Jewcy.

This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles, which has presented over 1000 films over the past three decades showcasing the best in Israeli cinema. The festival began this year on November 9th and concludes on November 23rd, with films screening primarily at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills and the Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino. Jewcy had the chance to attend two back-to-back screenings this past weekend.

Both films contended at the Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of the Oscars, for Best Picture, losing to another film playing at the festival, Sand Storm, Elite Zexer’s trailblazing Bedouin story that opened in New York at the end of September. Beyond the Mountains and Hills comes from writer-director Eran Kolirin, best known for the international hit The Band’s Visit. One Week and a Day is the full-length feature debut of director Asaph Polonsky.

Beyond the Mountains and Hills introduces David (Alon Pdut), a likable man discharged from the army after twenty-seven years of service. Not sure what to do with his life, David begins attending seminars and starts selling dietary supplements, hosting informational sessions at his home and hitting his friends up to buy the products. This difficulty adjusting to normal civilian life after a long time spent away as a hotshot member of the military is immensely familiar and hardly unique to Israel. One particularly telling scene at the start of the film finds David in the middle of an interview when, upon discovering that his interviewer knows someone he worked with in the army, he finds it most prudent to call the man and have him say hello rather than focusing on pitching himself for the job. It’s a far more comic take than, say, the poignant scene in The Hurt Locker where Jeremy Renner’s returning soldier stares blankly at a daunting cereal aisle, but this film is also considerably lighter than the Oscar-winning war movie.

David’s family also plays a big part in the film, particularly his wife, Rina (Shiree Nadav-Naor), and his daughter, Yifat (Mili Eshet). Rina is a teacher who develops a relationship that borders on inappropriate with one of her students, not unhappy in her marriage but rather entranced by the affection of a much younger man. Yifat is an open-minded free spirit, not content to accept the preconceptions her Israeli society tells her about her Arab neighbors. When an Arab man who hit on her by the side of the road one night is found dead, she travels to his family’s home and meets another young man of whom her family definitely would not approve. Melding some universal issues that are not unique to Israel with others that have everything to do with it as a specific society works especially well in this format. Additionally, one hilarious scene finds David pulled over while driving, with all four members of the family, his son Omri (Noam Imber) included, fully aware that they are guilty of something and expecting to be the one caught for their transgression. To find out who is truly at fault, you’ll have to see the movie, which is extremely entertaining and engaging.

One Week and a Day is a somewhat more serious story of a couple that has just finished sitting shiva for their son following his death from a terminal illness. When their next-door neighbors stop by the day after the shiva has ended, it’s evident that both Eyal (Shai Avivi) and Vicky (Jenya Dodina) are at a loss as to how to move on with their lives. When Vicky goes to the cemetery, Eyal makes up an excuse about staying home to prevent burglary, and instead goes to the hospice where his son spent his final days in search of his lost blanket. What he finds instead is a bag of medical marijuana prescribed for his son, and he enlists the help of the dim-witted son of his neighbors, Zooler (Tomer Kapon, who won the Ophir award for this role), to roll the marijuana for him. As Vicky prepares to go back to her job and restart her life, Eyal retreats inside the house, smoking and playing with the adult child who was once his son’s best friend.

What One Week and a Day covers very deftly is the way that Jewish observance plays a part in secular life in Israel. The death of their son has not turned Eyal or Vicky into religious people, yet shiva is a process that they must go through anyway. The reaction that Eyal has to the end of the mourning period is one of total detachment from reality, smoking endlessly and hanging out with someone he thoroughly detests since he represents something close to the beloved son he has lost. This film takes a humorous approach to dealing with devastation, offering up many laughs in its portrait of grief. When the film finally does introduce dramatic elements, they’re all the more poignant and stirring.

Israeli’s recent success at the Oscars with multiple nominations for Best Foreign Film in the past decade demonstrates that the country’s cinematic industry is well-regarded and on the rise. Its coverage of cultural concepts and handling of the complex issues in the Middle East has been proven, and, if these two films are any indication, Israeli cinema is expanding beyond that to themes that just constitute enjoyable films that deal with everyday elements of life in moving and enthralling ways.  

Read more about the Israel Film Festival and check out the whole slate!

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If you’re looking for a good Kickstarter project to increase your tzedakah before Yom Kippur, consider Division Ave. The film is fundraising for completion, and it has a strong message of economic and racial justice.

The film explores the ongoing phenomenon that Chasidic homes in Brooklyn hire undocumented immigrants to clean their homes. At times, these women, usually Latina or Eastern European, work in poor conditions, or have no insurance that they will be paid what they were promised.

In Division Ave, Michal Birnbaum plays Nechama, a Chasidic woman who hires Fernanda (Lorena Rodriguez) to clean for her in anticipation of Passover. She learns that Fernanda is having wages withheld by a contractor, and the two form an unlikely team to seek justice. Of course, they discover that they have more in common than they previously thought.

Birnbaum is not only one of the film’s stars, but also its writer. Originally from Bnei Brak, she moved to the United States about five years ago after completing her service in the IDF. She currently works onstage and film, including a role in the recent Nerve and participating in the Jewish “24/6” theatre company. She first heard the story of this practice during a synagogue sermon (around Passover) about modern slavery.

“I was very upset, generally because it’s not a thing that human beings should do to another human being,” Birnbaum told Jewcy. “This is mostly the Jewish community that hires those women. I wanted to explore the situation more.” She got in touch with the Workers Justice Project, a laborers’ rights organization. The more she learned, the more determined she was to tell this story, and she wrote the screenplay for Division Ave, named for the street where women wait for work for the day, for as little as $7 or $8 an hour. But she also sees the difficult situation of the women on the other end of the hiring process.

“More than even immigration, it’s about women, it’s about women living under patriarchy,” she says. “In my film we see the cleaning lady and her struggle, but we also see the Chasidic woman. She’s also under a lot of pressure to be ready for Pesach all by herself.”

This feminist attitude continues to the production team, and directing Division Ave is Ofelia Yanez. “It was clear for me that I want a woman to direct this project,” says Birnbaum.

As she worked on the screenplay, Birnbaum spoke to immigrant cleaning women, as well as women once from or currently part of the Chasidic community. She found many cultural gaps, sometimes wide enough to create tension or distrust. These could be issues such as the fact that non-Jewish women can’t bring their food into the kosher homes where they’re working. In one stark example, Birnbaum also found Chasidic women used to scrubbing on their hands and knees surprised when day laborers claim it’s humiliating and prefer a mop.

“As human beings, as Jews,” says Birnbaum of the cleaning women, it would be better to “do something to make it more bearable for them and just really earn a living with dignity and respect.” She cites the WJP’s guidelines for fair hiring practices, including a written contract, larger minimum pay, full equipment provided, and to move the hiring corner indoors. Birnbaum admits that some Chasidim express racism towards the women they hire, and hopes that there will be more stories like the one told in her film.

As far as the fundraising process, so far so good.

“We’re overwhelmed by so much support from the Jewish community, from the Latin community,” says Birnbaum. “It’s really touching how many people find it important that we can tell the story of those women.”

You know the drill with Kickstarter: There are great rewards and updates for supporters, but funding is all or nothing once the clock runs out. You can watch a video about the film below, and donate before its Monday completion here. 

Image courtesy Division Ave

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The film stars Logan Lerman, and if he’s not your Jewish Crush yet he should be (heck, even go watch him in the critically-panned The Three Musketeers. I’ll wait).

Or maybe this will convince you: Indignation is now in theaters (to positive reviews), but if you don’t want to wait to see another clip you’ve come to the right place. Jewcy has an exclusive scene from the movie, in which an infirmary-bound Marcus (Lerman) shares a New Jersey-memory (accent included) with the object of his affection, Olivia (Sarah Gadon).

See for yourself below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfDVmg-NJzs

The post Exclusive: Watch a New Clip from ‘Indignation’ appeared first on Jewcy.

The new trailer is out for Indignation, the film based on the 2008 Philip Roth novel, and wow, does it look good.

The story is right in Roth’s wheelhouse: a Jewish young man from a traditional family in Newark is ambivalent about his heritage (he’s an atheist), so he breaks away from his family (and avoids the draft into the Korean War) by enrolling in a college in Ohio. There, he struggles with adjusting, including mandatory attendance for Christian services, an antagonistic dean, and, of course (this is a Philip Roth story), a relationship with a troubled young woman.

Logan Lerman, a woefully underrated young actor (from a Conservative Jewish family), is getting early critical buzz as a breakout in the lead role of Marcus Messner.

The film’s exciting cast also includes Danny Burstein as Messner’s father, a kosher butcher, which is apt, since Burstein is currently Tony-nominated for playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway.

(Fun fact: Burstein once shared the Broadway stage in Cabaret with Linda Emond as his love interest in a doomed Weimar interfaith relationship. Emond plays his wife in this film.)

The film’s director is Jewish screenwriter James Schamus in his directorial debut (he also adapted the screenplay).

Indignation is in theaters July 29th, but feast your eyes in the meantime on the trailer below:

Image Credit: YouTube

The post Check Out the Amazing (Very Jewish) Trailer for ‘Indignation’ appeared first on Jewcy.

Food may well be the defining characteristic of the Jewish people. Any culture has its signature, but to add to that, there’s a ritual element, and even the term “kosher” can’t be broadly applied since everyone has a slightly different idea of what kosher means, especially in the United States.

Nothing is quite that complicated in Dough, the new film from British-Austrian director John Goldschmidt. In London’s East End, Nat Dayan (Jonathan Pryce) owns and operates a kosher bakery. He has steady clients and no real competition until a neighboring supermarket chain poaches his kitchen assistant and prepares to manufacture its own line of kosher bakery items while simultaneously expanding and attempting to acquire his bakery space. No one is debating whether Nat is kosher enough, but he may soon become irrelevant. Fortunately, he finds Ayyash (Jerome Holder), the son of the woman who cleans his shop. When Ayyash’s side gig as drug dealer leads to him dropping his stash into the dough, the results are incredible, and before long, this kosher bakery is seeing more business than it has had in years.

That summary suggests a slapstick format where everyone gets high the entire film without knowing it. That does happen, admittedly, but it’s far less highlighted than it might be in, say, a stoner comedy. This is a much more sophisticated film about cross-cultural relations than its title and premise might suggest. The fact that Ayyash is Muslim – and observant at that – adds tremendously to the film and its interesting depiction of a positive relationship that starts out somewhat rocky and builds towards something much stronger.

Shortly after Ayyash is hired, Nat, wearing a tallit and tefillin in the middle of his morning prayers, emerges from the back of his shop to find Ayyash conducting his own morning prayers on the floor of the shop. His first reaction is one of surprise, and his next move is to tell Ayyash to move away from the window so that no one will see him. No hints of extremism are present, and Ayyash gets a stern and hilarious slap from his mother when he reacts with shock to the news that she works for a Jew. Nat’s Jewish friend does refer to Ayyash as an Arab, prompting Nat to correct him and note that his new Muslim employee is actually African.

Depictions of observant Judaism in film and television are usually cringe-worthy, with stereotypes exaggerated to make sure that someone is recognizably Jewish. There are moments when Nat murmurs prayers to himself, but, surprisingly, the words are mostly correct! Nothing is done explicitly to be showy, and most religious cameos – like Nat’s tefillin – aren’t even addressed at all. Nat keeps kosher and runs a kosher bakery because it’s part of his religion, and at no point does he wrestle with staying faithful to his traditions or adapting to a new world. For him, it’s just a fight to hold on to his shop, not his defining principles.

Ultimately, both Nat and Ayyash are struggling to survive in changing times. Nat used to have a thriving business inherited from his father, and now he is getting older and finding it more difficult to run it by himself. Ayyash lives with his mother in their decrepit apartment, where he sleeps on the floor, and constant assurances that his father is coming soon are continually met with disappointment. Together, the two men are able to accomplish something, and even though Nat would never approve of Ayyash’s secret ingredient, the way that the bakery manages to take off in popularity is affirming and delightful.

Jonathan Pryce, an actor known for starring in Terry Gilliam’s 1985 cult classic Brazil and probably more widely for playing Keira Knightley’s father in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the High Sparrow on Game of Thrones, is the unusual choice to play Nat. The Welsh actor is actually a wonderful fit for the temperamental but kindhearted baker who eventually takes a liking to his new employee. Opposite him, Jerome Holder delivers an endearing performance as the initially troubled Ayyash, headed down a dark path as he tries to make ends meet before letting his sweeter side shine through as he adjusts to a more stable life in the kosher bakery business. Pryce and Holder are joined by Pauline Collins as a local woman and friend of Nat, Ian Hart as Ayyash’s other boss, and Philip Davis as the imperialist owner of the supermarket chain, a respectable and effective ensemble that helps to elevate this dramatic comedy above its potential.

Could such a story play out in real life? Maybe not the part about baking marijuana into the challah, but the notion of Muslims working in kosher establishments has definitely happened. Lassana Bathily famously saved a number of French Jews in the Hypercacher in Paris when it was attacked by gunmen. That true story has far more frightening undertones, and this more light-hearted tale about inter-religious cooperation is appropriately calm and pleasant. Even if it doesn’t achieve world peace, this movie should at least have you craving the baked goods shown on screen — with or without a special something.

Image Credit: Menemsha Films

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(Photo credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

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Last week marked the close of the 20^th anniversary of the New York Jewish Film Festival.  The festival –which ran from Jan 12^th through the 27^th, — featured a variety narrative and documentary films that were screened at the Jewish Museum, The JCC in Manhattan and the Walter Reade Theater.  Here’s a rundown of some of the festivals highlights.

Red Shirley

While it’s not so far fetched an idea that Lou Reed might try his hand at directing, the idea that his first film would feature Reed himself doing an interview does seem a bit odd.  Reed, a man known being the most difficult interviewee in the world sits down with his cousin Shirley on the eve of her 100^th birthday to talk bout her experiences immigrating to America from Poland.  Shirley talks about leaving Poland following war-related pogroms and heading to Canada.  In Canada she learns the mandolin but quickly leaves, finding it too “provincial.”  She then makes her way into the United States illegally and settles as a dressmaker in NYC who gets involved in workers rights issues.  The interview is filled with some rather awkward moments that almost gives it a bit of a Warhollian feel, but mostly Reed’s affection toward his relative and the history inherent in Shirley’s story make it well worth watching.

The Human Resources Manager

An interesting look into the current state of Israeli cinema, The Human Resources Manager is a look into the world of an HR rep at Israel’s largest bakery.  After a company employee dies in a suicide bombing, the HR Manager must make recompense in order to save face for the company.  In doing so, he finds himself identifying with and admiring this person whom he’s never met. The film stars Mark Ivanir whose role in Schindler’s List began his career and is directed by Israeli film vet, Eran Riklis.

Eichmann’s End

I once found myself courting a young woman and somewhere along the line, I overheard her making anti-semetic remarks.  Instead of ending the courting process there, I soldiered on with even greater zeal.  I’m not sure if I had some kind of Jewish vengeance fantasy embedded in my subconscious, but I at least figured that after she’d fallen for me, I could unveil my Jewishness, thereby causing her to re-think her prejudices.

Adolph Eichmann managed to escape custody after the war and eventually found a safe hiding spot in Argentina.  Massad, The Avengers, anyone with an interest in bringing Nazi’s to justice remained unable to track him down for years.  In Eichmann’s End, we are told the story of how Eichmann finally met capture when his son began dating the daughter of a local Holocaust survivor.  The film is something of a narrative/documentary hybrid, telling this tale through a series of interviews and re-enactments.  This story itself is extremely thrilling and Eichmann’s End tells it with style.  The re-enactments are well acted and the casting seems dead on.   Eichmann’s end is an absolute highlight of the festival.

The Socalled Movie

Josh Dolgin is a hip-hop/funk/klezmer musician known as “Socalled.”  This documentary follows him on a klezmer based European cruise, then on to the Apollo theater in Harlem, and through artistic ventures in Montreal.  There are some very interesting choices in this documentary.  In particular, the way the subject of Dolgin’s sexuality is introduced is subtle and somewhat enigmatic at first.  The film really acts an interesting look at the creative process in general in a way that’s similar to The Devil in Daniel Johnston, minus the neurosis. Dolgin’s innate charm carries the film, but camera work and presentation are extremely well executed.  The screening of this film at The Walter Reade Theater featured a live performance by Socalled on keyboards and accordion along with an accompanying vocalist.

(Images via The Jewish Museum)

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