The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is a service of the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire.
2019 NH Jewish Film Festival
IT'S A WRAP
The 2019 New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is now over. You can learn more about our 2019 film selections, committee, and sponsors below. THANK YOU for your interest and support!
GENERAL INFORMATION:
See pricing, parking, locations and general information here.
FILM FESTIVAL BROCHURE:
Our 2019 Festival Films:
Gala 11th Anniversary Celebration at the Currier Museum
Carl Laemmle
New England Premiere / Gala Reception Following the Film
Q&A with Bob Treitel, whose grandparents were sponsored by Carl Laemmle
Saturday, April 6, 2019, 8:00 PM (Doors open at 7:30 PM)
Currier Museum, Manchester, NH
Admission: $48.00 through March 26, $57.00 after March 26
Director: James L. Freedman
Documentary, 2018, USA
91 minutes, English
One of the most powerful moguls of Hollywood’s Golden Era, and an unsung Jewish-American hero, finally gets his due in the captivating biography Carl Laemmle. A German-born immigrant who began in the garment trade, Laemmle (known affectionately as Uncle Carl) went on to found Universal Pictures, helping to establish Hollywood as the world’s movie capital. Producing hundreds of successful monster movies, westerns, and comedies, he was unafraid to tackle social issues, as with the Oscar-winning anti-war drama All Quiet on the Western Front. A champion of progressive values and humanitarian causes, Laemmle saved over 300 Jewish families from the Holocaust, sponsoring their immigration to the U.S. and finding them jobs and homes. Interviews with film luminaries, historians, and family, as well as a wealth of archival materials, elucidate the feats of this forward-thinking movie pioneer whose legacy extends far beyond the silver screen.
Selection, Miami Jewish Film Festival, Denver Jewish Film Festival, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2018
“When the Nazis came to power, most of the world looked the other way, but not Carl Laemmle.”
—Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Sponsored by David Lewis & Honey Weiss
Festival Wrap Party
Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel
New Hampshire Premiere
Special Guest: University of New Hampshire Prof. Ken Fuld, father of Team Israel centerfielder Sam Fuld, who both appear in the film.
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 5:30 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
Admission: $16.00
Directors: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger
Documentary, 2018, USA, Israel, Japan, South Korea
91 minutes
English
A stirring story of sports, patriotism, and personal growth, Heading Home charts the underdog journey of Israel’s national baseball team competing for the first time in the World Baseball Classic. After years of defeat, Team Israel is finally ranked among the world’s best in 2017, eligible to compete in the prestigious international tournament. Their line-up included several Jewish American Major League players, including New Hampshire native Sam Fuld, Ike Davis, Josh Zeid, and ex-Red Sox battery Craig Breslow and Ryan Lavarnway (also a former Fisher Cat). Most of the players have a tenuous relationship to Judaism,and are making their first visit to Israel. Their odyssey takes them from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where they are greeted as heroes, to Seoul, where they must debunk their has-been, wannabe reputations. With their Mensch on the Bench mascot by their side, the team laughs, cries, and does much soul-searching, discovering the pride of representing Israel on the world stage.
Selection, 2018 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
“A grand slam!” —Atlanta Jewish Times
93 Queen
New Hampshire Premiere
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 1:00 PM
Cinemagic, Merrimack, NH
Admission: $12.00
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 1:00 PM
Peterborough Community Theatre,
Peterborough, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: Paula Eiselt
Documentary, 2018, USA
85 minutes
English, Yiddish, Hebrew (with English subtitles)
Within the ultra-Orthodox enclaves of Brooklyn, Rachel “Ruchie” Freier, a lawyer and mother of six, is revolutionizing the role of women in daily life by training them to work as EMTs—an alternative to Hatzolah, the all-male Jewish volunteer ambulance corps. Ruchie’s belief that Orthodox women deserve female EMTs drives her to overcome her community’s objections and to bring her vision to reality.
“Forget Supergirl and Wonder Woman. To see a real female superhero in action, check out Paula Eiselt’s documentary.” —The Hollywood Reporter
Babi Yar
Sunday, June 23, 3:30 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
Admission: FREE
Don't miss this special event in June!
Documentary, 2017, Australia
87 minutes
English
An extraordinarily moving film of a Babi Yar commemoration held in Melbourne, Australia. Babi Yar, in modern Ukraine, was the site of one of the largest and most vile mass murders committed during the Holocaust.
Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko risked angering his government in 1961 by writing what came to be his most famous poem, Babi Yar. The Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was so inspired by this poem that he based a choral symphony on it. The film includes a moving recitation of the poem and an astonishingly beautiful and heart-felt performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13 – Babi Yar by the Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra.
Budapest Noir
New Hampshire Premiere
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 1:00 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: Éva Gárdos
Thriller, 2017, Hungary
95 minutes
Hungarian (with English subtitles)
Adult Content
Budapest, 1936. The Hungarian prime minister returns from Germany in a coffin, his dream of making Hungary into a fascist state snuffed out—for now. Crime reporter Zsigmond Gordon, a cynic who thinks he has seen it all, has other things on his mind. A tip leads him to an unusual crime scene in a seedy part of the city: A beautiful, well-dressed young woman is dead, with only a Jewish prayer book in her purse. Investigating the mystery girl’s murder, Gordon enters a world of pornographers, brothels, and Communist cells leading to the highest echelons of power. The more people try to scare him away, the deeper he digs in, not knowing who to trust, or what ulterior motives are working against him and the truth. Based on the bestselling novel Budapest Noir, by Vilmos Kondor.
Selection, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Boston Jewish Film Festival, 2017
Best Original Score (Foreign Language Film), Hollywood Music in Media Awards, 2017
“Eva Gardos’ debut feature film successfully creates a stimulating atmosphere in which the flowers of evil, services, blackmail and sacrifices become entangled in a historic environment, where darkness has already taken over from light.” — CineEuropa
Chewdaism: A Taste of Jewish Montreal
New Hampshire Premiere
Thursday, April 4, 2019, 7:00 PM
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall, SNHU, Manchester
Admission: $12.00
(includes Double Date and Wendy’s Shabbat)
Directors: Eli Batalion & Jamie Elman
Documentary, 2018, Canada
62 minutes
English
An unadulterated foodie delight, Chewdaism: A Taste of Jewish Montreal follows two Montrealers through an entire day’s worth of eating in and around the city as they discover their own personal heritage within the story of Jewish Montreal. Through charming cooking sights, the city’s rich cuisine is joyfully captured in this visually sumptuous culinary adventure that explores the art and pleasure of preparing and savoring Kosher gastronomic choices largely drawn from localized ingredients. As our guides discover the roots of the city’s Jewish community through a series of classical Jewish eateries, they tell the story of their 100-year-old community, with various guests along the way sharing tales and meals. Chewdaism is as illuminating as it is lively, joyous, and a mouth-watering feast for the eyes and the soul.
Selection, 2018 Victoria Jewish Film Festival, 2018 Calgary Jewish Film Festival, 2018 Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, 2019 Miami Jewish Film Festival, 2019 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Double Date
Thursday, April 4, 2019, 7:00 PM
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall, SNHU,
Manchester
(Shown with Chewdaism and Wendy’s Shabbat)
Director: Jamie Elman
Comedy Short, 2016, Canada
7 minutes
English and Yiddish (with English subtitles)
A blind date for Leizer with the perfect woman, Chaya (Mayim Bialik), quickly becomes a battle of nebbish proportions.
Full-Court Miracle
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 3:30 PM
The Hotel Concord, Concord, NH
PJ OUR WAY EVENT — FREE
Director: Stuart Gillard
Family drama, 2003, USA
94 minutes
English
Rated G
An African American college basketball star becomes the head coach of a yeshiva’s struggling basketball team in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a knee injury forces him to leave the game. Based on the true story of Lamont Carr, of the University of Virginia Cavaliers.
Golda’s Balcony, The Film
New Hampshire Premiere
Post Film Discussion with David Fishelson,
Producer
Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 7:00 PM
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall, SNHU,
Manchester, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: Scott Schwartz
Biography, Drama, 2019, USA
86 minutes
English
Tovah Feldshuh recreates her award-winning performance as Golda Meir in Golda’s Balcony, The Film. The rise of Golda Meir from Russian schoolgirl to prime minister of Israel is one of the most thrilling and amazing stories of the 20th century. As a play on Broadway and off, Golda’s Balcony sold out over 500 performances, becoming the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history. Audiences may now get up close and personal to Tovah’s marvelous work: her face, her expressions, the subtlety and unprecedented brilliance of her Golda Meir. This multi-camera, kinetically edited version of Golda’s Balcony is likely to be the standard motion picture version of this bio-drama for years to come. In this film, her life has been transformed into a cinematic event of overwhelming power and inspirational triumph.
Golda’s Balcony is the perfect merging of script, actress, character! There’s enough humor and drama here for a much longer show, but the 86 minutes never feel long, just perfect!” —John Simon, New York Magazine
Inside Out
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 1:30 PM
The Hotel Concord, Concord, NH
PJ LIBRARY EVENT — FREE
Director: Pete Docter
Animation, 2015, USA
102 minutes
English
Rated PG
Emotions run wild in the mind of a young girl who is uprooted from her peaceful life in the Midwest and forced to move to San Francisco. Joy, fear, anger, disgust and sadness each have their own ideas about how she should handle her new surroundings. The all-star cast includes Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, and Lewis Black.
“A thrilling return to form for Pixar Animation Studios.” —A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“Creative, clever, heartfelt, and beautifully animated.” —Betsy Bozdech, Common Sense Media
Righting a Wrong: The Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Project
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 3:00 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
(shown with Who Will Write Our History)
Directors: Peter Koziell and Darren Garnick
Documentary, 2018, USA, Poland
4 minutes
English
Is it possible to "fix" or "repair" the hate crimes of the past or present? In the city of Bialystok, Poland, volunteers from the United States, Germany, Poland and Israel gather every summer to "right a wrong." The group is restoring Bialystok's last surviving Jewish cemetery, desecrated by the Nazis in World War II and later looted by neighbors who used gravestones as building materials. The volunteers know they cannot undo the horrors of the past, but say every toppled stone they stand in the sun again is a step in the right direction.
Satan and Adam
New Hampshire Premiere
Post Film Discussion with Adam Gussow
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 3:30 PM
The Music Hall Loft, Portsmouth, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: V. Scott Balcerek
Documentary, 2017, USA
78 minutes
English
Wandering through Harlem in 1986, Adam Gussow, a heartbroken Jewish Ivy Leaguer with a harmonica in his pocket, happened upon the best blues guitar he had ever heard: Sterling “Mr. Satan” Magee, who once played with Etta James, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown. Satan and Adam, an unlikely pair, quickly became a steady duo on the street outside the Apollo Theater, and eventually, through struggles with the music industry and mental illness, a successful band. Satan & Adam is a 23-year odyssey of music and friendship — across races, classes, and generations.
Grand Jury Prize, Nashville Film Festival
“Passionate and moving… nothing could prepare me for what I would discover in Satan & Adam.”
— Stephanie Archer, Film Inquiry
Shoelaces
New Hampshire Premiere
Saturday, April 13, 2019, 8:00 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
SOCIABLE SATURDAY NIGHT EVENT!
Admission: $15.00 (includes wine and cheese reception)
Director: Jacob Goldwasser
Drama, 2018, Israel
90 minutes
Hebrew (with English subtitles)
In this emotional Israeli family dramedy, surly mechanic Reuven reluctantly takes in his exuberant special-needs son, Gadi, after his mother’s untimely death. As Gadi becomes accustomed to life with Reuven, Reuven’s world is turned upside down by his newfound obligations as supervisor and caregiver. Yet, something has awoken in Reuven since Gadi came back into his life. In discovering that he enjoys both the responsibility and affection afforded by parenthood, Reuven vows to make up for his past shortcomings before it is too late. Thoughtful, poignant, and unexpectedly funny, Shoelaces explores the complex dynamics of adult parent-child relationships through the delicate lens of its special-needs hero.
Winner, Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film, Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles, 2018
Nominated for 8 Ophir Awards (Israel’s Academy Awards), including Best Picture of 2018
The Last Suit
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 1:00 PM
The Music Hall Loft, Portsmouth, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: Pablo Solarz
Drama, 2017, Argentina, Spain
86 minutes
Spanish, German, Polish, Yiddish
(with English subtitles)
An aging Jewish tailor leaves his life in Argentina to embark on a journey back through time and halfway around the world, in this bittersweet road movie. Eighty-eight-year-old Holocaust survivor Abraham Bursztein (Miguel Ángel Solá) is about to be put out to pasture by his children, who have sold his house in the suburbs of Buenos Aires and booked him into a retirement home. Refusing to bow to family pressure, he sets off on an adventure from which he doesn’t expect to return. Fueled by a sense of duty, and a quest for closure and fulfillment, Abraham decides that the moment has come to fulfill a promise and seek out an old friend. With assistance from a cast of kindly strangers, the sharply dressed suit maker travels by train across Europe from Spain to Poland, in search of the man who saved him from certain death at Auschwitz. Undeterred by a series of travel mishaps, family foibles, and geographical obstacles along the way, the hard edges of the cantankerous Abraham gradually soften.
“Funny, tender and heartfelt. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.”—Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Audience awards, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Miami Film Festival, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2018
The Samuel Project
New Hampshire Premiere
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 3:30 PM
Cinemagic, Merrimack, NH
Admission: $12.00
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 3:30 PM
Peterborough Community Theatre,
Peterborough, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: Marc Fusco
Drama/Comedy, 2017, USA
92 minutes
English
Rated PG-13
Eli (Ryan Ochoa) gets to know his grandfather Samuel (Hal Linden) for the first time when he makes him the subject of an animated art project for school. With dreams of becoming a professional artist, the high school senior discovers that his grandpa, a Jewish dry cleaner, was heroically saved from Nazi capture when he was a boy in Germany by a young woman.
Winner, Audience Award (Best Narrative Feature), 2018 Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival
Wendy’s Shabbat
New Hampshire Premiere
Thursday, April 4, 2019, 7:00 PM
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall, SNHU,
Manchester
(Shown with Chewdaism and Double Date)
Director: Rachel Myers
Short Documentary, 2018, USA
14 minutes
English
The short documentary film is about a group of Jewish senior citizens who celebrate the weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) at the local Wendy’s fast food restaurant with Hebrew blessings along with burgers and fries.
“A superb piece of non¬fiction filmmaking, telling a story of import with grace and intelligence.” —George Robinson, Jewish Week
Winner, Audience Award for Best Short, 2018 Teaneck International Film Festival
Who Will Write Our History
New Hampshire Premiere
Special Guest: Director Roberta Grossman Via Skype
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 3:00 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
Admission: $12.00
(includes Righting a Wrong: The Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Project)
Director: Roberta Grossman
Feature Documentary, 2018, USA
95 minutes
English, Yiddish, Polish (with English subtitles)
Holocaust Content
In November 1940, days after the Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, a secret band of journalists, scholars, and community leaders decided to fight back. Led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum and known by the code name Oyneg Shabes, this clandestine group vowed to defeat Nazi lies and propaganda not with guns or fists but with pen and paper. Now, for the first time, their story is told as a feature documentary. It mixes the writings of the Oyneg Shabes archive with new interviews, rarely seen footage, and stunning dramatizations to transport us inside the Ghetto and the lives of these courageous resistance fighters. They defied their murderous enemy with the ultimate weapon— the truth— and risked everything so that their archive would survive the war, even if they did not.
“Who Will Write Our History recounts a bold story of Nazi resistance. And inside that one story are countless others, each immensely important.” —Ken Jaworowski, The New York Times
“A story of remarkable foresight and dedication amid unthinkable horrors.” —The Hollywood Reporter
Working Woman
New Hampshire Premiere
Thursday, April 11, 2019, 7:00 PM
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
Admission: $12.00
Director: Michal Aviad
Drama, 2018, Israel
93 minutes
Hebrew (with English subtitles)
Adult Content
Orna is the mother of three young children, and her husband is struggling to start his own restaurant. To help support her family, Orna takes a job with a former army superior, now a successful real estate developer. While Orna tries to balance the demands of her new position with her home life, she begins to experience escalating sexual harassment from her boss, which ultimately brings her career and marital relationship to the brink. This timely and devastating story is expertly told by feminist filmmaker Michal Aviad.
Selection, 2018 Jerusalem Film Festival, Toronto Jewish Film Festival, Israel Film Festival Los Angeles, UK Jewish Film Festival
General Information
Advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended.
FILM SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
Click here to see the film schedule by date.
PRICING:
$12.00/person with exceptions:
-
Special 11th Gala Event, April 14: $48.00 /person through March 26, $57.00/person after March 26
-
Sociable Saturday Night, April 13: $15.00/person
-
Closing Film & Festival Wrap Party, April 14: $16.00/person
GROUP RATES:
Group rates are available for $12.00 priced films and exclude special events listed above.
SEASON FESTIVAL PASS:
$145.00/person to the 2019 Film Festival Series, nontransferable. Includes choice of any 10 films and stated events including social receptions, performances, speakers, and children’s program.
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ACCESSIBILITY:
All programs are handicap-accessible.
PARKING:
Parking is available, please allow extra time for parking.
TICKETS AT THE DOOR:
Additional tickets may be available at the door prior to the show. In the event of a sellout, a rush line will be formed 30 minutes before show time. All ticket sales are final. No refunds and no exceptions. Refunds will only be given if programs are cancelled or rescheduled. Schedule is subject to change. Go to www.jewishnh.org for program notices.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
By your presence, you consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded. Your participation constitutes your consent to such photography, filming, and/or recording and to any use, in any and all media, of your appearance, voice, and name for any purpose whatsoever.
THEATER ADDRESSES:
Cinemagic Stadium Theaters
11 Executive Park Dr.,
Merrimack, NH 03054
603-423-0240
Currier Museum of Art
150 Ash St.,
Manchester, NH 03104
603-669-6144
The Hotel Concord
11 S Main St.,
Concord, NH 03301
603-504-3500
The Music Hall Loft
131 Congress St.,
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-436-2400
Peterborough Community Theatre
6 School St.,
Peterborough, NH 03458
603-924-2255
Red River Theatres
11 S. Main St.,
Concord, NH 03301
603-224-4600
Southern NH University
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall,
2500 North River Rd.,
Manchester, NH 03106
800-668-1249
Festival Committee
Patricia Kalik
Film Festival Chair
Linda Gerson,
Film Festival Chair and Artistic Director Emerita
Mindee Greenberg
Chairman of the Board
Melanie Zalman McDonald
Executive Director
Allyson Guertin
PJ Library Coordinator
Graphic Design
Grinley Creative
Printing
NH Print & Mail Services
Copy
Fran Berman
Event Chairs
Jo Ann Meyers: Gala Event
Barbara Scotch: Closing Event
Ann Fabian: Closing Event
Pam Englander: Sociable Saturday Night
Steering Committee
Harvey Epstein
Pamela Englander
Ross Fishbein
Barrie Paster
Film Festival Committee
Paul Bieber
Mark Biletch
Maryellen Biletch
Shana Biletch
Laura Black
Roslyn Block
Roberta Brayer
Kathy Brodsky
Ronnie Brown
Susan Cater
Dina Michael Chaitowitz
Pamela Cohen
Deborah Depasse
Martin Fabian
Darren Garnick
Arlene Kershaw
Richard Kudler
Rachel Kurshan
Andy Kushner
Brandon Latham
Rabbi Amy Loewenthal
Barbara Ann Paster
Reva Rovner
Sonia Rye
Brenda Schadick
Liliane Sznycer
Audrey Steinberg
Abner Taub
Mandi Werner
Noam Wolf
Russell Wolff
The 11th Annual New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is supported in part by a grant from
the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Executive Producers
Producers
Directors and Film Stars
