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2020 NH Jewish Film Festival

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fiddler

Gala Celebration

New Hampshire Premiere

Gala Reception following the film

Saturday, March 21, 2020, 8:00 PM

St. Anselm College

Roger and Francine Jean Student Center

Manchester, NH

Admission: $48 through March 14,

                     $57 after March 14

See driving & parking instructions here!

Director: Max Lewkowicz

Documentary, 2019, USA

92 minutes

English, English subtitles

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Film Star Sponsor:
Sarit Itenberg and Johnathan Greenblatt

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles

Among the pantheon of Broadway musicals that changed the world, Fiddler on the Roof has a special

place very near the top. In the half-century since its premiere, the production has had an unprecedented global impact, beloved by audiences the world over, performed everywhere from suburban middle schools in Nebraska to grand state theaters in Japan.

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles chronicles the birth, life, and continued resonance of this singular icon of the

stage and screen. Featuring interviews with Joel Grey, original lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and stars of the current Broadway revival, Jessica Hecht and Danny Burnstein.

 

Toronto Jewish Film Festival 2019, Audience Choice Award

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2019 Opening Night Film

Jewish Fairfield Country Jewish Film Festival 2019, Audience Choice for Best Documentary

Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, Audience Choice for Best Documentary 2019

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Festival Wrap Party

Picture of His Life

New Hampshire Premiere

Sunday, March 29, 5:30 PM

Red River Theatres,

Concord, NH

Admission: $16.00

 

Directors: Dani Menkin, Yonatan Nir

Documentary, 2019, Canada, Israel, USA

71 minutes

English, Hebrew, Inukitut

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To photograph some of the most fearsome creatures on Earth, Amos Nachoum has gone face to face with anacondas, giant leopard seals, great white sharks, orcas, and crocodiles. But at age 65, Nachoum, one of the greatest underwater photographers of all time, is about to face his ultimate challenge: photographing a polar bear, up close, without any protection. A native of Israel, he served his country in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This experience shaped and devastated him, leading him to emigrate to the United States, where he became a world-famous adventure guide and eventually an even more famous photographer. As he prepares for his biggest mission, in the Canadian Arctic, Nachoum faces his past traumas in an intimate story of dedication, sacrifice, and personal redemption.

 

Selection: San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2019, Carmel Jewish Film Festival 2019 (CA), Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival 2019, Lincoln Center Jewish Film Festival 2020 (NY)

 

“A riveting tale of an adventure on the edge of the world, which does what some of the best documentaries do: introduce us to a unique world that we knew little about.” – Stephen Silver, Broad Street Review

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cheeseburger

Short Films Program

Cheeseburger

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM

Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall

SNHU, Manchester

(Shown with Food FlirtsEgg Cream

How to Swim and Sushi, Meatballs and Everything)

 

Director: Hillary Nussbaum

Short, 2018, USA

5 minutes

English

 

Three Jewish roommates debate their different views on religion as one contemplates a very big, very not-kosher decision: eating a cheeseburger.

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Crescendo

New Hampshire Premiere

Thursday, March 19, 2020, 7:00 PM

Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall

SNHU, Manchester

Admission: $12.00

See driving & parking instructions here!

 

Director: Dror Zahavi

Drama, 2019, Germany

106 minutes

English, German

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crescendo

When a world-famous conductor tries to create an Israeli-Palestinian orchestra, he is quickly drawn into a tempest of unsolvable problems. Having grown up in a state of war, suppression, or constant risk of terrorist attacks, the young musicians from both sides are far from able to form a team. Lined up behind the two best violinists -- the emancipated Palestinian Layla and the handsome Israeli Ron -- they form two parties who deeply mistrust each other, both on and off stage. It takes all of the conductor’s skill and resources to overcome the discord and get them to play in harmony, as the film rises to a tense and emotional finale. Loosely inspired by Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, this is a remarkable theatrical movie and a contribution to the worldwide efforts toward understanding, humanity, and peace.

 

Rheingold Audience Award, Festival of German Films, Ludwigshafen (Germany) 2019

 

Gershon Klein Film Award for Best German Film with Jewish Issue, Jewish Film Festival Berlin & Brandenburg (Germany) 2019

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eggcream

Short Films Program

Egg Cream

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM

Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall

SNHU, Manchester

(Shown with Food Flirts, Cheeseburger

How to Swim and Sushi, Meatballs and Everything)

 

Directors: Nora Claire Miller, Peter Miller

Documentary Short, 2018, USA

16 minutes

English

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This short film focuses on the enduring meaning of a beloved chocolate soda drink born on the Jewish Lower East Side. The egg cream contained neither eggs nor cream ­-- it was a product of necessity and hardship, but a source of joy and sweetness. Through a tour of egg cream establishments led by a filmmaker and his young daughter, exhaustively researched archival imagery, and even a song by Lou Reed, the film examines the Jewish experience in America and the mythology of a simpler time.

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foodflirts

Short Films Program

Food Flirts: Pastrami Meets Ramen

Special Guest: Bruce Seidel

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM

Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall, SNHU, Manchester

Admission: $12.00

(Shown with CheeseburgerEgg Cream, How to Swim, and Sushi, Meatballs and Everything

See driving & parking instructions here!

 

Director: Bruce Seidel

Documentary Short, 2017, USA

25 minutes

English

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Meet the Brass Sisters, a.k.a. the Food Flirts, two passionate food explorers of a certain age on a mission to tackle their culinary bucket list. After dreaming about childhood days spent eating pastrami, the Brass sisters decide to finally learn how artisan pastrami is crafted at Mamaleh’s, a modern Jewish delicatessen. Meanwhile, producer Bruce sets the ladies up with their very own ramen noodle and broth-making lesson. After savoring this delicious treat for the first time, the sisters decide to mash the two together and to teach us about another Jewish comfort food (noodle kugel), and the pastrami ramen noodle kugel is born!

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Futures Past

New Hampshire Premiere

Special Guest: Jordan Melamed

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 3:30 PM

Cinemagic, Merrimack, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: Jordan Melamed

Documentary, 2016, USA

89 minutes

English

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Set against the last days of trading in the legendary Chicago pits, Futures Past captures the power struggle between filmmaker Jordan Melamed and his father, Leo Melamed, Holocaust survivor and kingpin of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. What begins as a documentary of the end of an era becomes a deeply personal exploration by a son returning to the “kill or be killed” world in which he was raised.

 

“One of the best films I’ve seen this year by far.” — Richard Roeper, Fox 32 Chicago

 

“It’s in his conversations and confrontations with Leo that Jordan strikes documentary-film gold. Both of them articulate, conflict-hungry men with personal scores to settle, which they proceed to chew over on camera for our delectation.” — Hollywood Report

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Good Morning Son

New Hampshire Premiere

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 1:00 PM

Cinemagic, Merrimack, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: Sharon Bar-Ziv

Narrative Feature, 2018, Israel

84 minutes

Hebrew with English subtitles

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goodmorning

After Ori, a young IDF soldier, is critically injured during a botched military operation in Gaza, he lies comatose, clinging to life. During months of rehabilitation, family, friends, doctors, and therapists come together in support of Ori’s recovery. Filled with heartbreak, humor, and hope, this penetrating dramatic narrative is presented in tight, contained spaces, concentrating on the language of faces, gestures, and movement within the frame.

 

“A clever and elegant film about the resilience of life. Well written and directed in the right tempo… a sober and accurate performance by Sharon Bar Ziv and Keren Mor.” – Uri Klein, Haaretz

 

“A collection of intimate moments, directed and acted with accuracy, shifting from the emotional to the humorous and the absurd.” – Dr. Shmulik Duvdevani, Ynet

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howtoswim

Short Films Program

How to Swim

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM

Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall

SNHU, Manchester

(Shown with Food Flirts, CheeseburgerEgg Cream,

and Sushi, Meatballs and Everything)

 

Director: Noa Gusakov

Black Comedy, 2018, Israel

15 minutes

Hebrew with English subtitles

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Abigail is heavily pregnant, but something is missing. Terrified about the imminent birth of her child, she kidnaps a comforting partner in crime for one afternoon.

 

Opening film, Tel Aviv Student Film Festival 2018

2018 Selection, Palm Springs ShortFest, Encounters Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival

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Leona

Leona

Thursday, March 26, 2020, 7:00 PM

Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: Isaac Cherem

Drama, 2018, Mexico

95 minutes

Spanish with English subtitles

Content Warning:

Adult Content, Sexual Situations

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Film Star Sponsor:
Russell Wolff Productions

This intimate, insightful, and moving film tells the story of a young Jewish woman from Mexico City who finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love. Ripe with all the drama and interpersonal conflicts of a Jane Austen novel, we see her negotiate the labyrinth of familial pressure, religious precedent, and her own burgeoning sentiment. This is both painful and beautiful — there are no easy choices to be made, and the viewer travels back and forth with her as she struggles with her heart to take the best path.

 

Official Selection, Morelia International Film Festival (Mexico) 2018

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Love in Suspenders

New Hampshire Premiere

Sunday, March 29, 2020, 3:30 PM

Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: Jorge Weller

Comedy, 2019, Israel

102 minutes

Hebrew with English subtitles

Content Warning: Adult Content

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loveIN

When absent-minded Israeli widow Tami accidentally bumps 70-year-old widower Beno with her car, the last thing on her mind is romance. Hoping Beno won’t sue her, she invites him to her apartment. Circumstances conspire to continually bring the two lonely elders together. Against her wishes, the financially comfortable Tami starts falling for the money-strapped Beno, who is head over heels in love with her. Will their budding relationship survive their own preconceptions and the scrutiny of their children?

 

Audience Choice Award for Best Drama, Jewish Fairfield County Jewish Film Festival 2019

Selection: Miami Jewish Film Festival, Rio Jewish Film Festival, UK Jewish Film Festival 2019, Philadelphia Israel Film Festival 2020, San Diego Jewish Film Festival 2020, Toronto Jewish Film Festival 2020

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mynameis

My Name Is Sara

New Hampshire Premiere

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 1:00 PM

The Music Hall Loft, Portsmouth, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: Steven Oritt

Drama, 2019, USA

111 minutes

English

Content Warning: Adult Content, Sexual Situations

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The true story of Sara Goralnik, a 13-year-old Polish Jew whose entire family was killed by Nazis in September 1942. After a grueling escape to the Ukrainian countryside, Sara steals her Christian best friend’s identity and finds refuge in a small village, where she is taken in by a farmer and his young wife. She soon discovers the dark secrets of her employers’ marriage, compounding her own greatest secret that she must strive to protect, her true identity.

 

Selection: Miami Jewish Film Festival 2020, Denver Jewish Film Festival 2020, Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival 2020, Charlotte Jewish Film Festival 2020, JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival 2020, Boulder International Film Festival (Colorado) 2020, Hartford Jewish Film Festival (CT) 2020, Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival 2020

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paris

Paris Song

New Hampshire Premiere

Sociable Saturday Night Event!

Saturday, March 28, 2020, 8:00 PM

Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Admission: $15.00

(includes dessert and coffee reception)

 

Director: Jeff Vespa

Historical Drama, 2018, Kazakhstan, Latvia, USA

90 minutes

English, Arabic, French, Hebrew

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The true story of small-town singer Amre Kashaubayev’s journey from Soviet-ruled Kazakhstan to Paris to compete in an international singing competition at the 1925 Paris Expo. Unexpectedly embraced by the high-culture Paris elite, Amre forms a beautiful and unlikely friendship with American Jewish songwriters George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and with photographer Lee Abbott. This inspiring story illuminates what it means to be an outsider and to struggle against adversity.

 

Best Narrative Film and Best Actor Awards, Richmond International Film Festival 2019

Hollywood Silver Screen Prize of Kazakhstan, Hollywood Film Festival 2018

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Shooting Life

New Hampshire Premiere

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 1:00 PM

Peterborough Community Theatre

Peterborough, NH

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 3:30 PM

The Music Hall Loft, Portsmouth, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: David Kreiner

Drama, 2018, Israel

84 minutes

Hebrew with English subtitles

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Film Star Sponsor:
Ledgewood Wealth Advisors, LLC
shooting

Igal Gazit, an unemployed film director from Tel Aviv, moves to Sderot and takes a teaching job at the high school. However, Igal’s first meeting with his new students doesn’t go well. The students, sensing that he is patronizing them, make fun of the “enlightenment” he brings from Tel Aviv. Igal promises the principal that all the kids will pass the State Film Exams. The road to fulfilling that promise is one that the students will never forget.

 

Selection: Vienna Jewish Film Club 2018, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival 2019, Montreal Jewish Film Festival 2019, Washington Jewish Film Festival 2019

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Shrek

FREE PJ Library Event

Sunday, March 29, 2020, 3:00 PM

Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Admission: FREE

but reservations required

as space is limited

Rated PG

 

Directors: Vicky Jenson, Andrew Adamson

Animated comedy feature, 2001, USA

90 minutes

English

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This Oscar-winning film is based on the children’s book by Jewish-American artist and writer William Steig. Shrek, an ogre living alone in a swamp, has his solitude shattered by a horde of fairy tale characters, such as the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs, all refugees who have been banished from their kingdom by the evil Lord Farquaad. Voices by Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Victor Cassel.

 

Oscar Winner, Best Animated Feature, 2002

Nominated for Oscar, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2002

 

“The brilliance of the voice work, script, direction, and animation all serve to make Shrek an adorable, infectious work of true sophistication.” – Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

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Short Films Program

Sushi, Meatballs and Everything

Tuesday, March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM

Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall, SNHU, Manchester

(Shown with Food Flirts, Cheeseburger,

Egg Cream, and How to Swim)

 

Director: Liel Gur

Short, 2018, Israel

10 minutes

Hebrew with English subtitles

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sushi

The road to meatballs is paved with good intentions. A young woman decides to stand up to her loving parents-in-law, once and for all.

 

Second prize, LongShort Film Festival Tel Aviv 2018

Selection, Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival 2018, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival 2019, Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival 2019, Denver Jewish Film Festival 2020

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The Keeper

New Hampshire Premiere

Sunday, March 22, 2020, 3:30 PM

Peterborough Community Theater 

Peterborough, NH

 

Sunday, March 29, 2020, 1:00 PM

Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Admission: $12.00

 

Director: Marcus H. Hosenmüller

Drama, 2019, United Kingdom

113 minutes

English

Content Warning: Adult Content

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keeper

The incredible true story of Bert Trautmann, a German soldier and prisoner of war who, amid British post-war protest and prejudice, is hired as goalkeeper at Manchester City and so becomes a footballing icon. His signing outrages thousands of fans, many of them Jewish. But Bert receives support from an unexpected source: Rabbi Alexander Altmann, who fled the Nazis. Bert’s love for Margaret, an Englishwoman, carries him through, and he wins over even his harshest opponents by winning the 1956 FA Cup Final. But fate intervenes, and Bert and Margaret’s love and loyalty to each other are put to the ultimate test.

 

Audience Award, Sonoma County Jewish Film Festival 2019

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2019

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General Information

Advance 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 12th Gala Event, March 21:

       $48.00 /person through March 14,

       $57.00/person after March 14

  • Sociable Saturday Night, March 28: $15.00/person

  • Closing Film & Festival Wrap Party, Sunday, March 29: $16.00/person

 

PURCHASE TICKETS:

Advance tickets for ALL screenings my be purchased:

  • Online at Brown Paper Tickets

  • By phone at 800-838-3006 ext. 1, Brown Paper Tickets

  • By phone 603-627-7679 or in person at Jewish Federation Office, Monday–Thursday, 9 am–3 pm

GROUP RATES:

Group rates are available for $12.00 priced films and exclude special events listed above.

SEASON FESTIVAL PASS:

$148.00/person to the 2020 Film Festival Series, nontransferable. Includes choice of any 10 films and stated events, including social receptions, performances, speakers, and children's program.

INFORMATION UPDATES:

Get the latest news about the NH Jewish Film Festival and learn about any last-minute updates!

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.

ACCESSIBILITY:

All programs are handicap-accessible.

PARKING:

Parking is available in public lots.

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 Drive

Merrimack, NH 03054

603-423-0240

www.cinemagicmovies.com

The Music Hall Loft 
131 Congress Street

Portsmouth, NH 03801

603-436-2400

www.themusichall.org

Peterborough Community Theatre
6 School Street

Peterborough, NH 03458

603-924-2255

www.pctmovies.com

Red River Theatres 
11 S. Main Street

Concord, NH 03301

603-224-4600

www.redrivertheatres.org

Saint Anselm College

Roger and Francine Jean Student Center

100 Saint Anselm Drive #1748

Manchester, NH 03102

603-641-7231

www.stanselm.edu

Parking and driving directions

Southern NH University 
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall,

2500 North River Road

Manchester, NH 03106

800-668-1249

www.snhu.edu

Parking and driving directions

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generalinfo

Jewish Federation Committee

Ross Fishbein

Patricia Kalik

Film Festival Chairs

Linda Gerson,

Film Festival Chair and Artistic Director Emerita

Sarit Itenberg
Chairman of the Board

Melanie Zalman McDonald

Executive Director

Allyson Guertin
Director of Outreach and Engagement

Graphic Design

Grinley Creative

Printing

NH Print & Mail Services

Copy

Fran Berman

Video

Galaxy Editing

Website

Glikstorm LLC

Event Chairs

Pamela Englander: Sociable Saturday Night

Ann Fabian: Closing Event

JoAnn Meyers: Gala Event
Barbara Scotch: Closing Event

Steering Committee

Pamela Englander

Harvey Epstein
Barrie Paster

Film Festival Committee

Paul Bieber
Mark Biletch
Maryellen Biletch
Shana Biletch
Laura Black
Roberta Brayer

Marla Brettschneider
Kathy Brodsky

Zachary Camenker

Marilyn Cavanaugh

Dina Chaitowitz

Pamela Cohen
Debbie Depasse
Martin Fabian

Arlene Fishbein

Darren Garnick

Rylee Hollub

Arlene Kershaw

Richard Kudler

Rachel Kurshan

Andy Kushner

Brandon Latham

Barbara Ann Paster

Reva Rovner

Avia Sagron

Brenda Schadick

Audrey Steinberg

Liliane Sznycer

Abner Taub

Mandi Werner

Russell Wolff

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THANK YOU

to All of Our 2020 Sponsors!

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The 12th 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

Glikstorm LLC
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Producers

Cohen Investment Advisors
Statement Boutique
Bertha and Ken Litvack
Red River Theatres
Joy and Michael Sydney
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Directors and Film Stars

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Maryellen and Mark Biletch
Pam Grich and Louis Fink
Nancy and Richard Kudler
Sarit Itenberg and Jonathan Greenblatt
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Honey Weiss and David Lewis
Julia and Ido Preis
Barbara and Barry Scotch
Anonymous
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