Female film-makers, women’s issues and films featuring strong women central characters are prominent in this year’s programme, with 38 per cent of the films featured made by women — the highest proportion ever. The opening gala film on November 8 sets the pace, with Working Woman an Israeli #metoo movie, about Orna, an ambitious woman who suffers harassment in the workplace.
For a documentary about women’s experiences, don’t miss Paula Eiselt’s 93Queens about a group of Jewish Orthodox women who created the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in New York City, giving fellow women the choice to be cared for by other women rather than men. And Charlotte Gainsbourg gives an outstanding performance as a Jewish mother in Promises at Dawn, the adaptation of Romain Gary’s memoir. (Note to the organisers though, too many references to “overbearing” Jewish mothers in this programme!)
LGBT+
It’s very much a rainbow festival this year. To give just two examples, Tsivia Barkai’s Red Cow won two major awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, and explores the story of teenager Benni who lives in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, and her love for Yael, a new woman in her life. Then there’s a short documentary which sounds fascinating: On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi, directed by Brandon Gross and Skyler Gross is about a couple who have been married for 65 years when Popi, aged 95, comes out as gay. His wife knew about it all along but decided to keep her family together at the cost of her own happiness.
True stories
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Three Identical Strangers, Tim Wardle’s almost unbelievable film about triplets separated at birth, brought up by adoptive families, completely unaware that they have two identical brothers, until a chance meeting aged 19.
The Patriot tells the extraordinary story of French-Israeli hacker Gregory Chelli and his sometimes illegal fight against the leaders of an extreme antisemitic movement in France, a film which will make you think about whether it is acceptable to break the law in pursuit of justice.
In The Accountant of Auschwitz, director Matthew Shoychet examines the case of 94-year-old Oskar Gröning, who, 70 years after the war was charged with the murder of 300,000 Jews.
Another must-see is Inside the Mossad, in which former heads and agents break their silence and talk for the very first time about what it is like to work for Israel’s intelligence agency. Then there’s The Waldheim Waltz, Ruth Beckermann’s masterful examination of the life of Kurt Waldheim, former UN Secretary General, and his denial of his past. Beckermann will be coming to London for a Q&A.
Big names
Sammy Davis Junior started out as an entertainer at the age of three, converting to Judaism after an accident. Sam Pollard’s documentary, Sammy David Jnr: I’ve Gotta Be Me tells how he conquered Hollywood, Broadway and Las Vegas; and fought bigotry all his life.
A very different musician, the violinist Itzchak Perlman also started early, at 13 he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and amazed the audience with his virtuoso performance. The documentary Itzchak traces his 60-year career.
Looking for laughs
I’m always on the lookout for funny films at UKJFF. This year, many of those on offer seem to be about men’s lives— a counter to the strong women featured elsewhere. There’s Humor Me, featuring Elliot Gould, about Nate, once a promising playwright, who ends up living at his dad’s retirement home in New Jersey where he finally manages to climb out of his midlife funk.
I’m intrigued by Israeli film Longing, a “moving but hilarious” black comedy about a man who learns that he had a son who he never met.
And who could resist a title like Wolkenbruch’s Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa, a Swiss-German feature about that age-old subject, frum man who falls for the lovely non-Jewish Laura, and offers a guide to “falling in love without being disowned by your mother.”
