PROGRAMMERS' PICKS
RANI Sanderson
“This documentary captivated me with its amazing storytelling and breathtaking visuals – unlike anything I’ve seen before!”
ALLEN BRAUDE
“This creative documentary celebrates the work and life of Celia Dropkin, whose erotic poetry in Yiddish from nearly a century ago is experiencing a well-deserved revival.”
LARA BULGER
“My Name is Andrea skillfully takes us on a tour of Dworkin’s life, writings, and activism, in a way that humanizes her and reveals what a force she was, and how relevant her life work continues to be today.”
SUSAN STARKMAN
“Perhaps it is her background as a trauma psychologist that distinguishes Esther Takac’s documentary from other films about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in that it offers a therapeutic roadmap to reconciliation through empathy, rendering it a useful advocacy tool to influence policy related to conflict resolution.”
JEREMIE ABESSIRA
“The film sheds light on a side of Israel I knew very little about. Through the life of this unique character, we enter a world that very much seems to be a utopian protected bubble until it explodes and shatters along with the rest of the country.”
Stuart Hands
“This year, we present one of our strongest line-ups ever. The greatest pleasure for me is the discovery of films from the past that speak as vitally today as they did when initially made. This is the case with the Jewish-themed work of British filmmaker Paul Morrison, a specially-curated series at this year’s Festival. His 1999 film, Solomon and Gaenor still remains as tender and powerful as it was over 20 years ago. I look forward to seeing the recent restoration of this visually-stunning film on the big screen.”
GILLIAN HELLFIELD
“I could not stop thinking about this dystopian satire, which for me really resonates in its address to our current context of heightened social anxiety. Both humorous and disturbing, the story revolves around a remote-high rise on the edge of a forest, which provides a safe and secure haven for its occupants. But why they need protection, or from what or whom, is not altogether clear.”
Junior programmers' picks
Maxim Volovik
“Demon Box for me is the future of cinema. What can be better than a film that is aware of the fact that it is a film?”
Kiki Zukerman Schure
“Nool conveys the extreme situation of war in a gentle but powerful way through a well-structured narrative and 2D animation. During a military conflict, the response of a terrified monkey aptly shows how the psychological experience of war impacts an individual. This film made me reflect on such trauma and the impact it can have on people’s lives.”
Kiki Zukerman Schure
“Waves Apart is a short documentary that leaves a deep lingering impression, as if one had watched a much longer narrative. It is undoubtedly one of the best short documentaries that I’ve ever watched.”
Maxim Volovik
“Yiddish Mean Girls became one of my favourites as soon as I watched it. I am from the generation that grew up with Mean Girls, and watching one of the most iconic scenes from the film reimagined in Yiddish was an extremely enjoyable experience.”
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