Arts & E f ter

ON THE EVE

Dreams C e True from

"Even as Jews are off doing millions of
different things, and are off with millions
of different identities, there are core val-
ues that pop right out of these, whether
the film is from Uganda or New York!' he
says. "And so, in a sense, these films pull
the Jewish world back together:'
He finds that Jewish audiences often
are intrigued by what Jews in other coun-
tries are doing. "Each year;' he says, "I see
a lot of films about Jews in faraway places.
People are endlessly fascinated by what
it means to be a Jew in Azerbaijan, for
example." Fans of such films might want
to consider the Film Festival showing of
The Jews of Iran, he noted. "A lot of us
probably think we know about life in Iran,
but see this film. Most of what we think is
only partly true."
Another frequent theme is looking to
the past, Magidson says. Consider Jewish
Women in American Sport, a film his-
tory during which viewers will learn that
"Jewish American women actually led the
charge," Magidson says, and From Shtetl
to Swing, which tells of the early roots
of jazz and swing in America, which was
profoundly shaped by Jews and African-
Americans, "the quintessential outsiders
reunited:'
Movies such as these "are actually

about our becoming Atherican," he says.
"We took on sports, music, show busi-
ness, the literary arts. We took on these
practices, and then we became creative by
excelling. That way, society would have to
accept you."
Magidson points to the diversity of this
year's Film Festival, with movies about
playwright Tony Kushner, Orthodox/reg-
gae/hip-hop superstar Matisyahu and
Jews in basketball.
Others carry a more serious tone
— French Jewish youth who fought
the Nazis, Jews being removed from
their homes in Gaza, a woman's painful
struggle to obtain a get (a Jewish divorce
decree) in Israel, or a suicide bomber's
attack on a popular Tel Aviv night club.
"What we try to do is pick as many
different aspects of Jewish life as we can:
Magidson says. "Our audience is like
phyllo dough, with many, many layers,
and we try to offer something for all of
them. Even if we have a movie and only
10 people show up, that would be all right.
I'll do a movie for them:'
Magidson calls the beginning of the
movie selection process "complete chaos:'
Committee members hear about films
from friends, brochures, distributors,
magazines, "then we go after them!'

Films At A Glance

The Jews of Iran: With the 1979 revolution,

80 percent of the Jewish community of Iran
fled the country. Yet some Jews chose to
remain in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz. This film
discusses the discrimination they face, as well
as the positive aspects of living in Iran.
Commerce Twp. (preceding Hats of
Jerusalem): Sunday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m.

Hats of Jerusalem: You will see more hats

in Jerusalem than anywhere else in the world.
From shtreimels to turbans, kippot and kef-
fiahs, what do they all mean and what do they
tell us about the people who wear them?
Commerce Twp. (following Jews of Iran):
Sunday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m.

Yiddish Theatre: A Love Story: Zypora
Sapisman, a Polish Holocaust survivor, has
spent much of her life fighting to keep New
York's Yiddish Theatre alive. As a last-ditch
effort, the theater was moved from the Lower
East Side to Broadway. For eight days, this
film follows the quest to save the Yiddish
Theatre in America.
Commerce Twp.: Sunday, April 29, at 3 p.m.

Checking Out: Peter Falk stars as Morris

Applebaum, the father of three children
(played by Judge Reinhold, David Paymer and

Laura San Giacomo). One day he tells them to
come home immediately: He has decided to
end his life. And it's all in good fun (yes, this is
a comedy).
Commerce Twp.: Sunday, April 29, at 5 p.m.
Ann Arbor: Monday, May 7, at 5 p.m.
Flint: Tuesday, May 8, at 8 p.m.

Steel Toes: David Strathairn of Good Night

and Good Luck stars as a court-appointed

Jewish attorney, Danny Dunkelman, assigned
the case of a skinhead, Mike. Mike has just
killed an Indian restaurant worker because
he spilled something on his new steel-toed
boots. This film is the winner of the fifth
annual Sarah and Harold Gottlieb Award for
Contributions to Jewish Culture.
Commerce Twp: Sunday, April 29, at 8 p.m.
Birmingham: Monday, April 30, at 8 p.m.
Ann Arbor: Sunday, May 6, at 8 p.m.
Flint: Monday, May 7, at 8 p.m.

Jewish Women in American Sport:
Settlement Houses to the Olympics:

Researched by Western Michigan Professor
Dr. Linda Borish and directed by Shuli Eschel,
this tells the little-known story of the pro-
found contribution Jewish women made to
American sports.

"Sometimes, this can take an unbeliev-
able amount of work. Half the people
who make the movies don't even have a
still photo from their film, and they know
absolutely nothing about publicity. I've
written to request copies of movies, and I
don't even hear back:'
The committee then comes up with a
first collection of about 150 movies, and
they watch each and every one before

selecting about 45. Few have big-name
stars, "but what we're looking for is con-
tent: Magidson says.
"They're all educational: he adds, "but
there are no lectures or multiple-choice
questions. The point is to have fun:'

Writer Elizabeth Applebaum is a marketing

specialist for the Jewish Community Center of

Metropolitan Detroit.

The Lenore Marwil Jewish Film Festival's main sponsors are DaimlerChrysler,
Northwest Airlines and Sarah & Harold Gottlieb, "with an additional 300
patrons who keep it going full steam," Magidson says. Films will be shown at
the following theaters:

United Artists Theatres — Commerce Township (April 29-May 10)
Palladium Theatres — Birmingham (April 30-May 3)
The Michigan Theater — Ann Arbor (May 6-10)
Flint Institute of the Arts — Flint (May 6-9)
The Cineplex Odeon — Devonshire Mall, Windsor, Ontario (May 8-10)

Festival passes to the main venues in Commerce Township or Birmingham cost
$136 for JCC and $172 for nonmembers. Individual tickets are $10, and other
locations have passes at different prices.
Tickets may be ordered by calling (248) 432-5461, purchased at the front
desk of the JCCs in West Bloomfield and Oak Park, or ordered by mail: Marwil
Film Festival, c/o the Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Road, West
Bloomfield, 48322, or c/a the Jewish Community Center,15100 W.10 Mile Road,
Oak Park, MI 48237. Visit www.djff.org and order online, as well.

Commerce Twp.: (preceding From Shtetl to
Swing): Monday, April 30, at 2 p.m.
Flint (preceding From Shtetl to Swing):
Wednesday, May 9, at 5 p.m.

From Shtetl to Swing: Beginning with

Jewish music from the 1900s and continuing
to the present, this film chronicles the history
of jazz and swing, showing them to be a mix-
ture of Jewish tunes and the blues of African-
Americans. With performances by Louis
Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton,
Eddie Cantor and more.
Commerce Twp.: (following Jewish Women in
American Sport): Monday, April 30, at 2 p.m.
Flint (following Jewish Women in American
Sport): Wednesday, May 9, at 5 p.m.

The Tribe: Thousands of years of Jewish his-
tory — culture and custom, religious tradition
and everything in between — are boiled down
to 17 minutes in this unusual film. From Oscar-
nominated director Tiffany Shlain.
Commerce Twp: (preceding Only Human):
Monday, April 30, at 5 p.m.
Flint (preceding The First Time I Was 20):
Sunday, May 6, at 7 p.m.
Ann Arbor (preceding Only Human):
Wednesday, May 9, at 8 p.m.

Only Human: Leni has just returned home
to Madrid, where her Spanish-Jewish family
is eager to meet the fiance she has brought
home from Jerusalem. His name is Rafi — and
he's Palestinian. As if that isn't enough, Rafi
is about to bring the man who may be Leni's
long-lost father into the picture, after he
drops frozen soup on his head.
Commerce Twp. (following The Tribe):
Monday, April 30, at 5 p.m.
Ann Arbor (following The Tribe): Wednesday,
May 9, at 8 p.m.
Windsor: Thursday, May 10, at 5 p.m.

Wrestling with Angels: Tony Kushner is
America's best-known living Jewish play-
wright, the man behind Angels in America, as
well as the film Munich, to name two. Oscar-
winning director Freida Lee Mock took three
years making this tribute to Kushner.
Commerce Twp.: Monday, April 30, at 8 p.m.
Ann Arbor: Wednesday, May 9, at 2 p.m.

Ich bin Jude! Ich bin Jude!: This film

recounts the resistance of organized Jewish
youth in France during World War II, with
an emphasis on the Jewish Scouts and the
Zionist Youth Movement, both of which took

Films At A Glance on page 46

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