The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival is a service of the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire.
2020 NH Jewish Film Festival
GENERAL INFORMATION:
See pricing, parking, locations & general information here.
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FILM FESTIVAL BROCHURE:
Gala Celebration
New Hampshire Premiere
Gala Reception following the film
New date & location to be announced
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Director: Max Lewkowicz
Documentary, 2019, USA
92 minutes
English, English subtitles
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.
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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
Festival Wrap Party
Picture of His Life
New Hampshire Premiere
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New date & location to be announced
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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
Short Films Program
Cheeseburger
New date & location to be announced
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(Shown with Food Flirts, Egg 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.
Crescendo
New Hampshire Premiere
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New date & location to be announced
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Admission: $12.00
Director: Dror Zahavi
Drama, 2019, Germany
106 minutes
English, German
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
Short Films Program
Egg Cream
New date & location to be announced
(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
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.
Short Films Program
Food Flirts: Pastrami Meets Ramen
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $12.00
(Shown with Cheeseburger, Egg Cream, How to Swim, and Sushi, Meatballs and Everything
Director: Bruce Seidel
Documentary Short, 2017, USA
25 minutes
English
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!
Futures Past
New Hampshire Premiere
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $12.00
Director: Jordan Melamed
Documentary, 2016, USA
89 minutes
English
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
Good Morning Son
New Hampshire Premiere
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $12.00
Director: Sharon Bar-Ziv
Narrative Feature, 2018, Israel
84 minutes
Hebrew with English subtitles
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
Short Films Program
How to Swim
New date & location to be announced
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(Shown with Food Flirts, Cheeseburger, Egg Cream,
and Sushi, Meatballs and Everything)
Director: Noa Gusakov
Black Comedy, 2018, Israel
15 minutes
Hebrew with English subtitles
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
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2018 Selection, Palm Springs ShortFest, Encounters Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival
Leona
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $12.00
Director: Isaac Cherem
Drama, 2018, Mexico
95 minutes
Spanish with English subtitles
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Content Warning:
Adult Content, Sexual Situations
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
Love in Suspenders
New Hampshire Premiere
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $12.00
Director: Jorge Weller
Comedy, 2019, Israel
102 minutes
Hebrew with English subtitles
Content Warning: Adult Content
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
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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
My Name Is Sara
New Hampshire Premiere
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $12.00
Director: Steven Oritt
Drama, 2019, USA
111 minutes
English
Content Warning: Adult Content, Sexual Situations
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
Paris Song
New Hampshire Premiere
New date & location to be announced
Admission: $15.00
(includes dessert and coffee reception)
Director: Jeff Vespa
Historical Drama, 2018, Kazakhstan, Latvia, USA
90 minutes
English, Arabic, French, Hebrew
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
Shooting Life
New Hampshire Premiere
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New date & location to be announced
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Admission: $12.00
Director: David Kreiner
Drama, 2018, Israel
84 minutes
Hebrew with English subtitles
Film Star Sponsor:
Ledgewood Wealth Advisors, LLC
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
Shrek
FREE PJ Library Event
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New date & location to be announced
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Admission: FREE
but reservations required
as space is limited
Rated PG
Directors: Vicky Jenson, Andrew Adamson
Animated comedy feature, 2001, USA
90 minutes
English
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
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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
Short Films Program
Sushi, Meatballs and Everything
New date & location to be announced
(Shown with Food Flirts, Cheeseburger,
Egg Cream, and How to Swim)
Director: Liel Gur
Short, 2018, Israel
10 minutes
Hebrew with English subtitles
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
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Selection, Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival 2018, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival 2019, Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival 2019, Denver Jewish Film Festival 2020
The Keeper
New Hampshire Premiere
New date & location to be announced
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Admission: $12.00
Director: Marcus H. Hosenmüller
Drama, 2019, United Kingdom
113 minutes
English
Content Warning: Adult Content
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
General Information
Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended.
PRICING:
$12.00/person with exceptions:
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Special 12th Gala Event, $57.00/person
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Sociable Saturday Night, $15.00/person
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Closing Film & Festival Wrap Party, $16.00/person
PURCHASE TICKETS:
Tickets are not for sale at this time.
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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.
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INFORMATION & UPDATES:
Get the latest news about the NH Jewish Film Festival and learn about any last-minute updates!
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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.
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ACCESSIBILITY:
All programs are handicap-accessible.
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PARKING:
Parking is available in public lots.
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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.
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THEATER ADDRESSES:
Cinemagic Stadium Theaters
11 Executive Park Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
603-423-0240
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The Music Hall Loft
131 Congress Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-436-2400
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Peterborough Community Theatre
6 School Street
Peterborough, NH 03458
603-924-2255
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Red River Theatres
11 S. Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
603-224-4600
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Saint Anselm College
Roger and Francine Jean Student Center
100 Saint Anselm Drive #1748
Manchester, NH 03102
603-641-7231
Parking and driving directions
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Southern NH University
Mara Auditorium, Webster Hall,
2500 North River Road
Manchester, NH 03106
800-668-1249
Jewish Federation Committee
Ross Fishbein
Patricia Kalik
Film Festival Chairs
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Linda Gerson,
Film Festival Chair and Artistic Director Emerita
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Sarit Itenberg
Chairman of the Board
Melanie Zalman McDonald
Executive Director
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Allyson Guertin
Director of Outreach and Engagement
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Graphic Design
Grinley Creative
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Printing
NH Print & Mail Services
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Copy
Fran Berman
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Video
Galaxy Editing
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Website
Glikstorm LLC
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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
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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
THANK YOU
to All of Our 2020 Sponsors!
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
Producers
Directors and Film Stars
Maryellen and Mark Biletch
Pam Grich and Louis Fink
Nancy and Richard Kudler
Sarit Itenberg and Jonathan Greenblatt