HJFF 2019 Winners.
2019 Films
Opening Night Reception tickets, All Access Passes and individual movie tickets are now available! Click below to purchase:
The Samuel Project
-Opening Night Film-
March 2 | 8:00 PM
Directed by Marc Fusco | 2018 | USA | English | 92 Minutes
Film Preceded by the Opening Night Gala at Temple Emanu-El beginning at 5:00 PM and features special guest appearances by Producer Steve Weinberger, Director Marc Fusco and Actress Malina Moye. Israeli comedian and TV personality Guri Alfi will also be appearing. Complimentary heavy pupus and libations will be served.
Eli (Ryan Ochoa) gets to know his grandfather Samuel (Hal Linden) for the first time when he makes him the subject of an animated art project for school. With dreams of becoming a professional artist, Eli discovers that his Jewish grandpa, a San Diego dry cleaner, was heroically saved from Nazi capture in Germany by a young woman when he was a boy.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/0aDjaNmFtCM Back to film listing.
-Opening Night Film-
March 2 | 8:00 PM
Directed by Marc Fusco | 2018 | USA | English | 92 Minutes
Film Preceded by the Opening Night Gala at Temple Emanu-El beginning at 5:00 PM and features special guest appearances by Producer Steve Weinberger, Director Marc Fusco and Actress Malina Moye. Israeli comedian and TV personality Guri Alfi will also be appearing. Complimentary heavy pupus and libations will be served.
Eli (Ryan Ochoa) gets to know his grandfather Samuel (Hal Linden) for the first time when he makes him the subject of an animated art project for school. With dreams of becoming a professional artist, Eli discovers that his Jewish grandpa, a San Diego dry cleaner, was heroically saved from Nazi capture in Germany by a young woman when he was a boy.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/0aDjaNmFtCM Back to film listing.
The Invisibles
Sunday, March 3 | 11:00 AM
Guest Speaker: Dr. Didier Lenglare
Directed by Claus Räfle | 2017 | Germany | German with English Subtitles | 110 Minutes
In June 1943, Germany infamously declared Berlin “judenfrei”—“free of Jews.” But at that moment there were still 7,000 Jews living in the Nazi capital: hiding in attics, basements, and warehouses, protected by courageous Berliners while desperately trying to avoid deportation.
The Invisibles tells the stories of four young Jews surviving in the middle of Berlin by living so recklessly that they become practically invisible to the Nazi regime.
Check out this fascinating article about the film featured on NPR. Trailer Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aVBot4DNY
Back to film listing.
Sunday, March 3 | 11:00 AM
Guest Speaker: Dr. Didier Lenglare
Directed by Claus Räfle | 2017 | Germany | German with English Subtitles | 110 Minutes
In June 1943, Germany infamously declared Berlin “judenfrei”—“free of Jews.” But at that moment there were still 7,000 Jews living in the Nazi capital: hiding in attics, basements, and warehouses, protected by courageous Berliners while desperately trying to avoid deportation.
The Invisibles tells the stories of four young Jews surviving in the middle of Berlin by living so recklessly that they become practically invisible to the Nazi regime.
Check out this fascinating article about the film featured on NPR. Trailer Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2aVBot4DNY
Back to film listing.
The Oslo Diaries
Sunday, March 3 | 2:00 PM
Guest Speaker: Dr. Robert Littman
Directed by Mor Loushy & Daniel Sivan | 2018 | Israel/Canada | Hebrew, Arabic, English | 95 Minutes
The year is 1992, and Israeli-Palestinian relations are at an all-time low. In an attempt to stop the bloodshed, a small group of Israelis and Palestinians meet in Oslo -- secretly and against the law. The unsanctioned meetings that changed the Middle East forever are chronicled only by the negotiators' diaries.
Directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (Censored Voices, Sundance 2015) bring us a riveting account of 1100 days of secret talks as told by the people who were there at the table. The participants’ detailed and often emotional entries recount the political intrigue, fiery rhetoric, unlikely friendships and, at the heart of it all, an overwhelming desire for peace.
Trailer Courtesy of HBO: https://www.hbo.com/video/documentaries/the-oslo-diaries/videos/trailer
Back to film listing
Sunday, March 3 | 2:00 PM
Guest Speaker: Dr. Robert Littman
Directed by Mor Loushy & Daniel Sivan | 2018 | Israel/Canada | Hebrew, Arabic, English | 95 Minutes
The year is 1992, and Israeli-Palestinian relations are at an all-time low. In an attempt to stop the bloodshed, a small group of Israelis and Palestinians meet in Oslo -- secretly and against the law. The unsanctioned meetings that changed the Middle East forever are chronicled only by the negotiators' diaries.
Directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan (Censored Voices, Sundance 2015) bring us a riveting account of 1100 days of secret talks as told by the people who were there at the table. The participants’ detailed and often emotional entries recount the political intrigue, fiery rhetoric, unlikely friendships and, at the heart of it all, an overwhelming desire for peace.
Trailer Courtesy of HBO: https://www.hbo.com/video/documentaries/the-oslo-diaries/videos/trailer
Back to film listing
Budapest Noir
Sunday, March 3 | 5:00 PM
Directed by Éva Gárdos | 2017 | Hungary | Hungarian with English Subtitles | 95 Minutes
In Budapest in 1936, a beautiful young girl is found dead and no one seems to want to investigate - except Gordon, a crime reporter who has a gut feeling that things are not what they seem.
Investigating the mystery girl's murder leads Gordon into a world of pornographers, brothels and Communist cells, leading to the highest echelons of power. The more people try to scare him away the deeper he digs in, not knowing who to trust or what ulterior motives are working against him and the truth.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/JeAAS2dvrJw
Back to film listing.
Sunday, March 3 | 5:00 PM
Directed by Éva Gárdos | 2017 | Hungary | Hungarian with English Subtitles | 95 Minutes
In Budapest in 1936, a beautiful young girl is found dead and no one seems to want to investigate - except Gordon, a crime reporter who has a gut feeling that things are not what they seem.
Investigating the mystery girl's murder leads Gordon into a world of pornographers, brothels and Communist cells, leading to the highest echelons of power. The more people try to scare him away the deeper he digs in, not knowing who to trust or what ulterior motives are working against him and the truth.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/JeAAS2dvrJw
Back to film listing.
93Queen
Sunday, March 3 | 7:30 PM
Guest Speaker Pearl Krasnjansky
Directed by Paula Eiselt | 2018 | USA |English, Yiddish, Hebrew, Partial Subtitles | 90 Minutes
Set in the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park, Brooklyn, 93QUEEN follows a group of tenacious Hasidic women who are smashing the patriarchy in their community by creating the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in New York City.
With unprecedented and exclusive access, 93QUEEN follows the formation and launch of Ezras Nashim (“women’s help”) through the organization’s first year on the ground. The spine of the film observes the highs—and lows—of creating an organization against incredible odds, as well as the women’s struggles to “have it all” as wives and mothers. In a society where most women don’t drive—and a few minutes can mean the difference between life and death—how do female EMTs transport themselves to the scene of an emergency? And how does Ezras Nashim combat a behemoth like Hatzolah, which possesses political clout not only in Borough Park, but throughout New York City?
Trailer: https://www.facebook.com/93QueenFilm/videos/250045425728233/
Back to film listing.
Sunday, March 3 | 7:30 PM
Guest Speaker Pearl Krasnjansky
Directed by Paula Eiselt | 2018 | USA |English, Yiddish, Hebrew, Partial Subtitles | 90 Minutes
Set in the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park, Brooklyn, 93QUEEN follows a group of tenacious Hasidic women who are smashing the patriarchy in their community by creating the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in New York City.
With unprecedented and exclusive access, 93QUEEN follows the formation and launch of Ezras Nashim (“women’s help”) through the organization’s first year on the ground. The spine of the film observes the highs—and lows—of creating an organization against incredible odds, as well as the women’s struggles to “have it all” as wives and mothers. In a society where most women don’t drive—and a few minutes can mean the difference between life and death—how do female EMTs transport themselves to the scene of an emergency? And how does Ezras Nashim combat a behemoth like Hatzolah, which possesses political clout not only in Borough Park, but throughout New York City?
Trailer: https://www.facebook.com/93QueenFilm/videos/250045425728233/
Back to film listing.
Winter Hunt
Saturday, March 9 | 5:00 PM
Directed by Astrid Schult | 2017 | Germany | German with English Subtitles | 74 Minutes
On a mission of vigilante justice, a young woman goes to extremes to seek reprisal against a suspected ex-Nazi in this psychological thriller. Driving on a deserted highway through the German countryside, Lena (Carolyn Genzkow) arrives at the Rossberg’s remote estate, as nightfall descends. Feigning a car accident, she begs for help from the deeply apprehensive Maria (Elisabeth Degen), who reluctantly agrees to invite her in. But Lena’s plea is a ruse to confront the aged patriarch Anselm Rossberg (Michael Degen), a former Auschwitz guard accused of war crimes. Lena’s efforts to extract a confession at gunpoint result in a twisted cat-and-mouse game as the three characters enter a standoff fraught with moral complexities and shocking revelations.
Trailer Courtesy of the Boston Jewish Film Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zLp1UgIb_o
Back to film listing.
Saturday, March 9 | 5:00 PM
Directed by Astrid Schult | 2017 | Germany | German with English Subtitles | 74 Minutes
On a mission of vigilante justice, a young woman goes to extremes to seek reprisal against a suspected ex-Nazi in this psychological thriller. Driving on a deserted highway through the German countryside, Lena (Carolyn Genzkow) arrives at the Rossberg’s remote estate, as nightfall descends. Feigning a car accident, she begs for help from the deeply apprehensive Maria (Elisabeth Degen), who reluctantly agrees to invite her in. But Lena’s plea is a ruse to confront the aged patriarch Anselm Rossberg (Michael Degen), a former Auschwitz guard accused of war crimes. Lena’s efforts to extract a confession at gunpoint result in a twisted cat-and-mouse game as the three characters enter a standoff fraught with moral complexities and shocking revelations.
Trailer Courtesy of the Boston Jewish Film Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zLp1UgIb_o
Back to film listing.
Golda’s Balcony
Saturday, March 9 | 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 10 | 11:00 AM (Encore Showing)
Special Guest appearance by Tovah Feldshuh, Actress
A Broadway Play by William Gibson | Directed by Scott Schwartz | 2019 |USA | English | 90 Minutes
Tovah Feldshuh recreates her award-winning performance as Golda Meir in GOLDA’S BALCONY, THE FILM (2019), as this final masterpiece by the author of “The Miracle Worker,” William Gibson, makes its motion picture debut in 2019.
Golda’s Balcony, The Film (a cause célèbre in its day, beloved by Jewish leaders, and Broadway critics alike) tells of the rise of Golda Meir from a Russian schoolgirl to Prime Minister of Israel. In this film, her life is transformed into a cinematic event of overwhelming power and inspirational triumph. As a play on Broadway and Off, the work sold out over 500 performances, becoming the longest-running, one-woman show in Broadway history.
Tovah Feldshuh’s galvanizing rendition of Golda has been so dramatically edited and filmically ‘put together,’ that audiences who may have originally adored the performance from the middle rows or upper tiers on Broadway may now ‘get up close and personal’ to Tovah’s marvelous work. Former HADASSAH PRESIDENT JUNE WALKER perhaps put it best: “Run, don’t walk, to Golda’s Balcony, to spend an emotional hour and a half with one of the great women of history. Jews especially will be touched, but people of all religions will marvel at this triumph: it is not to be missed!” www.goldasbalcony.org
Trailer: https://youtu.be/IKnSV-iYdTs
Back to film listing.
Saturday, March 9 | 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 10 | 11:00 AM (Encore Showing)
Special Guest appearance by Tovah Feldshuh, Actress
A Broadway Play by William Gibson | Directed by Scott Schwartz | 2019 |USA | English | 90 Minutes
Tovah Feldshuh recreates her award-winning performance as Golda Meir in GOLDA’S BALCONY, THE FILM (2019), as this final masterpiece by the author of “The Miracle Worker,” William Gibson, makes its motion picture debut in 2019.
Golda’s Balcony, The Film (a cause célèbre in its day, beloved by Jewish leaders, and Broadway critics alike) tells of the rise of Golda Meir from a Russian schoolgirl to Prime Minister of Israel. In this film, her life is transformed into a cinematic event of overwhelming power and inspirational triumph. As a play on Broadway and Off, the work sold out over 500 performances, becoming the longest-running, one-woman show in Broadway history.
Tovah Feldshuh’s galvanizing rendition of Golda has been so dramatically edited and filmically ‘put together,’ that audiences who may have originally adored the performance from the middle rows or upper tiers on Broadway may now ‘get up close and personal’ to Tovah’s marvelous work. Former HADASSAH PRESIDENT JUNE WALKER perhaps put it best: “Run, don’t walk, to Golda’s Balcony, to spend an emotional hour and a half with one of the great women of history. Jews especially will be touched, but people of all religions will marvel at this triumph: it is not to be missed!” www.goldasbalcony.org
Trailer: https://youtu.be/IKnSV-iYdTs
Back to film listing.
Let Yourself Go
Sunday, March 10 | 2:00 PM
Directed by Francesco Amato | 2016 | Italy | Italian with English Subtitles | 98 Minutes
Elia (Toni Servillo, "The Great Beauty") is a Jewish psychoanalyst from a purely Freudian school of thought. Due to his austere and detached manner, he is reputed for immediately generating awe in his patients. Elia lives alone in a flat on the same floor as his ex- wife Giovanna, with whom he is still secretly in love. After a minor illness, his doctor prescribes an iron-rich diet and physical activity to lose a few extra kilos. That is how he chances upon Claudia, a personal trainer with the cult of physique but clearly not of mind.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/lJDUuuMUk8E
Back to film listing.
Sunday, March 10 | 2:00 PM
Directed by Francesco Amato | 2016 | Italy | Italian with English Subtitles | 98 Minutes
Elia (Toni Servillo, "The Great Beauty") is a Jewish psychoanalyst from a purely Freudian school of thought. Due to his austere and detached manner, he is reputed for immediately generating awe in his patients. Elia lives alone in a flat on the same floor as his ex- wife Giovanna, with whom he is still secretly in love. After a minor illness, his doctor prescribes an iron-rich diet and physical activity to lose a few extra kilos. That is how he chances upon Claudia, a personal trainer with the cult of physique but clearly not of mind.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/lJDUuuMUk8E
Back to film listing.
Prosecuting Evil: The Ben Ferencz Story
Sunday, March 10 | 5:00 PM
Guest Speaker: Avi Soifer, Dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law
Directed by Barry Avrich | 2018 | Canada | English and German | 83 Minutes
A gripping documentary by Barry Avrich tells the fascinating story of one man’s lifelong quest for justice for victims of crimes against humanity – a concept Ben Ferencz was instrumental in developing after The Nuremberg Trials post-World War II.
A true visionary, a key architect of the international war crimes system and passionate advocate for peace, Ferencz has lived a remarkable life. At 98 years old, the last living lead prosecutor at The Nuremberg Trials remains an active and unstoppable force for justice in an unjust world. He’s witnessed and influenced the most consequential chapters of the last 70 years – from liberating war camps and
investigating Nazi war crimes, to acting, at 27 years old, as the Chief Prosecutor for the U.S. Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trials at Nuremberg and successfully advocating for the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. His fight for justice for victims of atrocity crimes continues today.
Through it all he’s never wavered in his vision of a world that finds peace through the force of law, not the force of war.
Trailer Courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meDbZemxuK4
Back to film listing.
Sunday, March 10 | 5:00 PM
Guest Speaker: Avi Soifer, Dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law
Directed by Barry Avrich | 2018 | Canada | English and German | 83 Minutes
A gripping documentary by Barry Avrich tells the fascinating story of one man’s lifelong quest for justice for victims of crimes against humanity – a concept Ben Ferencz was instrumental in developing after The Nuremberg Trials post-World War II.
A true visionary, a key architect of the international war crimes system and passionate advocate for peace, Ferencz has lived a remarkable life. At 98 years old, the last living lead prosecutor at The Nuremberg Trials remains an active and unstoppable force for justice in an unjust world. He’s witnessed and influenced the most consequential chapters of the last 70 years – from liberating war camps and
investigating Nazi war crimes, to acting, at 27 years old, as the Chief Prosecutor for the U.S. Army at the Einsatzgruppen Trials at Nuremberg and successfully advocating for the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. His fight for justice for victims of atrocity crimes continues today.
Through it all he’s never wavered in his vision of a world that finds peace through the force of law, not the force of war.
Trailer Courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meDbZemxuK4
Back to film listing.
The Catcher Was A Spy
-Closing Night Film-
Sunday, March 10 | 7:30 PM
Directed by Ben Lewin | 2018 | USA | English, German, Italian, French | 98 Minutes
This gripping, stranger-than-fiction espionage thriller brings to life the incredible true story of Moe Berg, the professional baseball player who became a World War II spy. A Jewish, Princeton-educated, multilingual catcher for the Boston Red Sox with a closely-guarded private life, the enigmatic Berg (Paul Rudd) was already a man of mystery when, in 1944, the US government’s wartime intelligence agency enlisted his services. His mission: go behind enemy lines in Europe to assassinate the Nazi’s chief nuclear scientist before the Germans develop an atomic bomb. Trading in his catcher’s mitt for a trench coat, Berg must rely on his formidable, steel-trap intellect in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse—with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Jeff Daniels, Paul Giamatti, and Sienna Miller costar in this remarkable slice of forgotten history.
Photo Courtesy of IFC Center. Trailer: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-catcher-was-a-spy
Back to film listing.
-Closing Night Film-
Sunday, March 10 | 7:30 PM
Directed by Ben Lewin | 2018 | USA | English, German, Italian, French | 98 Minutes
This gripping, stranger-than-fiction espionage thriller brings to life the incredible true story of Moe Berg, the professional baseball player who became a World War II spy. A Jewish, Princeton-educated, multilingual catcher for the Boston Red Sox with a closely-guarded private life, the enigmatic Berg (Paul Rudd) was already a man of mystery when, in 1944, the US government’s wartime intelligence agency enlisted his services. His mission: go behind enemy lines in Europe to assassinate the Nazi’s chief nuclear scientist before the Germans develop an atomic bomb. Trading in his catcher’s mitt for a trench coat, Berg must rely on his formidable, steel-trap intellect in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse—with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Jeff Daniels, Paul Giamatti, and Sienna Miller costar in this remarkable slice of forgotten history.
Photo Courtesy of IFC Center. Trailer: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/the-catcher-was-a-spy
Back to film listing.