FilmGuide2024 - Flipbook - Page 2
THURSDAY, APRIL 4
7:00 PM
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
ing bridges that will serve as the foundation
for a revitalized alliance of African Americans
and Jews while creating a new style of activist
Judaism that takes the religion out of the
synagogue and into the streets.
OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
to precede the film at 6:15 PM
DOCUMENTARY | 2023 | 88 MINUTES | USA
DIRECTED BY BRAD ROTHSCHILD
Seven Blessings
In Israel’s official
entry for the
Academy Awards
for Best International
Feature Film, Seven
Blessings revolves
around an eventful
Jewish Moroccan
family wedding
and the traditional
blessings that are pronounced during the
ceremony, again at the reception, and then
again for the next seven nights with loved
ones hosting special dinners in the couple’s
honor. Behind the facade of joie de vivre and
togetherness, there are secrets, lies, and a
painful old wound that forces them to confront the past while challenging the present,
all entwined in this acclaimed story about
fury, forgiveness, and food. Winner of 10
Israeli Academy Awards (Ophirs), including
Best Picture.
MATURE THEMES
DRAMEDY | 2023 | 108 MINUTES | ISRAEL
ARABIC/HEBREW/FRENCH WITH SUBTITLES
DIRECTED BY AYELET MENAHEMI
Rabbi on the Block
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
8:00 PM
SPRINGFIELD JCC
Tamar Manasseh, the
charismatic rabbi and
community activist
from the south side
of Chicago, wants
African Americans
and Jews to become
closer allies. With one
foot firmly in each of
these two communities, Black Jews like Tamar are the natural
bridge to help overcome decades of fear,
misunderstanding, and lack of communication. Rabbi on the Block is a feature-length
documentary film that shows how Manasseh
brings together Jews of all colors and is build-
Remembering
Gene Wilder
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
1:00 PM
GREENFIELD GARDEN CINEMAS
This loving tribute
to Gene Wilder
celebrates his life and
legacy as the comic
genius behind an
extraordinary string
of film roles, from
his first collaboration
with Mel Brooks
in The Producers to
the enigmatic title role in the original Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to his
inspired on-screen partnership with Richard
Pryor in movies like Silver Streak. It is illustrated by a bevy of touching and hilarious
clips and outtakes, never-before-seen home
movies, narration from Wilder’s audiobook memoir, and interviews with a roster
of brilliant friends and collaborators like
Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, and Carol Kane.
Remembering Gene Wilder shines a light
on an essential performer, writer, director,
and all-around mensch.
Post-screening discussion with Larry Hott,
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and co-owner
of Florentine Films/Hott Productions
DOCUMENTARY | 2023 | 90 MINUTES | USA
DIRECTED BY RON FRANK
The Catskills
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
7:00 PM
TOWER THEATERS, SOUTH HADLEY
The Catskills is a humorous and nostalgic
tribute to what became affectionately known
as the Borscht Belt. Stand-up comedians
share their best shtick while former waiters,
entertainers, and dance instructors recount
tales of the family-run resorts and bungalows
that inspired films
like Dirty Dancing.
Featuring home
movies, publicity
photos, postcards,
and menus, this time
capsule provides an
overview of Jewish
immigration to New
York going back to
the early twentieth century. Director Lex
Gillespie maps the development of the
vacation destination, from a refuge for
working-class Jews seeking a respite from
poverty in overcrowded New York City
tenements to a lavish summer playground
for the affluent. This delightful film tracks
the dramatic influx, peak, and decline of
“the Jewish Alps.” From lox to herring, this
celebration of Jewish-American life is all
you can eat.
DOCUMENTARY | 2023 | 86 MINUTES | USA
DIRECTED BY LEX GILLESPIE
All About the
Levkoviches
MONDAY, APRIL 8
7:00 PM
GREENFIELD GARDEN CINEMAS
The generous but
stubborn boxing
coach, Tamás gets
along well with
everyone but his own
son. They have not
spoken since the boy,
Iván moved to Israel
and became religious
in an orthodox community. When Tamás’ beloved wife, Zsuzsa
dies unexpectedly, Tamas agrees with his
son that he can come and sit the Shiva in
his house as long as he brings his grandson,
Ariel with him. As past conflicts resurface,
they embark on an unexpected journey of
self-reflection and reconciliation. Father
and son are not just obliged to face their old
grievances during the one-week religious
mourning but to help Ariel deal with his
own grief and his obsession that grandma’s
spirit is still in the house.
DRAMA | 2024 | 85 MINUTES | HUNGARY
HUNGARIAN/HEBREW WITH SUBTITLES
DIRECTED BY ADAM BREIER