21st annual Spokane Jewish Film Festival starts this weekend
News story by Matthew Kincanon | FāVS News
Near the end of January and the beginning of February, the Spokane Area Jewish Family Services will be presenting its 21st annual Spokane Jewish Film Festival with a lineup containing a mix of historical narratives and humorous stories that cover the history of Israel, important figures and the lives of Jewish families.
The festival will feature several premieres, including the Washington state premiere of the historical romance “Shoshana,” and the Pacific Northwest premieres of the short films “Just the Tip,” and “We Should Eat.” The first film dramatizes events during the British Mandate in 1930s Tel Aviv, a time that Jewish Family Services director Neal Schindler said is rarely depicted.
Other films have humorous and sci-fi vibes
The two short films are more humorous and are lighter in tone compared to the other films. According to the festival’s website, “Just the Tip” is a short documentary that covers the subject of circumcision and children and what happened when filmmaker Jessie Kahnweiler fell in love with a man who isn’t Jewish. The other short film,“We Should Eat” is a narrative film that touches on raising preteen daughters, existential dread and the “perpetual struggle to figure out what to order for dinner.”
Other films Schindler said will be screened at the festival include “Lyd,” a science fiction documentary about the titular city that was a Palestinian town but transformed after Israel was established in 1948 and is now known as Lod. He added that the film contrasts the current state of the city and how things might have been if history had played out differently, and, in theory, Lyd could have been a hub of harmonious coexistence between Palestinans and Israeli Jews.
“The festival committee felt that it examines the always complex issues surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict with thoughtfulness and creativity,” Schindler said. “It’s an interesting way into that conversation and discourse for both people who have already had experience talking and thinking about it and people who are newer to it.”
There will be a live Zoom Q&A with the documentary’s two filmmakers Sarah Ema Friedland (who is Jewish) and Rami Younis (who is Palestinian).
Local Holocaust survivor in featured documentary
Another film that the festival chair, Jack Sorensen, is excited to present is the documentary “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round.” It shares the untold story of the first organized interracial civil rights protest in the U.S. where a Jewish community joined African American students in picketing a segregated carousel at Glen Echo Amusement Park. The screening will be co-hosted with the Spokane NAACP on Thursday, Jan. 30 at the Magic Lantern.
Also, the festival will have the West Coast premiere of the locally-produced documentary “Carla the Rescuer.” The film celebrates the life of Holocaust survivor Carla Peperzak, her efforts as a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II and the work she has done as a Holocaust educator; a role she remains committed to today despite being 101 years old.
“She can offer something that not too many people can anymore, which is a firsthand account and firsthand information about what occurred and what transpired during the Holocaust,” Schindler said. “She’s really made the most of life after surviving such an ordeal and experiencing such a terrible thing around her in terms of people she cared about.”
The documentary will be the first in-person screening of a Spokane-made film at the festival, Schindler said.
“I think that each year we get a little better at programming a really diverse array of films in terms of the themes that they touch on, in terms of their tone, in terms of where they’re from, and so forth,” he said. “I think that this year, when I look at the collection of films we have, it’s really a great mix.”
Something for everyone
Regarding this year’s lineup, Sorensen said it has something for everyone and provides all members of the Spokane community, both Jewish and non-Jewish, the opportunity to learn, be entertained and engage in challenging issues.
He said the festival is not an event just for Spokane’s Jewish community – it’s a “cultural event to celebrate and learn about Jewish life, culture, and history onscreen.”
“The movies we choose are meant to educate, entertain and challenge, and that’s what film festivals are about,” Sorensen said.
The festival will take place in person on Saturday, Jan. 25 – 26 and Saturday, Feb. 1 – 2 at the Magic Lantern. It will also be held online from Jan. 26 – Feb. 1.
Schindler said he is excited for the festival to return the Magic Lantern after several years. Even though they enjoyed presenting the festival at venues including Gonzaga University, he said they have wanted to get back to a movie theater setting.
“[The theatre]’s a great venue for the film festival, and we’re glad to be able to support a local independent theatre through the film festival,” Sorensen said.
A few prizes will be auctioned off opening night and the second Saturday. All proceeds from the auctions will go to the human services work that the nonprofit organization does year-round.
Sorensen said the festival is the organization’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Tickets and festival passes can be found on the festival’s website.
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