This year’s 12th Annual Cherry Hill Volvo Cars Jewish Film Festival (CHVCJFF) is slated for Sunday, Mar. 19 through Sunday, Mar. 26. It is going to be an incredible week of film and speakers. With films ranging from documentary to crime thriller, feel-good comedy to drama, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Are you looking to do something different for date night? Call up your babysitter and check out some of the films that are being offered this year.
The Festival kicks off Sunday, Mar. 19 at 2:30 p.m. with the New Jersey premiere of the Israeli comedy “Mr. Predictable,” which offers a peek into the life of Adi, a “good boy,” who grew up to be a “nice guy.” He has been taken advantage of by nearly everyone he has met, but his life takes a dramatic romantic turn when he meets Natalia. Will he continue his life as a “good boy,” or will he finally be brave enough to be who he really wants to be?
Opening day continues at 7 p.m. with the international film festival favorite and romantic comedy, “Moos,” and the short film “A Children’s Song.” “Moos” tells the heartwarming story of a socially awkward young woman taking her first steps toward independence and fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a performer. With a few romantic run-ins and musical moments along the way, “Moos” will quickly find her way into your heart.
Are you looking for a more action-packed film for your night out? On Monday, Mar. 20 at 7 p.m., head to the Carmike to enjoy the multiple award winning Israeli film “Wounded Land,” which addresses a large moral conflict that is very real in Israeli society. In this drama, a policeman finds his loyalties and values tested in the aftermath of a horrific terrorist attack. How can victims of a terrorist attack be treated in the same hospital as the terrorist who tried to take their lives? Blurring the line between right and wrong in a multi-faceted narrative, writer-director Erez Tadmor poses complex ethical and political questions, while shining an unsparing light on corruption and racism in Israeli society. Roz Holberg, Hadassah Foundation Board member, will discuss this conflict following the film.
Join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 22 for a mid-week screening of Israel’s #1 film, “The Women’s Balcony.” This charming, feel-good dramedy, set in a Sephardic synagogue in Jerusalem, shines a humorous light on the intersection of religion, tradition, and feminism in a traditional Jewish community. The film screening will also honor the Jewish women leaders of this community.
The festival wraps up with two very powerful films, “Midnight Orchestra” and “A Grain of Truth.” “Midnight Orchestra,” a Moroccan comedic drama, tells the story of the son of a once famous Jewish musician who travels to his home country to bury his estranged father. He learns about his father’s past and Moroccan Jewish culture as he connects with his father’s former bandmates, finding unexpected friendship and discovering his roots along the way. Crime thriller short, “A Grain of Truth,” focuses on a prosecutor who is called in to investigate a strange and mysterious murder case with links to ritual killings rooted in Poland’s anti-Semitic past. Following the film, guest speaker Bill Wine, KYW Newsradio movie critic, will provide commentary.
The Festival is made possible in part thanks to generous sponsors: Cherry Hill Volvo Cars, Carmike Cinemas, Fox Rothschild LLP, Kennedy Health Alliance, Leon L. Levy & Associates, The JCF Steve Beilowitz Israel Connection Fund, The Jewish Community Foundation, The Faktarow Family Endowment Fund, Maggiano’s Little Italy, The Mansion, Spivak Jewelers and Wells Fargo.
To purchase tickets to individual films or to support the Festival as a patron, series or five film pass holder, which includes Festival perks such as early seating to all films, please stop by the JCC Adult Department office, visit katzjcc.org/film or call Film Festival Co-coordinators Michele Susson at (856) 424- 4444, ext. 1119 or Jill Cogan at ext. 1281.
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