Tribeca 09: Jewish docs

imageThere were several films at Tribeca this year that piqued my personal interest as M.O.T. (Member Of the Tribe).  The first was PARTLY PRIVATE  , Danae Elon’s exploration of male circumcision.  While pregnant with a boy, Elon must confront her Algerian-Jewish husband’s strong preference for circumcising their future son, a belief which clashes with her own misgivings as a secular Jew.  What ensues is a trip around the world, questioning different cultural histories and views on the matter.  Particularly entertaining is her visit to Turkey where boys are circumcised at the age of 8 in the equivalent of a bridal banquet hall while wearing regal costumes.  Clowns, roller coasters and big screen televisions serve to entertain the kids in what would otherwise be quite an awful day.  After watching this film, all I can say is that I hope if I am ever pregnant - it’s a girl.
image Israeli director Yoav Shamir’s latest film Defamation is an unsettling look at the state of anti-Semitism in the world today.  Shamir posits that much of the anti-Semitism is less menacing than one might think based on the statistics appearing in headlines. I was cautious with accepting this hypothesis too readily, but after speaking with Yoav, I gained greater appreciation for his research and methodology.  During his four years on this film, he earnestly explored any anti-Semitic case that emerged around the world.  The majority of the complaints were relatively minor, with the most serious being the stabbing in Russia (that he documents in his film).  Other interesting questions include – just because an act happens against a Jewish person, does that make it “anti-Semitic”? What is the relationship between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism? Is it useful to constantly invoke the Holocaust in molding young Jewish identity? Is current Israeli policy good for the Jews? Oy gevalt.

 

image Director Yoav Shamir recovering from all my questions with a nice cold beer.

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Upcoming Screenings

Mar 16: DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY

image from DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY by Jim McBride
This landmark work blending fiction and reality made a deep impression on the 1970s generation of filmmakers. STF is pleased to show this rare big screen appearance, accompanied by a Q&A with the ...
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Apr 6: AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE

image from AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE by Steven Soderbergh
AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE provides an intimate portrait of master monologist Spalding Gray, as described by his most critical, irreverent and insightful biographer: Spalding Gray. Director Steven ...
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Apr 13: HORSES

image from HORSES by Liz Mermin
An unusual, beautifully detailed documentary following a year in the lives of three charismatic Irish racehorses.  Ireland’s horse-racing culture has produced some of the finest athletes in the ...
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Apr 14: FAMILY AFFAIR

image from FAMILY AFFAIR by Chico Colvard
Wednesday Night Special Description from Sundance catalogue: At 10 years old, Chico Colvard shot his older sister in the leg. This seemingly random act detonated a chain reaction that exposed ...
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Apr 20: THE KIDS GROW UP

image from THE KIDS GROW UP by Doug Block
In his previous documentary, the internationally acclaimed 51 BIRCH STREET, Doug Block looked at his parents’ seemingly ordinary marriage and uncovered a universal story about an archetypal, ...
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Apr 27: CLEANFLIX

image from CLEANFLIX by Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi
Description from Toronto International Film Festival catalogue: Mormons can be movie lovers too. The problem is that their religious leaders strongly discourage R-rated content. As one Mormon ...
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May 4: PIN GODS

image from PIN GODS by Larry Locke
Inspired by the record breaking accomplishments of Walter Ray Williams, Jr., the reigning professional bowler of the year, three newcomers set out to chase their own dreams of pro bowling greatness. ...
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May 11: LIFE 2.0

image from LIFE 2.0 by Jason Spingarn-Koff
Description from Sundance catalogue: Every day, across all corners of the globe, hundreds of thousands of users log onto Second Life, a virtual online world not entirely unlike our own. They enter ...
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May 18: MY PERESTROIKA

image from MY PERESTROIKA by Robin Hessman
Description from Sundance catalogue: The Bolshevik revolution, the cold war, and the collapse of the Soviet Union defined the history of the twentieth century. With such a past, what does it mean ...
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May 25: MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA

image from MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA by Dziga Vertov
Soviet director Dziga Vertov’s experimental film grew out of his belief, shared by his editor, Elizaveta Svilova (who was also his wife), and his cinematographer, Mikhail Kaufman (also his brother), ...
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Jun 1: HAYNESVILLE

image from HAYNESVILLE by Gregory Kallenberg
HAYNESVILLE: A Nation’s Hunt for Energy takes place in the Louisiana backwoods, and follows the momentous discovery of the largest natural gas field in the United States (and maybe the world). The ...
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Jun 8: CLOSING NIGHT FILM: TBA

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