Austin Jewish Film Festival Celebrates 18th Anniversary Next Month

The Austin Jewish Film Festival will celebrate its 18th year, a year of significance.

The number 18 is equivalent to chai, or "life" in Hebrew so what better way to affirm life than with a safe, vibrant expression of Jewish culture, even in the midst of a pandemic? AJFF's mission over the years is to highlight incredible filmmaking and to make cross-cultural alliances throughout the Austin community, building bridges with thoughtful engagement and entertaining audiences through the medium of Jewish films and Jewish filmmakers.

For their 18th year, AJFF has imagined the best Festival they could produce while keeping everyone safe and sound. This includes- secure, socially-distanced, drive-in events for opening and closing nights and a Virtual Film Festival for the rest of the week with four times more programming than ever before. Drive-in events at the Dell Jewish Community Center will open and close the festival followed by world-class films, and live Q&As with the filmmakers. During the rest of the week, the Virtual Festival includes the latest and greatest new Jewish films as well as "Best of the Fest Past" movies that AJFF is bringing back. And they'll have lots of filmmaker Q&As for attendees to watch live or watch later via their Vimeo channel.

"The pandemic has caused us to think much more creatively about this year's festival," said David Finkel, Director of AJFF. "We are super excited about how our program has evolved - two safe, socially distanced drive-in events with food, pre-show entertainment, great films, and live over Zoom Q&As with the filmmakers. The rest of the week we have 70 titles (more than 4 times our normal!) with the popular, quality dramas and documentaries that we are known for, as well as interesting, niche films that we hope will expand our audience. Plus more Q&A events than we've ever had before. November 7-13 promises to be an exciting festival week."

Below is a small sampling of this year's lineup. Visit the festival site for the full slate of films and shorts, and for more announcements in the coming weeks!

The Crossing, Opening Night Drive-In Event

Texas Premiere

Director: Johanne Helgeland
Film Followed by Live Filmmaker Q&A

The Crossing tells the story of the adventurous 10-year-old Gerda and her brother Otto, whose parents are in the Norwegian resistance movement during the Second World War. One day, just before Christmas in 1942, Gerda and Otto's parents are arrested, leaving the siblings on their own. Following the arrest, they discover two Jewish children, Sarah and Daniel, hidden in a secret cupboard in their basement. It is now up to Gerda and Otto to finish what their parents started: to help Sarah and Daniel flee from the Nazis, cross the border to neutral Sweden, and reunite them with their parents. The Crossing is a film about the confidence, uncompromising loyalty, and great courage you can find in even the youngest of children. Winner of the 2020 Amanda (Norway's equivalent of the Oscars for "Best Children's Film."

Happy Times

North American Premiere

Director: Michael Mayer

Q&A with Director and Cast Members

Hebrew (with subtitles) A boorish Israeli-American couple plan a Sabbath dinner party for a group of fellow ex-pat friends and family in their Hollywood Hills mansion. What could possibly go wrong? Well, start with a deadly mix of alcohol, add inflated egos, some inappropriate lust, and top with raging jealousy, and the result is a cauldron of murderous mayhem. A shotgun, garden shears, kitchen knives, and even a garbage disposal are used as weapons of choice as these deranged guests turn on each other in director Michael Mayer's outrageous and bloody comedy. Actors include Austin's own Alon Pdut.

The Prague Orgy

US Premiere

Director: Irena Pavlásková

Based on the Philip Roth novel. A famous American writer accepts a quest from a Czech emigrant to bring him back unique Yiddish manuscripts from communist Czechoslovakia. The writer accepts not only a dangerous journey to Prague, where he is watched at every step by communist secret police, but he also needs to face the emigrant's flamboyant and wild wife. She is in possession of the manuscripts and very angry at her husband, as he left with his mistress for the US. She will not surrender the manuscripts easily.

The Dead of Jaffa

Texas Premiere

Director: Ram Loevy

Three children from the West Bank are smuggled into Israel, arriving at the doorstep of George and Rita's house in Jaffa. Their mother is dead, and their father has been sentenced to life imprisonment. As Israeli Palestinians, George is afraid that hiding illegal aliens will endanger Rita and himself, while Rita believes the arrival of these children could give meaning to her life. Nearby, a foreign film is being shot. Jerry, an English director, is making a movie about his parents' love affair in 1947, when they served in the British army in Palestine. George is invited to play a part in the film. When the two stories intertwine, tensions erupt.

Broken Mirrors

Texas Premiere

Director: Aviad Givon, Imri Matalon

"Yet another standout performance by Shira Haas (Shtisel, Unorthodox), cementing her place as one of the best young Jewish actors today. This tale of a dysfunctional family is an intense, gripping drama." Shadowed by a strict, military father who inflicts severe methods of punishment as a form of discipline, seventeen year old Ariella commits a grave error that her father isn't willing to punish her for. Seeking a punishment of her own, Ariella embarks on a dark quest where she will discover a secret to her father's past that will lead them to confront one another.

Thou Shalt Not Hate

Texas Premiere

Director: Mauro Mancini

Simone Segre, a renowned surgeon of Jewish origins, lives in the city of Trieste in the north-east of Italy. He has a quiet life, an elegant apartment, and no connection with his past. One day he finds himself assisting a male victim of a hit and run accident. But when he discovers a Nazi tattoo on his chest, Simone abandons him to his destiny. Filled with guilt, he ends up tracing the man's family: Marica, the eldest daughter; Marcello, a teenager plagued with racial hate; and little Paolo. The night will come when Marica knocks at Simone's door and unknowingly asks for payback.

Winter Journey

Texas Premiere

Director: Anders Østergaard, Erzsébet Rácz

Martin Goldsmith never knew what happened to his parents before they escaped from Germany in 1941. Over a weekend, he confronts his father, and we are brought back to the complex and confusing 1930s. His parents, talented musicians, are only able to perform as members of the Jewish Cultural Federation, a bizarre propaganda organization fully controlled by the Reich Chamber of Culture. Featuring Bruno Ganz as Goldsmith's father in one of his last performances, this film to all intents and purposes seems like a documentary but is in fact a masterful recreation of Goldsmith's book "Winter Journey."

Aulcie, Closing Night Drive-In Event

Texas Premiere

Director: Dani Menkin

Film Followed by Live Filmmaker Q&A

The inspiring story of Aulcie Perry, an Israeli basketball legend recruited in Harlem in 1976, who went on to lead Maccabi Tel Aviv to an upset win in the European Championship. His rise to fame was precipitous, and his relationship with supermodel Tami Ben Ami became the subject of relentless media attention, solidifying his status as one of Israel's biggest stars. Aulcie Perry converted to Judaism, adopted the Hebrew name Elisha Ben Avraham, and became an Israeli citizen. But behind the scenes, he had a growing drug addiction that culminated in his arrest and imprisonment. Since his release he has committed himself to uplifting those suffering from drug abuse and addiction. He remains a beloved Israeli sports figure. Menkin's documentary tells the story of this legendary athlete and his amazing journey of redemption.

Bukra fil Mish-Mish

US Premiere

Director: Tal Michael

Film Followed by Live Filmmaker Q&A

Shortly after the death of his uncles, Didier Frenkel descends into the basement of their shared home and finds a treasure: an ancient archive of animated films from Egypt starring Mish-Mish Effendi, the Arab equivalent of Mickey Mouse, and others. His Jewish father and uncles created these characters but never got the attention they richly deserved. Didier begins restoring the films and unveils the story of the rise and fall of these pioneers of Arab animation. Surprisingly, Didier's mother strongly opposes this project.

The Day of Wrath

Texas Premiere

Director: Jacek Raginis-Królikiewicz

In the autumn of 1943, a young Jew named Emanuel Blatt, a refugee from a nearby ghetto, appears at a Polish monastery asking for help. Nazis are punishing Poles with death for hiding Jews. An SS squadron-leader in charge of a death squad comes to the monastery. The Day of Wrath is a full-of-tension blend of war thriller and morality play. Written by Polish writer of Jewish origin, Roman Brandstatter, the Holocaust and hope for survival are the main themes of this movie.

Be sure to see all of these films plus all of our virtual Q&A's with a Virtual Pass. More info on pass and ticket options and how to purchase starting October 1st.